Duncan Bruce is Professor of Liquid Crystals and Materials Chemistry at the University of York. Prior to this he was Professor of Inorganic Chemistry at the University of Exeter, and co-director of the Sheffield Centre for Molecular Materials. His current research interests include liquid crystals and nanoparticle-doped, nanostructured, mesoporous silicates. He is immediate Past President of the Royal Society of Chemistry Materials Chemistry Division and Chair of the British Liquid Crystal Society. His work has been recognized by various awards including the RSC Tilden Prize for 2010, the RSC's Sir Edward Frankland Fellowship and Corday-Morgan Medal and Prize.

Dermot O'Hare is Professor in the Chemistry Research Laboratory at the University of Oxford. His interests are wide ranging, and include exploratory synthetic organometallic chemistry, intercalation chemistry, time-resolved, in situ diffraction studies and the synthesis of meso- and microporous solids.
In 2010 he won the RSC Ludwig Mond award for outstanding research in Inorganic chemistry.

Dr Richard Walton is Associate Professor in Inorganic Chemistry at the University of Warwick. He was also formerly based in the Department of Chemistry at the University of Exeter. His research group works in the area of solid-state materials chemistry and has a number of projects focusing upon the synthesis, structural characterization and properties of inorganic materials.