Alessandro Fantechi earned a Laurea Degree in Computer Science from the University of Pisa and a Diploma from the Scuola Normale Superiore di Pisa, both in 1978. He has lectured at the University of Florence for decades on the foundations of Computer Science and Software Engineering, where he was also responsible for the curriculum of the PhD school in Information Engineering, coordinator of the Bachelor's and Master's curricula in Computer Engineering, and President of the School of Engineering. He has collaborated with CNR-ISTI Pisa, Télécom ParisTech, and the Technical University of Denmark, and he has had many research, teaching, and consulting projects in leading companies and state enterprises.

Prof. Fantechi's main area of research is Software Engineering, in particular the application of formal specification and verification methods in industrial, safety-critical applications such as the railway domain, where he has been a leading practitioner for many years. He has been an active member of the ERCIM working group Formal Methods for Industrial Critical Systems (FMICS), he has chaired scientific events such as FMOODS, SPLC, SERENE, RSSRail and VaMoS, he is a member of IFIP WG 6.1, and he is one of the expert members of the Scientific Steering Group of Europe's Rail Joint Undertaking.

This volume contains chapters from leading scientists and engineers, their contributions honor an influential researcher, practitioner, and educator.