Preface—Prof G. Blunden’s 81 st Birthday

I wish to thank Dr Pawan Agrawal for his kind invitation to write the Preface for the edition of Natural Product Communications to celebrate the 81^st birthday of Professor Dr Gerald Blunden. We at the Faculty of Pharmacy have known him since he and several of his colleagues supported the CADISO conferences that were held in Hradec Králové in 1995 and 1998. Between those dates research cooperation between us at Charles University and Gerald’s research group at the University of Portsmouth had been established with the appointment of a joint PhD research studentship. In 1996 we were pleased to award Gerald a 25^th Anniversary medal of the Faculty of Pharmacy of Charles University in Hradec Králové. This was followed in 1998 with the award of a 650^th anniversary medal of Charles University in Prague. Research cooperation between us in Hradec Králové and Gerald has continued to the present day and several joint research publications testify to the success of this.

We are also aware of Gerald’s research links with other universities, research laboratories, and companies in many different countries, including Hungary, Venezuela, France, Norway, Italy, China, the United Arab Emirates, and Oman. Back in the 1970s he also had 2 assignments with the United Nations Industrial and Development Organization in Cuba, working on the development of steroid drug precursors. He also had a similar role in India working at the Central Institute for Medicinal and Aromatic Plants in Lucknow, funded by the British Council.

Gerald’s research interests are vast. His early work was concerned with plant sources of steroid-drug precursors; he then became involved with potential economic uses of marine algae. In later years he worked extensively with plant betaines and their possible usage in alleviating plant stresses, as well as with mycotoxins, the latter in conjunction with the Natural Research Institute, initially in London and later in Chatham. His first research publication was in 1963, and since then he has published over 220 papers in refereed journals, as well as being the author of various book chapters, and a joint editor of a book “Seaweed Resources in Europe: Uses and Potential,” published by John Wiley. Gerald supervised many research and postdoctoral students who came from all over the world, including Venezuela, Hungary, Italy, Czech Republic, Thailand, Myanmar, Nepal, and China.

My colleagues and I wish him the very best in the future and hope that the link between us remains firmly in place for the future.

Quod bonum, felix, faustum, fortunatumque sit.