Professor James Taylor passed away on April 2 2020; Johns Hopkins University provides a brief memoriam. We in the Bioconductor community knew James as a Galaxy project leader, a strong advocate for open and reproducible science, and an enthusiastic and inspirational colleague. James recognized Bioconductor as a kindred spirit, and bridged the relationship between Galaxy and Bioconductor through his leadership of the NHGRI AnVIL project. James' leadership has deep consequences for the way Bioconductor now navigates toward large-scale cloud-based computing. James served on the Bioconductor Scientific Advisory Board, where he had profound influence on our approach to community engagement. His supportive and positive demeanor when providing thoughtful advice and constructive criticism made clear his care and devotion to improving our project and the broader scientific endeavor. We all appreciate the role Galaxy plays in enabling open and reproducible scientific research, and the synergy between the day-to-day workings of the Galaxy and Bioconductor communities.

James' work and personality touched many of us, and we share a deep sense of loss from his passing. On behalf of the Bioconductor community, we offer our deepest condolences to James’ family, friends, trainees, and colleagues.