Marek W. Urban is internationally recognized scientist and scholar in the area of stimuli-responsive polymeric materials and polymer spectroscopy. He is a professor of polymer science and engineering in the School of Polymers and High Performance Materials at the University of Southern Mississippi and director of Materials Research Science and Engineering Center. He has authored over 300 research papers, three books, and edited 8 American Chemical Society Advances in Chemistry Series books. He chaired the Gordon Research Conference on Polymer Films and Coatings and is the recipient of numerous awards. Current focus of his research is on stimuli-responsive polymeric materials that mimic nature and molecular level processes that govern their behavior.