The American Society for Cell Biology (ASCB) seeks applicants for the next Editor-in-Chief (EIC) of the CBE—Life Sciences Education (LSE) journal. LSE has become the pioneering and leading journal in life sciences education research since its launch 20 years ago. The LSE editorship is a highly influential position with a unique opportunity to shape a leading journal, facilitate communication of new research findings, and leverage an increasingly open science environment.

The new EIC will be a transformative leader responsible for guiding the journal into the future and continuing to develop LSE as a “go-to” resource for the education community at large. The EIC will ensure a diverse and engaged Editorial Board and maintain the integrity of the peer-review process. The EIC will advocate for LSE, and grow the journal in terms of quality and volume. The EiC will create editorial policies that support the ASCB community, and diverse members of biology education, and establish new initiatives to keep the journal at the leading edge of education research. They will work in partnership with the ASCB Director of Publications, who oversees all peer review management and publishing operations.  

Term
The EIC will be a part-time independent contractor and is expected to serve for a three-year term, renewable for two years, beginning August 1, 2025.

Responsibilities

  • Undertake responsibility, authority, and accountability for all peer-reviewed editorial content published in the journal. ASCB recognizes the importance of editorial independence and acknowledges the EIC’s sole responsibility for inviting, reviewing, selecting, and approving editorial content for publication in the journal in conjunction with the editorial team. 
  • Assume overall responsibility for LSE’s scientific scope and determine its editorial direction. Implement strategies to grow the number of quality submissions, usage, citations, and other measures of the journal’s success in line with ASCB’s publishing strategy. 
  • Serve as an ambassador, and continuously build relationships with the community. Select, develop, and oversee the appointment and removal of the volunteer editorial leadership of the journal, which may include deputy editor-in-chief, section editors, associate editors, editorial board members, and early career editors. 
  • Ensure expert, rapid, and fair decisions on manuscripts following best practices in peer review. 
  • Conduct regular meetings to keep the editorial team engaged and updated on performance, metrics, concerns, and strategies.
  • Report on LSE performance to ASCB’s Publication Committee. 

Requirements 

  • An accomplished life science educator with a broad appreciation and understanding of life science education research and a significant publication record of original research and reviews with peer-reviewed scientific journals.
  • Strong leadership qualities and outstanding interpersonal skills. 
  • Needs to be an active member of ASCB in good standing at the start of the role. 
  • Editorial experience as a manuscript reviewer, editorial board member, and associate editor/editor of a peer-reviewed scientific journal. 

Interested applicants are invited to submit a curriculum vitae and a brief (less than 2 pages) vision statement describing how you would grow LSE into the future to Yurong Fei-Bloom, Ph.D., Director of Publications at YFeiBloom@ascb.org. Queries or discussions before the application are welcome. All applications will be treated as anonymous and presented for consideration to the Editor Search Committee, which is comprised of research-active life science educators.

Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis, and we encourage early application. The deadline for applications is November 3, 2024.