The august journal, Science, announced today that they've found a new editor-in-chief after an extended search. University of California at San Francisco biochemist, Bruce Alberts, pictured at right, will assume the top spot in March 2008.
Alberts will replace Donald Kennedy, who has held the top editorial spot at since June of 2000.
To gain some insight into the direction Alberts might take the journal, we went back to an interview he gave Science deputy news editor, Jeffrey Mervis, back in 2005 after stepping down as head of the US National Academy of Sciences.
I even paid $10 for it, which reminded me how bizarre it is that open-access is not a standard practice for these journals. Is Alberts going to change that? The short answer is, "Don't bet on it."
As he told Mervis, on the topic of open access:
Also germane to science publishing, Alberts spoke about wanting a way for mentor-scientists to get credit for their contributions without putting their names on younger scientists' papers. This seems like an area where he could spur innovation from his new position/soapbox.
How would you like to see Science change with a new man at the helm?