Malik Maaza is a native of North Africa. He holds a PhD in wave-matter neutron optics from the University of Paris-VI. He is the current incumbent, in South Africa, of the UNESCO UNISA-ITLABS-NRF Africa Chair in Nanosciences & Nanotechnologies (U2ACN2) and the chairman of the African Network of Excellence; the Nanosciences African Network (NANOAFNET). He Is a founding member of the African Network for Solar Energy (ANSOLE) and the African Laser Centre (ALC). He is a joint staff member of the University of South Africa and the National Research Foundation of South Africa. He is a fellow of various Academies, including the African Academy of Science, the European Academy of Arts & Sciences as well as the National Academy of Science of India, the Islamic Academy of Sciences, and the Royal Society of Chemistry-London. Prof. M. Maaza has been bestowed several awards and accolades among which the Galileo-Galilei award by the International Commission for Optics (ICO) and the African Union Nkwame Nkrumah award for Excellence in Science & Technology.