10th Congress of the European Society for Photobiology

This issue of Photochemical & Photobiological Sciences assembles articles written by speakers that participated in the 10th Congress of the European Society for Photobiology in Vienna last September. These articles cover several important fields of photobiology and give an indication of the breadth of the subject. We are confident that this volume will provide new and important perspectives for future projects in photobiology. All the published articles have been refereed according to our routine journal procedures.

In addition to our aim of inviting key speakers to contribute an article to this issue, we would also like to dedicate it to a special person, Giulio Jori. We assume that no one who knows him will be surprised about the dedication of this special issue of Photochemical & Photobiological Sciences. As a matter of fact, we are convinced we are meeting the expectations of both photobiologists and photochemists. Giulio Jori, originally a chemist by training and now Professor at the Department of Biology, Padova University, Italy, has published pioneering results in photobiological research areas such as photosensitisation, photodynamic therapy, photodiagnostics, utilisation of photochemical techniques for developing environmentally friendly approaches in the field of pesticides and water treatment – in total, almost 200 papers in refereed journals and more than 100 invited lectures. Giulio has made outstanding contributions to the advancement of the science of photobiology and has opened up new horizons to all those who have had the privilege of collaborating with him. Giulio's contributions to science are not restricted solely to research: his excellent organisational talents and enthusiasm were decisive in successfully launching the European Society for Photobiology (ESP). In addition he has initiated countless international endeavours, workshops and meetings and has fired a passion in the younger generation in their understanding of nature and of the fulfilment that can be found in pursuing a scientific career in photobiology. Giulio has also served as Chairman of the Ownership Board of this journal, Photochemical & Photobiological Sciences, and both the co-owner societies, ESP and the European Photochemical Association (EPA) wish to express their sincere thanks for all his efforts and inspiration.

His numerous international awards, including the ESP Medal in 2001, testify to his worldwide reputation. Giulio celebrates his 65th birthday in May of this year and with this dedication we want to convey to him our gratitude for all he has done and still continues to do for photobiology and photobiologists. We wish him a dynamic and fulfilling continuation of his lifetime-long and ever progressing career.

Francesco Lenci

Pisa, Italy

ESP President-Elect

Janet Bornman

Slagelse, Denmark

ESP Past-President and PPS Editor-in-Chief, Photobiology

Jacques Piette

Liège, Belgium

ESP President, PPS Deputy Editor

Frank Wilkinson

Loughborough, UK

PPS Editor-in-Chief, Photochemistry

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