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.
Rutsuko Ito
Associate Professor of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of Toronto at Scarborough.
PhD in Behavioural Neuroscience, Cambridge University
Leonidas Matsakas
Dr. Matsakas is currently Senior Lecturer at the Biochemical Process Engineering at Luleå University of Technology (Sweden). He received his PhD in Industrial Biotechnology from the school of Chemical Engineering at National Technical University of Athens (Greece) in 2015. His main research activities focus on the development of methods for the pretreatment and fractionation of lignocellulosic and aquatic biomass and the subsequent conversion of the cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin streams to biofuels, bio-based chemicals and bio-materials through biochemical and (thermo)chemical methods. He is also actively working on the development of mixotrophic and heterotrophic microalgae biorefinery processes for the production of high-added value compounds, such as omega-3 PUFAs, pigments and protein.
Kenneth C Welch Jr.
Associate Professor of Comparative Vertebrate Physiology at the University of Toronto Scarborough; Associate Chair of Research and Graduate Affairs, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Toronto Scarborough; Chair-Elect of the Division of Comparative Physiology and Biochemistry of The Society for Integrative Biology.
Francois Vandenesch
Professor of Microbiology at the Faculty of Medicine. Head of the clinical microbiology department and head of a research INSERM team in the field of staphylococcal pathogenesis. Head of the French Reference Center for Staphylococci.
Matthew McCurry
Dr Matthew McCurry is a vertebrate palaeontologist and functional morphologist. His work focuses on understanding the behaviour, ecology and evolution of extinct species using the fossil record. Matthew incorporates fieldwork, descriptive palaeontology, comparative anatomy, 3D scanning and cutting-edge biomechanical simulations to discover new fossil species and gain new insights into how they once lived. He began working at the Australian Museum Research Institute and UNSW in 2017. Prior to this Matthew held fellowships at Monash University and The Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History. He possesses an honours degree from The University of Newcastle and a PhD from Monash University.
Joana C Silva
My group applies evolutionary genetics and genomic sciences to basic research on species evolution and translational research of infectious diseases. I have been studying infectious disease genomics since the early 2000's. At The Institute for Genomic Research (TIGR) I was part of the team that launched the field of parasite genomics, with work on several Plasmodium and trypanosomatid species, Theileria parva and Trichomonas vaginalis. At the Institute for Genome Sciences, University of Maryland School of Medicine, we have ongoing projects on a variety of parasites in the phylum Apicomplexa. These include the causative agents of malaria in humans (genus Plasmodium), tropical theileriosis and East Coast fever in cattle (genus Theileria), human babesiosis (genus Babesia), and human cryptosporidiosis (genus Cryptosporidium). Ongoing projects include the study of species biology and the nature of host-parasite interactions, based on the generation and analyses of genomes, and studies of vaccine efficacy and vaccine design, drug resistance and the evolution of parasite populations, informed by population genomics data. Our research is funded by NSF, NIH, USDA and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
Liana S Leach
I am a psychiatric epidemiologist, and my research primarily investigates the impact of work and parenting transitions on mental health. I am currently a Research Fellow at the Research School of Population Health, at The Australian National University.
Adam W Potter
Research Physiologist, US Army Research Institute of Environmental Medicine (USARIEM).
Part-time faculty, School of Science, Technology, Engineering, & Math (STEM), American Public University System (APUS).
Research portfolio spans across the applied sciences, from thermal manikin testing, to the cutting-edge of product development (computer-based decision aids, wireless communications, and wearable sensors). Current scientific work areas include: 1) individualized mathematical modeling of thermoregulatory responses to clothing, environment, activities, with the inclusion of components for rest and recovery, 2) studies of metabolic costs over complex terrain, 3) real-time assessments of ground reaction forces and energy demands during locomotion and load carriage, and 4) innovative approaches to data management and the application of mathematics in integrative physiology.
Mikhail Spivakov
A Regulatory Genomics group leader at Babraham Institute, Cambridge UK. Interested in the logic and robustness of gene regulation, with a particular focus on computational approaches and ageing as the experimental system.
Jose M Montoya
Senior Researcher at the Theoretical and Experimental Ecology Station, CNRS, at Moulis, France. Leader of the Ecological Networks and Global Change Research Group.
Blanca Moncunill-Solé
I am a palaeobiologist interested in unravelling the biology and evolutionary dynamics of extinct small mammal taxa, particularly on lagomorphs. During my early career, I have developed models for reconstructing the size of past small mammals, and the use cutting-edge palaeontological techniques (e.g. palaeohistology) for disentangling their biology and evolutionary history. These studies allow me to establish the first long-term database of evolutionary responses of small mammals to insularity, being useful for conservation purposes of extant ones. Besides, I am an active researcher in outreaching (articles, workshops, media interviews, exhibition curator, social and outreaching projects, etc.), to bring science to society and to spread my results. At present, my research lines are focused on determination of the evolutionary and ecological dynamics of extinct lagomorphs to past climate and environmental changes, identifying the drivers, biological shifts and extinction rates. In fact, revealing how this family evolved to past environmental changes will contribute to the development of more effective conservationist strategies and policies for threatened extant taxa, helping, hence, in the present and future ecosystem management and protection
Kate Flay
Dr. Kate Flay joined City University of Hong Kong in July 2020 as an Assistant Professor in Production Animal Health. After graduating with a Bachelor of Veterinary Science with distinction from Massey University in New Zealand, she entered rural veterinary practice and worked with a range of production livestock and companion animal species. Following this, Kate returned to Massey in 2015 as a Lecturer in Pastoral Livestock Health in the School of Veterinary Sciences. At this time she also completed her PhD, focussed on wastage and productivity of commercial ewes. During her time at Massey, Kate was involved with the wider veterinary industry, serving on the Society of Sheep and Beef Cattle Veterinarians of the New Zealand Veterinary Association Committee and the Continuing Professional Development Advisory Group.
Dr. Flay’s research is focused on improving productivity of production livestock, particularly small ruminants. She also has a particular interest in wastage of livestock, including risk factors associated with wastage and practical strategies farmers can implement to reduce wastage within their systems.