A major part of my scientific career has been dedicated to instrument development for nanocharacterisation, fundamental surface science and more recently nanolithography using helium beams. This has provided me with a very solid knowledge of surfaces on the atomic scale. In the last years I have started to apply this knowledge in the design of nano-based devices with industrial applications. Work includes under-water self cleaning windows and optically transparent ice-phobic coatings. My growing interest in industry related problems was a direct motivation for completing an Executive Master of Management at BI Norwegian Business School in 2019. I am a board member for the Mathematics and Natural Science Faculty at University of Bergen. Over the years I have lead several European Union funded collaborative research projects and been involved in numerous science related committees nationally and internationally. In 2019 I was appointed Chairman for the Kavli Prize committee in Nanoscience.