Winfried E.H. Blum earned his PhD in Natural Sciences in 1968 and became an associate professor in 1972, teaching soil science and serving as lecturer for clay mineralogy at the University of Freiburg, Germany, then became a visiting Professor and Director of a University Partnership Project at the State University of Paraná in Curitiba/Brazil. Since 1979 he has been Professor of Soil Science and Director of the Institute of Soil Research at the University of Natural Resources and Applied Life Sciences (BOKU) in Vienna/Austria. Since 2004 he has served as President of the European Confederation of Soil Science Societies (ECSSS). Blum was Chairman of the Commission of Soil Protection at the Council of Europe, Strasbourg/France (1989-1994) and Secretary-General of the International Union of Soil Sciences (IUSS) (1990-2002). He is a member of the Scientific Committee of the European Environment Agency (EEA), Copenhagen/Denmark (1994-2002). He has served as a Member of the Executive Board, of the Committee on Scientific Planning and Review (CSPR) and Chairman of the Standing Committee “Sciences for Food Security” of the World Council for Science (ICSU), Paris/France (1996-2002). He has served as Co-editor or member of editorial boards of 14 scientific journals and written about 450 publications in 9 languages in the areas of soil chemistry and mineralogy, land use, soil and environmental protection. He is an honorary member of several academies and national soil science societies, and has received numerous distinctions and awards.