Celebrating Plamen Atanassov's 60 th Birthday

This Special Collection is dedicated to Plamen Atanassov to celebrate his 60th birthday. For all those of you that know Plamen, you are well aware of his passion and devotion to science, technology, and history. Plamen is an excellent example of a scientist who combines enthusiasm with the highest level of energy and contribution. During his scientific career, he has distinguished himself not only for his prolific publication record, but also for the most interdisciplinary and highly collaborative character of all his research related to electrochemistry. Plamen has proven to be a critical leader in electrocatalysis and bioelectrochemistry with many well-recog- nized breakthroughs that guide the research directions we travel today. All these accomplishments have been possible thanks to a most fortunate combination of diverse technical preparedness, analytical talent, technical inventiveness, and inter-person organizational skill. In this short celebration, we first briefly describe Plamen’s scientific history, which starts in a beautiful, culturally rich and fascinating country in the East of Europe (Bulgaria) leading to his current employment at the University of California Irvine. Secondly, the four scientists leading this celebrating initiative will briefly describe personal experiences and anecdotes related to the impact that Plamen, as an “older brother”, mentor, colleague, and friend has brought into our nowadays lives.