Ray Barrett leads the ESRF X-ray Optics Group (XOG) in the design, development, procurement & implementation of X-ray optical systems for synchrotron beamlines. Following a PhD in Materials Science from the University of Cambridge, he joined the ESRF in 1994 as a post-doc. After scientific roles on various X-ray beamlines developing X-ray microscopy and microanalysis methods he joined the XOG, becoming group leader in 2012.