Frank Endres studied chemistry and physics at Saarland University, Germany, gaining his doctorate in 1996. He obtained his lecturing qualification at Karlsruhe University in 2002, since when he has been a professor at Clausthal University of Technology. Andrew Abbott gained his PhD in electrochemistry from Southampton University in 1989. Following post-doctoral studies at the universities of Connecticut and Liverpool, he became a lecturer at the University of Leicester in 1993, and Professor of Physical Chemistry there in 2005. Since 1999, Professor Abbott has been Research Director of Scionix Ltd. Douglas MacFarlane studied physics and chemistry as well as history at Victoria University of Wellington, gaining his PhD in physical chemistry at Purdue University in 1983. He has been Professor of Chemistry at Monash University since 1995.