A message from the RSRS Early Career Section editors: Sabrina Lai, Marijana Sumpor, Rhiannon Pugh, Declan Jordan & Marcin Dąbrowski
On 12 of May 2020 we found out that Paul Benneworth passed away. This news shocked and saddened us deeply. Paul was our colleague in the Regional Studies, Regional Science editorial team and a friend to many of us. His excellent scholarly work on innovation and regional development is well known to the readers of the publications of the Regional Studies Association. Anyone who befriended him or worked with him also knows how delightful, cheerful, smart and caring a person he was. What may be less widely known is how much Paul was dedicated to supporting early career researchers, beginning their journey through the often rough world of academia. Paul was absolutely convinced that early career researchers deserved a specifically-designed platform that would help them learn the rope, and practise the art and craft of academic writing while trying to make their first steps towards academic independence. With this in mind, Paul has played a crucial role in setting up Regional Insights journal providing a forum for early career authors researching regional issues. This journal later transformed into the Early Career Section of RSRS , which Paul led for a couple of years. Over the years, Paul worked tirelessly mentoring numerous authors (and editors), many of whom have since then developed brilliant academic careers and became highly visible in the Regional Studies Association’s community. It goes without saying that Paul will be hugely missed by our community. Our thoughts are with his family and friends.