Dr. Jo De Waele (b. Deinze, 1968) graduated in Geology at the University of Ghent (Belgium). He obtained his PhD in Mineral Prospection at the Department of Engineering Geology and Environmental Techniques (DIGITA) of the University of Cagliari (Italy). He is currently a full professor at the Department of Biological, Geological and Environmental Sciences of the University of Bologna Alma Mater (Italy). Jo is specialized in speleogenesis, physical geography, geomorphology, hydrogeology and palaeoclimate studies in karst areas. The results of his research have been published in more than 200 scientific papers since 1993. Jo is Editor (from 2005) of the International Journal of Speleology (ISSN 0392-6672) and editorial board member of Geomorphology (Elsevier).