Abstract
It is with heavy hearts that we inform you that Dr. Einar Fredriksson has passed away unexpectedly on the 30th of April 2025, at the age of 82. Einar, a native of Sweden, earned his PhD in mathematics in Poland, specializing in mathematical logic and related topics. He later became an honorary member of the Polish Mathematical Society. Moving to the Netherlands, Einar started his publishing career at North-Holland Publishing Company and subsequently Elsevier, where he worked with great dedication for 17 years. He later founded and headed the highly regarded publishing house, IOS Press, for more than 35 years until he came to an agreement with Sage Publications to incorporate IOS Press into their operations.
Einar was closely involved with Polish mathematical publishing over the years. His deepest intellectual interests were focused on automated approaches to mathematical theorem proofs. His interest in various scientific disciplines, collaboration with academics and his pursuit of innovative forms of publication have made him an important and highly respected leader within the Scientific, Technical and Medical (STM) publishing field.
In 1998, Einar launched the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease, with the express wish to expand journal coverage in the neurosciences and to establish IOS Press as a strong contender of publications in neurodegenerative diseases. In 2011 the Journal of Parkinson’s Disease was launched, with Dave Weedon as the developing consultant publisher, Rasjel van der Holst as publishing manager, and Patrik Brundin and Bill Langston as editors-in-chief. The new journal was first announced at the World Parkinson’s Congress 2010 in Glasgow. The first issue appeared in 2011, quickly grew from 4 to 8 issues annually, and with the support of Einar moved to Gold Open Access publication in 2023. We are proud and thankful to see the journal doing so well in the Parkinson field after well over a decade. The IOS Press portfolio was expanded shortly after by the Journal of Huntington’s Disease, the Journal of Neuromuscular Diseases, and the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease Reports. Editorial structure, openness to novel topics, scientometric analysis, partnerships, sponsorships and awards programs, were focused on building strong communities. All journals continue to thrive.
More recently, Einar’s interest in AI brought him in contact with the FAIR data movement. Einar had followed FAIR from its inception, and in recent years he focused specifically on the development of practical methods for the creation of machine-actionable data across disciplines. Our final contacts with Einar included vivid discussions around the importance of FAIR data, and this motivated us to dedicate a special issue of the Journal of Parkinson’s Disease to this very issue, and that will see the light shortly.
Einar's legacy will live on through his significant contributions to the STM field and the many lives he touched with his passion and dedication (Figure 1).
Dr. Einar Fredriksson, 1942–2025.