Professor Rodney S. Tucker has made outstanding and innovative contributions to the fields of microwaves, optical communicat-ions, and photonics. He has pioneered the development of high-speed semiconductor lasers, and his work has had substantial commercial impact in industry, both in Australia and overseas. Rodney Tucker's work has led to the commercial development of a new generation of high-speed semiconductor lasers, and to the computer-aided design of networks and systems using these devices. He has extensive experience in industry and academia, and has a track record of applying leading-edge research to real-world engineering problems.