John Spence is internationally recognised and acclaimed for his contributions to the development and application of X-ray lasers to biology and molecular movies, to atomic-resolution electron microscopy, and to the development of new microscopies and spectroscopies which have given scientists new eyes to understand atomic processes in solids. By conceiving the diffraction-before-destruction X-ray laser experiments on protein nanocrystals, Spence and Chapman opened the way to a new damage-free method of protein crystallography. Spence's work with Zuo in electron diffraction has provided the clearest images of chemical bonds between atoms, which control the arrangement of atoms in matter, and so determine its properties.