Inspired by intricate microscopic structures in butterfly and moth wings giving their vivid colours, Roy Sambles has created ‘metamaterials’ to manipulate light, microwaves and radio waves in unusual ways with many practical applications.

His infectious enthusiasm for physics has inspired thousands of people. If you ask him why he loves physics, he will just tell you: “How does it all work? That’s it really, isn’t it? How does it all work?”

Professor Sambles from the University of Exeter is the winner of the 2012 Faraday Medal awarded by the Institute of Physics for pioneering research in experimental physics.