Which major genomics project was Watson associated with at NIH from 1988 to 1992?

The major genomics project James Watson was associated with at the NIH from 1988 to 1992 was the Human Genome Project. He became the first director of the NIH’s National Center for Human Genome Research, the agency’s principal vehicle for the project.

The Human Genome Project sought to map and sequence the human genome, identifying the locations and DNA sequences of human genes. Its official international launch came in 1990, although planning and government-backed research began earlier. Watson’s leadership helped bring the NIH effort into the expanding public program to decode human DNA.

Watson resigned as director on April 10, 1992, after disagreements with NIH leadership, including disputes over patenting gene sequences. Francis Collins later succeeded him and guided the NIH effort through much of the project. The Cancer Genome Atlas, HapMap Project, and ENCODE were separate genomics initiatives, developed later or with different goals.