Academic Editors
The following people constitute the Editorial Board of Academic Editors for PeerJ. These active academics are the Editors who seek peer reviewers, evaluate their responses, and make editorial decisions on each submission to the journal. Learn more about becoming an Editor.
Jenny Renaut
Responsible of the Environmental Research and Technology Platform
since 2015, and Leader of the Integrative Biology Platform at Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology, including proteomics, metabolomics and genomics laboratories. Specialized in Plant proteomics, Chairwoman of the COST action FA0603 'Plant Proteomics in Europe', general secretary of the International Plant Proteomics Organization
Matteo Zucchetta
Matteo Zucchetta obtained his PhD thesis entitled "Habitat distribution models for the management of fishery and conservation concern species in lagoon environment” at the University Ca’ Foscari Venice (Italy). He has previously covered the position of researcher University Ca’ Foscari Venice (Department of Environmental Sciences, Informatics and Statistics) and at the National Centre for Coastal Zone Protection and Characterization, Marine Climatology and for Operational Oceanography of the Italian Institute for Environmental Protection and Research (ISPRA). Since 2020 he is a researcher of the Institute of Polar Sciences of the National Research Council of Italy. His work was carried out in the framework of different EU and Italian projects, and his main research topics are: 1) analysis of the spatial distribution of plant and animal species in coastal and transitional water bodies; 2) Community ecology in transitional water ecosystems; 3) Use of fish fauna assemblages as indicators of ecosystem ecological status; 4) Ecological models for food webs analysis; 5) Climate changes effects on aquatic ecosystems.
Andrew P Lavender
Senior Lecturer in the Institute of Health and Wellbeing, Federation University Australia. Dr Lavender completed a BSc and a MSc in Sport Science at Edith Cowan University and PhD at Yokohama City University. He is currently teaching applied research for exercise science and motor control and conducting research in exercise for healthy ageing, exercise induced muscle damage and eccentric training and sport related concussion and sub-concussion.
Mykola Karabiniuk
I work as an Associate professor of the Department of Physical Geography and Efficient Environmental Management of Uzhhorod National University. The scientific degree PhD (Geography) with a specialty in physical geography, geophysics and geochemistry of landscapes was awarded for the defense of a dissertation at Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv, which is devoted to the features of landscape organization and the efficiency of using the highlands of the Chornogora massif of the Ukrainian Carpathians.
I specialize in landscape diversity and evolutionary development of mountain systems, mapping and geoinformation analysis of the structure and properties of geocomplexes to determine the geoecological situation, as well as the problems of anthroposis of landscapes and efficient use of nature. For scientific achievements in the field of geoecology and the applied significance of the results of the study of the highlands of the Ukrainian Carpathians to solve environmental problems of the Danube region in 2021 I was awarded the Danubius Young Scientist Award. In 2025, based on the decision of the Certification Board of the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine, the academic title of Associate Professor of the Department of Physical Geography and Rational Nature Management was awarded. I am also a full member of the Ukrainian Geographical Society.
Jaap H van Dieën
Jaap van Dieën worked as a researcher in physical ergonomics at the Institute for Agricultural Engineering in Wageningen, the Netherlands (1986 to 1996). He obtained a PhD from the Faculty of Human Movement Sciences at the VU University Amsterdam the Netherlands in 1993 and has been affiliated to this faculty since 1996. In 2002, he was appointed as full professor and became head of the department in 2016. Jaap van Dieën leads a research group focusing on the neuromechanics of human movement, with applications in ageing, musculoskeletal and movement disorders and sports. His research focuses on four themes:
1) Balance control: what determines good balance control, how we can assess balance control and fall risk, and how can balance control be improved?
2) Control of trunk posture and movement: how does trunk control change with disorders like low-back pain, and how can changes in trunk control be assessed clinically?
3) Spine mechanics and low-back pain: how can low-back loading be assessed, and how effective are ergonomic interventions in reducing low-back loading?
4) Measurement tools for biomechanical and neurophysiological assessment with a focus on applications outside the lab.
Jaap van Dieën has supervised over 50 PhD students and (co-) authored over 500 papers in international scientific journals. He is currently the editor of the Biomechanics and Control of Human Movement section of Frontiers in Sports and Active Living and serves on several editorial boards.
Eva M Mezey
Dr. Mezey earned her M.D. from the Semmelweis University Medical School in Budapest, Hungary. She received her Ph.D. in neuroendocrinology from the Hungarian Academy of Sciences in Budapest. Dr. Mezey subsequently came to the NIH as a postdoctoral fellow in the Laboratory of Cell Biology, NIMH. She later returned to the NIH as a visiting scientist in NINDS. In 2004 she transferred to the NIDCR and heads the Adult Stem Cell Section to study the biology of bone marrow derived stem cells.
Rudi H. Ettrich
Rudi received his prediploma in chemistry (Vordiplom) from Eberhard-Karls-University, Tuebingen, Germany, in 1993, his Master of sciences (Mgr.) in physical and macromolecular chemistry from Charles University, Prague, in 1998 and his PhD. in physical chemistry from Charles University, Prague, in 2002.
Since 2013 he is a full Professor (Prof.) in biophysics and currently acts as the President/CEO of Larkin University, Miami, FL and holds a faculty appointment at the College of Biomedical Sciences. He also holds community-based adjunct faculty positions at the Wertheim College of Medicine, Florida International University, Miami, FL, and the Department of Mathematics and Physics, Charles University, Czechia.
Prior to joining Larkin University Rudi was affiliated with the Czech Academy of Sciences, where he acted as director, group leader and senior researcher at the Center for Nanobiology and Structural Biology of the Institute of Microbiology in Nové Hrady, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic
Rudi's research is focused on the relationship between structure and function of proteins, dynamic changes related to functional processes on the level of proteins and the mutual interaction of cofactors and subunits in protein complexes. The research approach is very complex using various methods of protein research with a synthesis of theoretical and experimental methods.
Liang Gao
Dr. Liang Gao currently works as a senior Research Fellow at the Center of Experimental Orthopaedics, Saarland University, Germany. His clinical interests include sports medicine, arthroplasty, and traumatology. His research focuses on joint preservation and orthobiologics.
Dr. Gao studied Medicine in China and Germany with intensive fellowship training in both Asia and Europe. He completed the Musculoskeletal Surgical Oncology residency training at Peking University Medical Center, China. Moreover, he obtained his master of science degree (Radiation Oncology) from Heidelberg University, Germany and his doctorate (Biological Therapy) summa cum laude from Saarland University, Germany.
Dr. Gao is the Member of the Basic Science Committee of International Cartilage Regeneration & Joint Preservation Society (ICRS), the Member of the Early Career Investigator Committee of Osteoarthritis Research Society International (OARSI), and the Founding Member of the Sino Euro Orthopaedics Society (SEOS).
Harpinder S. Sandhu
Senior Lecturer, School of Natural and Built Environments, University of South Australia; Leading research on ecosystem services in managed landscapes, agro-ecology and natural resource management.
Susanna A Wood
Susie is a freshwater scientist and molecular ecologist based at the Cawthron Institute in Nelson, New Zealand. Her research is multidisciplinary and integrative, with the overarching goal of improving knowledge on freshwater ecosystems. It spans three broad areas: (i) toxic cyanobacteria dynamics in freshwater systems (both planktonic in lakes and benthic in rivers), (ii) the development and application of molecular techniques to monitor and understand aquatic systems, and (iii) integrating cutting edge techniques with more traditional paleolimnological approaches to guide future lake management and restoration. Wood is the co-programme leader of a project funded in 2017 known as ‘Our lakes’ health: past, present, future’ (www.lakes380.com). The team is obtaining a nationwide overview of health for about 10% of New Zealand’s lakes using paleo-environmental reconstructions. The team is using sediment coring, novel proxy analyses (environmental DNA, high-resolution core scanning), geochronology and mātauranga Māori (indigenous knowledge) to reconstruct water quality and lake health over the past 1000 years and provide a richer understanding of the value of New Zealand’s lakes.
Mar Sobral
Spanish Evolutionary Ecologist. Formerly at Stanford (US) and CNRS (France). Now at USC (Spain).
My research looks at the evolutionary ecology of plant-animal interactions and the impact of global change on biodiversity, particularly regarding ecosystem functions and services such as carbon storage.
Mário C Espada
Dr. Mário Espada is Adjunct Professor at the Instituto Politécnico de Setúbal, teaching in Higher Education School (ESE-IPS) and Higher School of Health (ESS-IPS).
He carried out his Postdoctoral in Human Kinetics, Sport Sciences specialty in 2015 at the Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP, São Paulo - Brazil), and earned his PhD in Human Kinetics, Sport Sciences in 2013 within the Faculty of Human Kinetics, University of Lisbon, Portugal (FMH-UL).
Dr. Espada also holds the following roles:
Effective member of Sport Physical Activity and Health Research & Innovation Center (SPRINT).
Collaborating member of Interdisciplinary Centre for the Study of Human Performance (CIPER), Faculty of Human Kinetics of the University of Lisbon, Portugal (FMH-UL), Comprehesive Health Research Centre (CHRC), University of Évora, Portugal (UE), and Life Quality Research Center (CIEQV).
Dr. Espada has published several articles in specialized journals. Regular presence and presentation of communications in international technical and scientific events.
His primary research areas are Sport and Exercise, focusing in Exercise Physiology and Training Methodology.