Dr. Brian W Darvell was formerly Professor and Chairman of the Department of Bioclinical Sciences in the faculty of Dentistry at Kuwait University. Prior to this he spent nearly 30 years in the Department of Dental Materials Science in the Faculty of Dentistry at the University of Hong Kong. Dr. Darvell, a Chartered Scientist and Chartered Chemist, is still active in the field, holding an honorary professorship at the University of Birmingham (UK), and is a fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry, the Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining (IOM3), the Royal Statistical Society and the Academy of Dental Materials. He serves on the Editorial Board of the journal Dental Materials.