Selected research areas initiated by Leslie Eric Cross

Abstract Eric Cross has been one of the principal contributors to the solid state science literature over the last 40 years. In ferroic materials in particular his publications count as probably the single most cited body of work of any researcher in the field. This paper reviews some of his most fundamental contributions, concentrating in the main on older and by now 'classic' research, from studies of bismuth titanate, improper ferroelectrics and relaxors, through discovery of new properties such as ferroelastoelectricity and the flexoelectric effect, to work directed towards applications. The closing section discusses domain engineering.