Professor Luther-Davies has made outstanding research contributions to a broad range of laser-based research and in photonics. A feature of his research is the breadth of his contributions over topics such as laser-matter interaction physics and laser-produced plasmas; nonlinear optics; laser engineering; advanced optical materials; and optical waveguides. He led a team that developed inorganic-organic hybrid glasses which have been commercialised for consumer markets by a spin-off company RPO Pty Ltd. As Head of the Laser Physics Centre at ANU he now leads a team of some forty scientists and students with a high international profile for laser-based research.