Efthimios Kaxiras received his PhD in theoretical physics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and worked as a Postdoctotal Fellow at the IBM T.J. Watson Research Laboratory in Yorktown Heights. He joined Harvard University in 1991 where he is currently a Professor of Physics and the Gordon McKay Professor of Applied Physics. He has worked on theoretical modeling of the properties of solids, including their surfaces and defects; he has published over 130 articles in refereed journals, including several invited review articles and book chapters. He has also presented his work in international conferences and workshops throughout the world, through more than 70 invited lectures. He has co-organized a number of scientific meetings and co-edited 3 volumes of conference proceedings. He is a member of the American Physical Society, the American Chemical Society, the Materials Research Society, Sigma Xi - Scientific Research Society, and a Chartered Member of the Institute of Physics (London).