On 30 April 2025, Professor Jaak Järv’s tenure as Editor-in-Chief of Proceedings of the Estonian Academy of Sciences ended. His editorship, which began on 1 October 2007, spanned nearly eighteen years ‒ a period during which the journal underwent substantial development and modernisation.

One of Professor Järv’s first major undertakings was consolidating four separate series ‒ Physics. Mathematics, Chemistry, Engineering, and Biology. Ecology ‒ into a single unified journal. This structural reform streamlined the publication and laid the groundwork for subsequent advances. Over the years, Professor Järv introduced a number of important innovations, including the adoption of Creative Commons licensing for all published articles, the journal’s inclusion in the Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ), and an initiative to digitise the back catalogue of previously published Academy of Sciences journals and assign DOIs to their articles ‒ making decades of Estonian scientific research permanently citable and discoverable online.

Alongside his editorial duties, Professor Järv simultaneously served as Chairman of the Publishing Council of the Estonian Academy of Sciences, contributing to the broader strategic direction of academic publishing in Estonia. Both roles concluded on the same date.

Professor Järv’s long-standing commitment has been highly valued in maintaining the journal’s continuity and quality through different stages of development. The editorial board and the Estonian Academy Publishers extend their sincere gratitude for his dedication and the impact of his work. We wish him every success in the endeavours ahead.

As of 5 May 2025, Academician and Professor of Mathematics Rainis Haller has assumed the role of Editor-in-Chief. The responsibilities of Chair of the Publishing Council have passed to Academician Marek Tamm, Vice-President of the Estonian Academy of Sciences. We warmly welcome both to their new roles and look forward to the journal’s continued development under their leadership.

Photo: Val Raasaar