I met Phil in the summer of 2015 at a two-week Next Generation Sequencing bioinformatics workshop (a.k.a. ANGUS) held at the Kellogg Biological Station in Michigan. A distinct highlight of the workshop was meeting Phil, who was a TA (teaching assistant) for the workshop. I have been working with, but mostly learning from, Phil ever since. First, Phil knows his biology, and this serves as a foundation for using NGS technologies and bioinformatics. Second, Phil is a problem solver. Phil is especially good at understanding what needs to be done and figuring out how to do it. This is where the two worlds of biology and bioinformatics meet. Not many people know both, and those that are experts in both fields (like Phil) are incredibly valuable to know and have on your team. The third point, perhaps most importantly, is Phil is a great guy to work with. He is quite willing to share his time and knowledge with you and his career path is inspirational. So much so that I invite him as a motivational speaker for our student Fellowship programs my institution runs.