The Guest Editors The Guest Editors Susan Ward is Professor of Sport and Exercise Science within the Institute of Membrane and Systems Biology at the University of Leeds, Leeds, UK. Susan gained her DPhil in Physiology from Oxford University in 1974. Following two years as a Lecturer in the Dept of Physiology at Liverpool University she moved to the University of California (Los Angeles, CA, USA), where she became Prof. of Anesthesiology and Physiology in 1988. She returned to the UK in 1993, first to the Dept of Physiology at the University of London’s St George’s Hospital Medical School, then to South Bank University as Chair of Sports Science. In 1998, she moved to the University of Glasgow as Director of the Centre for Exercise Science and Medicine. In 2003, she was appointed as Chair of Sport and Exercise Science and Head of the School of Sport and Exercise Sciences at the University of Leeds. Her research interests include the control of ventilation, pulmonary gas exchange and muscle energetics during exercise in health and disease. In total she has over 120 publications on these topics. She is a Fellow of the American College of Sports Medicine and of the European College of Sports Science. Susan is a Principal Editor of the E u ropean Journal of Applied Physiology. She currently serves as Chair of the Pulmonary Circulation, Gas Exchange and Exercise Group of the European Respiratory Society ( E R S ) . Paolo Palange studied Medicine at the University of Rome and received his MD in 1981. In 1986, he obtained a specialty degree in Internal Medicine, followed two years later by a degree in Pulmonology. He began his career at the University of Rome as an Assistant Professor. In 2005, he was appointed as Associate Professor of Internal Medicine. Paolo is also the Director of the Pulmonary Function unit at the same institute. His main clin- ical interests include asthma, lung function testing and sleep disorders. Throughout his career Paolo has carried out research in many key areas including exercise pulmonology, pulmonary gas exchange and the systemic e ffects of COPD. As well as his clinical work Paolo has also been actively involved in the ERS in a variety of different roles. From 1993–2000 he represented the Scientific Group, Gas Exchange and Exercise, as both Group Secretary and Group Head. Since then he has chaired numerous ERS Research Seminars and Task Forces. His most recent, and current position, is ERS School Director of the Postgraduate Courses. S.A. Ward P. Palange Mono 40 CV.qxd 29/7/09 17:23 Page 1