Robert J. Birgeneau is one of Canada's foremost experimental physicists and has made numerous original, and profound contributions to our understanding of condensed matter systems. He is widely known for his pioneering use of neutron and x-ray scattering in elucidating the nature of the phase transitions and excitations in many of the one-, two- or three-dimensional materials that have been and continue to be at the forefront of research in condensed matter and statistical physics.