  The goal of nuclear structure theory is to build a comprehensive microscopic
framework in which properties of nuclei and extended nuclear matter, and
nuclear reactions and decays can all be consistently described. Due to novel
theoretical concepts, breakthroughs in the experimentation with rare isotopes,
increased exchange of ideas across different research areas, and the progress
in computer technologies and numerical algorithms, nuclear theorists have been
quite successful in solving various bits and pieces of the nuclear many-body
puzzle and the prospects are exciting. This article contains a brief, personal
perspective on the status of the field.
