Prof James Chalmers is the GSK/British Lung Foundation Chair of Respiratory Research at the University of Dundee, Scotland, and an honorary consultant physician at Ninewells Hospital. His clinical and research interests are in difficult airways diseases, particularly bronchiectasis and COPD. He is chair of the European Bronchiectasis Registry (EMBARC) and chaired the recent European Bronchiectasis Guidelines. He is also Deputy Chief Editor of the European Respiratory Journal. In 2017 he won the Patrick Neil medal from the Royal Society of Edinburgh and the Romain Pauwels award from the European Respiratory Society for his contribution to bronchiectasis research.