Social news Professor emeritus Damir Viličić: an appreciation on the occasion of his seventieth birthday Damir Viličić is professor emeritus at Department of Bi- ology, Faculty of Science, University of Zagreb. He was born on May 27, 1948, in Zagreb, where he grew up and has fin- ished his primary education. On Faculty of Science, Univer- sity of Zagreb he obtained his BSc. degree in Biology in 1973, MSc in 1977 and PhD in 1983. Professor Viličić has started his scientific career in the In- stitute of Oceanography and Fisheries in Dubrovnik in 1975 where he has achieved his position of senior scientist in 1991. In autumn 1996 he moves back to Zagreb and continues his career as full professor on Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, University of Zagreb. On 2014 he retires and in 2015 is promoted to professor emeritus. His main research focus is on ecology and taxonomy of marine phytoplankton. He has published 113 peer reviewed scientific papers (43 in top rated scientific journals), two uni- versity text books and one book. His work has been cited 944 times (WoS), 1059 times (Scopus), 1385 times in Google scholar with h-index 20 and 22 respectively. During his fruit- ful career he has been trained at different laboratories – Lab- oratorio Contaminazione Marina – C.N.E.N., Fiascherino (La Spezia), Italy; Dunstaffnage Marine Research Labora- tory, Oben, Institute of Aquaculture University of Stirling Stirling, Scotland, The Institute of Marine Environmental Research and The Marine Biological Association Laborato- ry, Plymouth, UK; Universite des Sciences et Tecniques du Languedoc, Montpellier, France; Stazione Zoologica Anthon Dohrn Napoli, Italy. He has been actively involved in teaching of the courses Protists, Pelagial Microbiology, Microbiology of the Ecosys- tem, Biological Oceanography and Marine Biology. He had supervised 25 Master and five PhD students. Professor Viličić was principal investigator of projects of the Ministry of Science of the Republic of Croatia and was collaborator on international projects and research in the Adriatic Sea (RV Knorr, DOLCEVITA project). His scientific contributions were recognized by the award of the Croatian Academy of science and Art for scientific achievements in Croatia in 2003, and since 2006 he is Associate member of the Croatian Academy of Science and Art. Viličić was secre- tary (1995-2011) and president (2012-2015) of the Council for the Scientific Research of the Adriatic Sea of the Croa- tian Academy of Science and Art. From 1998 to 2014 he was Editor-in-Chief of Acta Botanica Croatica. On this important birthday, we wish professor Viličić many happy returns, to stay positive and active, to keep the good health and vital strength that is such an inspiration to us all. His career is a proof that all problems can be over- come, that if the door closes, to look for a window and most important never to give up, never stop observing and criti- cally question all that you observe. We look forward for all the good times and discussions with professor that are in front of us. Assoc. Prof. Zrinka Ljubešić University of Zagreb Faculty of Science Department of Biology Professor Viličić, winter 2008 expedition in Velebit Channel, on the break during the night sampling. ACTA BOT. CROAT. 78 (1), 2019 S7 S8 ACTA BOT. CROAT. 78 (1), 2019 LIST OF CHOSEN PUBLICATIONS BOOKS 1. Viličić, D., 2002: Fitoplankton Jadranskoga mora. Biolo- gija i taksonomija. Školska knjiga, Zagreb. 2. Viličić, D., 2003: Fitoplankton u ekološkom sustavu mo- ra. Školska knjiga, Zagreb. 3. Viličić, D., 2014: Ecology and composition of phyto- plankton in the Adriatic Sea. Koeltz Scientific Books, Koenigstein, Germany. 15 MOST CITED PUBLICATIONS 1. Mihanović, H., Vilibić, I., Carniel, S., Tudor, M., Russo, A., Bergamasco, A., Bubić, N., Ljubešić, Z., Viličić, D., Boldrin, A., Malačić, V., Celio, M., Comici, C., Raicich, F., 2013: Exceptional dense water formation in the Adriatic shelf in the winter of 2012. Ocean Science 9, 561–572 2. Viličić, D., Đakovac, T., Burić, Z., Bosak, S., 2009: Com- position and annual cycle of phytoplankton assemblag- es in the northeastern Adriatic Sea. Botanica Marina 52, 291–305. 3. Viličić, D., Terzić, S., Ahel, M., Burić, Z., Jasprica, N., Carić, M., Caput-Mihalić K., Olujić, G., 2008: Phyto- plankton abundance and pigment biomarkers in the oli- gotrophic, eastern Adriatic estuary. Environmental Mon- itoring and Assessment 142, 199–218. 4. Burić, Z., Cetinić, I., Viličić, D., Caput Mihalić, K., Carić, M., Olujić, G., 2007: Spatial and temporal distribution of phytoplankton in a highly stratified estuary (Zrmanja, Adriatic Sea). Marine Ecology 28 (Suppl. 1), 169–177. 5. Svensen, C., Viličić, D., Wassmann, P., Arashkevich, E., Ratkova, T., 2007: Plankton distribution and vertical flux of biogenic matter during high summer stratification in the Krka Estuary (Eastern Adriatic). Estuarine Coastal and Shelf Science 71, 381–390. 6. Cetinić, I., Viličić, D., Burić., Z., Olujić, G., 2006: Phyto- plankton seasonality in a highly stratified karstic estuary (Krka, Adriatic Sea). Hydrobiologia 555, 31–40. 7. Ciglenečki, I., Carić, M., Kršinić, F.,Viličić, D., Ćosović, B., 2005: The extinction by sulfide-turnover and recov- ery of a naturally eutrophic, meromictic seawater lake. Journal of Marine Systems 56, 29–44. 8. Batistić, M., Kršinić, F., Jasprica, N., Carić, M., Viličić, D., Lučić, D., 2004: Gelatinous invertebrate zooplankton of the South Adriatic: species composition and vertical distribution. Journal of Plankton Research 26, 459–474. 9. Viličić, D., Marasović, I., Mioković, D., 2002: Check list of phytoplankton in the eastern Adriatic Sea. Acta Bo- tanica Croatica 61, 57–91. 10. Kršinić, F., Carić, M., Viličić, D., Ciglenečki, I., 2000: The calanoid copepod Acartia italica Steuer, phenomenon in the small saline Lake Rogoznica (eastern Adriatic coast). Journal of Plankton Research 22, 1441–1464. 11. Ćosović, B., Ciglenečki, I., Viličić, D., Ahel, M., 2000: Distribution and seasonal variability of organic matter in a small eutrophicated salt lake. Estuarine Coastal and Shelf Science 51, 705–715. 12. Viličić, D., Leder, N., Gržetić, Z., Jasprica, N., 1995: Mi- crophytoplankton in the Strait of Otranto (eastern Medi- terranean). Marine Biology 123, 619–630. 13. Viličić, D., 1989: Phytoplankton population density and volume as indicators of eutrophication in the eastern part of the Adriatic Sea. Hydrobiologia 174, 117–132. 14. Viličić, D., Legović, T., Žutić, V., 1989: Vertical distribu- tion of phytoplankton in a stratified estuary. Aquatic Sci- ences 51, 31–46. 15. Viličić, D., 1985: An examination of cell volume in domi- nant phytoplankton species of the middle and southern Adriatic waters. Internationale Revue der Gesamten Hy- drobiologie 70, 829–843.