Luca Aceto: A Legacy of Excellence
Luca Aceto, the outgoing Chair, is an outstanding figure in the world of theoretical computer science. His tenure as head of the LIPIcs Editorial Board was marked by his commitment to quality and his efforts to foster innovation in the field of Open Access publishing in Computer Science. Luca took over the position as chair from Wolfgang Thomas in 2017. Since the beginning of Luca's first term in October 2017, 195 volumes with a total of 8261 articles and approx. 143,000 pages have been published. Our series has grown steadily from 25 published volumes (with ~1100 articles) in 2017 to 36 published volumes (with ~1450 articles) in 2022.
Luca Aceto's legacy is one of openness and inclusivity. During his tenure, he worked hard to ensure that the LIPIcs series continued to grow while maintaining the highest standards of quality and making computer science freely accessible to all. His commitment to upholding high standards of publication and his unwavering support of the academic community have left an indelible mark on LIPIcs.
Meena Mahajan: A Vision for the Future
Luca Aceto is succeeded by Meena Mahajan, a renowned computer scientist with a promising vision for the future of LIPIcs. Meena brings her extensive experience and deep understanding of the field to her new role, which will undoubtedly usher in an exciting era for the LIPIcs Editorial Board.
One of Meena's priorities is to build on the legacy of Open Access and high-quality publications. She aims to increase the visibility of LIPIcs publications and continue the tradition of providing a platform for cutting-edge research in computer science. At the same time, she emphasises the importance of LIPIcs as proof that high-quality Open Access publishing and affordability in scientific publishing are compatible: "LIPIcs is a great proof of concept that proceedings disseminating high-quality scientific research can be published in an affordable Open Access model. Science progresses best without barriers, and Open Access is necessary for this. There was (still is, in many sections) a belief that one cannot have quality and affordability together in scientific publishing."
Furthermore, Meena plans to strengthen collaboration with international research communities to promote knowledge exchange and cross-fertilisation of ideas: "It will be great to have more
conferences with a broader CSE focus join LIPIcs. It will be even greater if other organisations start similar publication venues. These would not be viewed as competition to LIPIcs, but as furthering LIPIcs' goals; after all, for the volume of scientific research taking place worldwide today, one venue is not going to be enough."
The LIPIcs community can rest assured that the series will remain in good hands as the torch is passed from one capable leader to the next. The spirit of inclusivity and commitment to the scientific community will continue under the leadership of Meena Mahajan.
The change at the helm of the LIPIcs Editorial Board from Luca Aceto to Meena Mahajan is an important moment in the history of the series. Luca Aceto's contributions and commitment to Open Access have laid a strong foundation. With Meena Mahajan as the new chair, we can look forward to an exciting future for LIPIcs, one in which innovation, inclusivity and the highest standards of computer science research will continue to be promoted. As academia evolves, LIPIcs remains true to its mission of providing a valuable platform for researchers and scholars in the field.
