Prof. San H. Thang completed his PhD in chemistry at Griffith University in 1987. After a research career at CSIRO (1986–2014), he is currently a Professor of Chemistry at Monash University. His research focuses on the interface between biology and polymer chemistry. He is responsible for several key inventions in the area of controlled/living radical polymerization; significantly, he is a co-inventor of the RAFT (Reversible Addition–Fragmentation Chain Transfer) process. In June 2018, he was awarded the Companion in the General Division of the Order of Australia (AC) for his ‘eminent service to science, and to higher education, particularly in the fields of polymer chemistry and materials science, through seminal contributions as a research innovator, as a mentor, and to the community.