Sir Martin Rees, Astronomer Royal and Royal Society Research Professor at Cambridge University, is renowned for his extraordinary intuition in unraveling the complexities of the universe. He has been a leader in the quest to understand the physical processes near black holes and is responsible for major advances in our understanding of the cosmic background radiation, quasars, gamma-ray bursts, and galaxy formation. He has contributed to almost every area of cosmology and astrophysics and through his public speaking and writing he has made the Universe a more familiar place for everyone.