Jean Golding is Professor of Paediatrics and Prenatal Epidemiology at the Institute of Child Health, University of Bristol. She is an outstanding prenatal and paediatric epidemiologist who has a world reputation for her large epidemiological studies in children. For many years she has led the Avon longitudinal study of parents and children (ALSPAC) that was designed to determine ways in which the individual’s genotype combines with environmental pressures to influence health and development. This study is leading to important new information about a diverse range of childhood events and illnesses from accidents, to allergy.