C. N. R. Rao obtained his Ph.D. from Purdue University, USA, and D.Sc. from Mysore University. Apart from other appointments throughout the years, C. N. R. Rao was the Director of the Indian Institute of Science (1984-94), of which he now is an Honorary Professor, and the President of the Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research (1989-99), where he holds the Linus Pauling Research Professorship and Honorary Presidency. His main research interests are in solid state and materials chemistry, molecular structure and spectroscopy. He is a member of numerous science academies worldwide and has received many national and international honours, and published over 1200 research papers.

Achim Müller studied chemistry and physics at Göttingen University and is currently Professor of Inorganic Chemsitry at Bielefeld University, bothGermany. His research interests range from problems of molecular physics, bioinorganic chemistry and metal chalcogenide compounds to popularised science. He has received many national and international recognitions.

Anthony K. Cheetham obtained his Ph.D. in chemistry at Oxford University in 1971 and becme a faculty member in 1974. He moved to the University of California at Santa Barbara in 1991 as Professor in the Materials Department and became Director of the newly created Materlais Research Laboratory there in 1992. His research on inorganic materials has been recognised by a number of awards, including election to Fellowships of the Royal Society (1994) and the Third World Academy of Sciences (1999). He held an International Research Chair at Blaise Pascal University, Paris, (1997-99), and an International Chair Francqui in Namur (2001).