Pulsars were first discovered over 55 years ago. Despite being physically small compared to other stars, they are approximately 20km in diameter, they have played a very large part in modern astrophysics, by allowing us to address some of the most exciting open problems. In this talk I will discuss some of the highlights of pulsar astrophysics, giving examples of how we take measurements and extract information about these unique stars. At this time of very rapid scientific progress, I will also discuss how pulsar astrophysics is keeping connections with, and inspiring the general public. Finally, I will look towards the future, the forecast developments for the next decade and beyond, and the discoveries we are hoping to make.

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Aris was born in Greece then moved to the UK with his parents who were post-graduate students, before returning to Greece for all of my primary, secondary, and university education. In 1999 he moved to Bonn, Germany, where he completed my PhD studies in 2002. After postdoctoral research positions at the University of Sydney, and IRAM Grenoble, he moved to Oxford in 2007. He has been fortunate to have been guided by enlightened people at all stages of his life, and to have moved around the plenet. Currently, he leads a group working on Pulsar Astrophysics at Oxford, and co-leads the construction of the pulsar search machine for the square kilometre array.