This special issue of the Journal of Global Optimization (JOGO) is dedicated to Professor Panos M. Pardalos on the occasion of his 60th birthday. The papers in this issue present a wide range of recent results in global optimization and its applications. The collection of papers in this issue provides a glimpse into the broad and interdisciplinary nature of Panos’ research interests as well.

During his outstanding academic career, Professor Pardalos made and continues to make significant contributions in many aspects of global and combinatorial optimization. He co-authored around 20 books and over 300 journal articles. As the past editor-in-chief of JOGO, the editor-in-chief and an editorial board member of many other highly-respected journals in the optimization area, the managing editor of several book series, and the main organizer of numerous related conferences and workshops, Panos has helped to establish the field of global optimization as a central activity in operations research and mathematical optimization.

This preface would be incomplete without mentioning the fact that Panos has mentored more than 50 PhD students. His academic tree continues growing, and there is a third generation of his academic descendants, who are already in academia and industry.

It is not surprising that the list of Panos’ national and international awards and honors is long and impressive. Just very recent ones include the Constantin Carathéodory Prize and the EURO Gold Medal (both in 2013). We are sure that there are more to come.

We would like to thank the authors, the anonymous reviewers, the publisher, and the editor-in-chief, Dr. Sergiy Butenko, for their help in making this special issue possible. We hope that the papers in this volume will stimulate further research advances in global optimization and its applications to various areas in engineering, management, and the sciences.

On behalf of all the contributors of this special issue, we would like to sincerely congratulate Panos M. Pardalos on the occasion of his 60th birthday and wish him good health, happiness, and many more contributions to optimization in the years to come.