Prof Michael Loebinger is a consultant respiratory physician with a specialist interest in respiratory infections, bronchiectasis and non-tuberculous mycobacteria (NTM).  He leads the Host Defence and Infection Service and is Clinical Director of Laboratory Medicine at the Royal Brompton Hospital, London.  He co-chaired the British Thoracic Society (BTS) bronchiectasis guidelines and co-wrote the BTS NTM and European Respiratory Society (ERS) bronchiectasis guidelines.  He is a founding member of the UK and European clinical and research bronchiectasis and NTM networks, chairs the European NTM registry and leads global multicentre clinical trials and safety monitoring committees. He is Professor of Practice (Respiratory Medicine) at Imperial College where he leads research into respiratory infection, supervises medical and research students and received European Research awards. He chaired the infection special advisory group for the BTS (2013–2016) and is secretary and chair-elect of the ERS respiratory infection group.