Dr Charles Foster is a Bioinformatics Research Associate in the Virology Research Lab (VRL) at University of New South Wales/Prince of Wales Hospital, and a bioinformatics contractor with the Royal College of Pathologists of Australasia Quality Assurance Programs (RCPAQAP). Dr Foster’s research career to date has tackled a wide variety of topics including phylogenomics, molecular evolution, and genomic epidemiology. Within the VRL, Dr Foster is responsible for developing pipelines for genomic analysis of viruses, especially SARS-CoV-2. These pipelines are used for routine genomic sequencing of viral samples from positive COVID-19 cases, as well as urgent cases flagged by NSW Health. Dr Foster uses the generated data to carry out original research into areas such as assurance of consistent bioinformatics results between sequencing laboratories, and characterisation of SARS-CoV-2 outbreaks. When working with the RCPAQAP, Dr Foster assists in the design, implementation, and analysis of proficiency-testing programs for whole-genome sequencing of SARS-CoV-2 and Security Sensitive Biological Agents.