Professor Alexei Verkhratsky, PhD, DSc, is an internationally recognised scholar in the field of cellular neurophysiology, best known for his contributions to our knowledge of the physiology and pathophysiology of neuroglia. He started glial research in 1989 in Heidelberg in the laboratory of Helmut Kettenmann. In a series of highly cited conceptual papers, he outlined basic principles of glial physiology and pathophysiology, which significantly influenced this rapidly developing area of neuroscience. Arthur M. Butt has worked on glial cells for almost 40 years. For his PhD, he worked at King’s College London and the Marine Laboratories Plymouth, working with Joan Abbott, a world leader in blood-brain barrier research. Arthur did his postdoctoral research at Yale University with Bruce Ransom, an inspirational glial cell biologist who with Helmut Kettennmann founded the journal Glia, which provided a phenomenal boost to glial research. Arthur obtained his first independent position at Guy’s and St. Thomas’ Hospitals, London, where he worked with the late great Professor Martin Berry, a leader in nervous system regeneration.