Robert Lloyd is a bacterial geneticist who applies molecular, biochemical and structural methods to study DNA recombination, replication and repair. He has modelled how the genetic material of an organism — its genome — is transmitted faithfully from one generation to the next.

Recombination is a vital evolutionary process that acts both to preserve genome integrity and to generate genetic diversity. Robert discovered many of the key proteins associated with recombination in Escherichia coli and established the critical role of the RuvABC enzyme in processing DNA Holliday junction structures. This work paved the way towards an understanding of equivalent processes in human cells.

Damage to DNA is unavoidable and can destabilise the genome, a common cause of cancer in human cells. Robert discovered that the E. coli enzyme RecG — which unwinds Holliday junctions and a number of other branched DNA structures — is an important player in genome maintenance. His research has also described how breaks in DNA are repaired and how conflicts between the protein machines associated with DNA replication and transcription are limited or resolved.