Robert May has been acting Chief Scientific Advisor to the government of the UK (1995-2000). He is currently a professor at Imperial College in London and Oxford University, and is President Elect of the Royal Society. Although he is a world renowned zoologist, he has also been a professor of physics in Sydney University in Australia where he grew up. His specialist areas include calculating species numbers, and studying the theory of chaos in nature and how it works in living communities (ecosystems). Chaos theory helps us to understand how nature is affected by change, both man-made and natural.