Brian Culshaw is professor emeritus at Strathclyde University, where he served as head of department and vice dean, after joining in 1983 as Professor of Optoelectronics. He is also a director of OptoSci limited, a spin out company established in 1994. He has (too) many years’ experience in the technology, realisation and application of fibre optic sensors in navigation, structural monitoring, biomedicine and environmental assessment. He has also participated in conference organisation and professional society activities including as 2007 President of SPIE. He has previously worked at University College London, Bell Northern Research Ottawa, and Stanford and Cornell Universities.