With deep sadness in our hearts we have to inform that on Monday 26th September, our colleague and the founding father of EFAS, Ad de Roo, passed away after a long and courageous fight with illness.

Ad joined the European Commission Joint Research Centre in 1997. He was a scientist and educator to his core and during an exceptional career, he published numerous high quality scientific papers, provided first-class mentoring to generations of PhD and post-doctoral fellows (at the JRC and at Utrecht University, where he was Professor of Physical Geography, Hazards and Impacts), and was at the centre of applied science projects with profound policy relevance and impact.

Ad’s ability to push the boundaries of science and to see the applications of said science has been at the heart of his activities. In particular, the LISFLOOD model he developed with colleagues in JRC and the wider academic community, serves hydrologists worldwide for their research. LISFLOOD is also the core of the European and Global Flood Awareness Systems, EFAS and GloFAS. While these started as research projects under his leadership and guidance, they have become cornerstones of the operational Copernicus Emergency Management Service. As such, Ad’s science regularly serves to improve Europeans abilities to tackle flood related disasters.

Ad leaves a big gap not only at the JRC but also in the wider academic world, particularly the hydrological research community and within the EFAS community.