It was with shock and sadness that, on 18 November 2019, the editorial team of the journal Water and the staff of MDPI received news of the death of our Editor-in-Chief, Prof. Dr. Arjen Y. Hoekstra.

Prof. Hoekstra was an outstanding contributor to his scientific community. He supported his community by leading the Editorial Board of the international scientific journal Water for almost four years.

Prof. Hoekstra invented the concept of the water footprint. He introduced ‘chain thinking’ into water management and pioneered the quantification of water use behind internationally traded goods, by which he demonstrated the relevance of a global perspective in the areas of water use and water scarcity. He led two Special Issues on water footprint over the years, in which 26 papers published:

Water Footprint Assessment

Progress in Water Footprint Assessment

Under his leadership, Water came into its own, developing into one of the most influential and largest journals in its field, with a continuous increase in impact factor and the number of published articles.

The Water editorial staff will remember him as a devoted, responsible, and engaged Editor-in-Chief. He was committed to innovation and never failed to find new ways to support eager young researchers. His death is a loss to the academic community as well as a personal loss to anyone who has come into contact with him.

We offer our condolences to his wife, children, family, friends, and colleagues.

Water Editorial Office