MICHAEL A. PAESLER is Professor of Physics at North Carolina State University. At the University's Precision Engineering Center he heads a group that exploits the near-field microscope's ability to provide spectral and temporal contrast. He has explored the optical performance and fabrication of tapered optical fibers as well as the theory of the behavior of light in the near-field.

PATRICK J. MOYER is Professor of Physics at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. A former researcher with TopoMetrix of Santa Clara, California, he was the chief scientist responsible for the design and development of the first commercially available near-field scanning optical microscope.