This special issue of the Earth and Environmental Science Transactions of the Royal Society of Edinburgh (EESTRSE) celebrates the career and scientific achievements of Professor Jennifer (Jenny) Alice Clack FRS, FLS, Professor Emeritus and Curator of Vertebrate Palaeontology at the University Museum of Zoology, Cambridge. In recognition of Jenny’s professional services and outstanding accomplishments in vertebrate palaeontology, and to mark her official retirement in 2015, we have assembled 21 original research papers from 55 international scientists. The breadth of topics reflects Jenny’s wide-ranging interests. Beside vertebrate palaeontology, these include (but are not limited to) comparative anatomy, development, phylogeny, macroevolution, biomechanics, palaeoecology, palaeobiogeography, geology, and stratigraphy. The contributors to this volume include many of Jenny’s colleagues, collaborators, former students, and long-time friends. We are especially delighted to see the scientific endeavours of several young scientists at early stages of their careers alongside those of established professionals – a solid testament to Jenny’s scholarly influence.