A.J. (Tom) van Loon studied geology in Leiden (Netherlands), where he received his Ph.D. in 1972 for a thesis on the sedimentological development of a Carboniferous intramontaneous basin in Spain. He held various positions in academia and industry, and was a professor of Geology at the University of Silesia (Katowice, Poland) and the Adam Mickiewicz University (Poznan, Poland), and is currently visiting professor at the Shandong University of Science and Technology (Qingdao, China). His main interests are soft-sediment deformation, basin analysis and mass flows. Currently he is involved in the sedimentological analysis of hydrocarbon occurrences in China. He authored, co-authored and edited several books and around 200 scientific publications. He held numerous editorial positions. He is an Honorary Member of the Geological and Mining Society of The Netherlands.