Prof. Oleg D Lavrentovich received his Ph.D. (1984) and Doctor of Sciences (1990) degrees in Physics and Mathematics from the Ukrainian Academy of Sciences. Prof. Oleg D Lavrentovich joined the Liquid Crystal Institute (LCI) at Kent State University as a Senior Research Fellow in 1992 and served as a director of the LCI from 2003–2011. Prof. Oleg D Lavrentovich held visiting appointments at the University P. et M. Curie, the University Denis Diderot in France, the University of Warsaw in Poland, and other universities. Prof. Oleg D Lavrentovich is the editor of Liquid Crystals Reviews (Taylor & Francis), member of the Editorial Boards of Liquid Crystals, Condensed Matter Physics, Ukrainian Journal of Physics. He is a Fellow of the American Physical Society and a Fellow of the International Society for Optical Engineering (SPIE). His current research focuses on electro-optics, topological defects, hybrid colloid-liquid crystal systems, liquid crystal elastomers, liquid crystals as active matter, and liquid crystals as nonlinear electrolytes.