Steve Franklin has a B.Sc. in Physics and Materials Science and a Ph.D. in Materials Engineering. He has worked for 25 years in industrial research at Philips Electronics in the Netherlands, first concentrating on industrial applications of tribology and hard coatings and later specializing in the tribology of contacts between products and human tissue where friction behaviour and (dis)comfort are important aspects of the product design. Steve currently leads the Tribology and Human Tissue Interaction teams within Philips Research. He is involved in applied research in relation to the development of a wide range of healthcare and lifestyle products that interact with the human body in different ways, for example via the skin or eyes. Since 2008, Steve additionally holds the position of Visiting Industrial Professor at the Leonardo Centre for Tribology, University of Sheffield, UK.