Andrew Forbes, PhD, has spent several years working as an applied laser physicist, first for the South African Atomic Energy Corporation and then later in a private laser company. He is currently chief researcher at the CSIR National Laser Centre in South Africa and is the research group leader for mathematical optics. Andrew sits on several international conference committees, chairs the SPIE (Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers) international conference on laser beam shaping and the OSA's (Optical Society of America) Diffractive Optics and Holography technical group. He holds honorary professorships at the University of Stellenbosch and the University of Kwazulu-Natal.