Marc Michel Pic trained as an engineer before obtaining his PhD in computer sciences at the University of Paris VI-Jussieu. His fascination with information theory and its practical applications - digital imaging, high-performance computing, compilers etc - goes back a long way. He has published a number of articles in international reviews, and spoken at international conferences. He has also contributed to several books on digital signal analysis and languages for parallel programming. Marc's experience includes project management in industry (medical, Shell, knowledge management) and research (CEA - the French Atomic Energy agency; INRIA - National Institute for Research in Information and Automation Technologies). Internationally, he has organized collaborative projects with Indiana University and with a number of European research centers. He has been an assessor for the RNTL, a French ministry organization supporting private/public sector cooperative research in IT. He has been a member of several standardization organizations, including MPEG and ISO (AFNOR). He is also a member of Cyberlex, a think-tank looking into the legislative implications of new technologies.