Meet Henry Day

Henry develops next-generation sequencing technologies at Illumina, creating chemistries and workflows designed to unlock deeper biological insights. His team characterizes novel molecules and reagents to understand and improve their performance and stability, helping genomic technologies progress from early concepts to practical applications.

“The first human genome was published not long before I began my degree. Now genomic testing is becoming widely accessible, and we are expanding into multiomics to deliver a more holistic view of chemical biology,” he says. “We’re moving beyond simply making sequencing faster and cheaper toward extracting richer insights from every sample.”

Henry argues that analytical chemistry should play a larger role earlier in R&D. “It is too often thought of as something to be done at the end of R&D, when it’s time to think about quality control and transitioning into production,” he says. “I think that’s a missed opportunity. Starting analytical characterization at the earliest opportunity means it can enable innovation, help design better molecules from the beginning, and ultimately lead to better products.”

Outside the lab, Henry has represented Great Britain in long-range target shooting. “The sport demands precision, discipline, and the ability to perform consistently under pressure,” he says. “Those lessons translate surprisingly well to scientific research, where success often depends on controlling variables, maintaining focus, and delivering reliable results when the stakes are high.”