<p>This special section contains high-quality papers in the topics of Prof. Antonio Vallecillo’s research. This set of papers has been compiled in appreciation to Prof. Vallecillo’s career and his contributions to the software engineering community in general and the modeling community in particular. After his recent retirement, this special section opens with a hindsight to Prof. Vallecillo’s fruitful and varied career, where he made contributions in several different dimensions. Then, a set of selected papers in the fields of uncertainty, modeling, CPSs and AI to honor Prof. Vallecillo’s contributions is presented.</p>