Professor Boswell made pioneering contributions to the fields of basic and applied plasma physics. His research has led to new research fields: high density Helicon sources used throughout the world for surface treatments, innovative space propulsion systems and the use of numerical simulations for modelling plasma processing discharges. He has made seminal contributions to the fields of space science, plasma etching and deposition for micro/opto-electronics and more recently for fuel cells and the hydrogen economy. He leads an active research group which is internationally renowned for innovation in plasma processes and techniques of both fundamental and industrial interest.