An editor’s tribute to his predecessor

Abstract

At the end of last year, Bernd Nilius stepped down from his position as Editor in Chief of Pflugers Archiv, which he had held for 10 years. Succeeding him in that position is both a great honor and a great responsibility. It will be hard to fill the shoes of such an extraordinary person. Not only is Bernd an outstanding scientist who has made seminal contributions to ion channel physiology [2], he is also a highly educated man with an impressive knowledge of history, philosophy, and literature. Gifted with a talent for the fine arts, he often entertained us, the editorial board, with his brilliant piano skillsorwiththoughtfulessays.Anincrediblyenergeticscholar, he was determined to not only maintain the highest standards for the journal, but also relentlessly devoted himself to improving it. Together with these exceptional features, he impressed us with his enthusiasm for science, in particular for new and exciting developments in the area of physiology. As the leader of the editorial board, he had the unique ability to sense new hot topics and trends, and he made sure they were adequately represented in original articles, reviews, and special issues in our journal, Pflugers Archiv. Our journal’s mission is to publish excellent and interesting results in the field of physiological science. The journal’s reviewing process,asitstandstoday,hasawell-deservedreputationofbeing constructive, transparent, timely, and fair—all of which were promoted by Bernd Nilius. Based on the extraordinary depth and breadth of his own research on TRP channels, his tenure as EiC of Pflugers Archiv has had a remarkable impact on the journal’s international standing, helping it become a leading journal in the field of physiology. His encyclopedic mind and his deeply rooted sense of loyalty and friendship have also been crucial for the journal’s rapidly growing reputation. Bernd successfully bridged the gap between the journal’s long history and the requirements of modern physiology publishing. He felt a sense of responsibility towards Eduard Pfluger [1], founder of the world’s first physiology journal, which would eventuallybecomethe PflugersArchivweknowtoday. I also feel obliged to the tradition of our journal, since history is the memory of culture.Thanksto Bernd Nilius’ work, I also feelconfidentthatPflugersArchiviswellpreparedtomeetthe future challenges of scientific publishing. Therefore, I wish to invite and encourage you to continue submitting your interesting and attractive work to Pflugers Archiv. The aims of the journal will not change: we willfocusonoriginalresearchthat provides mechanistic insights into physiological functions at the molecular and cellular level. We also welcome submissions concerning the evaluation of molecular and cellular mechanisms of disease, ideally resulting in translational research. Though the whole editorial board wishes Bernd Nilius all the best for his retirement, he should also know that he will be sorely missed at the helm of Pflugers Archiv. Dear Bernd, thanks for the many years of great service, and bon voyage!