I joined the RSC as a Publishing Editor in January 2015, and the fact I am writing this blog post on what is coming up to my 18-month anniversary of starting really bears testament to the old phrase “time flies when you’re having fun”.
I had come to realise that while I wanted to use my chemistry degree in my career, I felt I was better suited to a non-laboratory setting. In essence, being a Publishing Editor fulfils the best of both worlds - I still work daily with top quality science while hanging up my labcoat.
I am responsible for handling the peer review of submissions to
Energy & Environmental Science and
Green Chemistry, two high-impact journals that the RSC is proud to have in its repertoire. Work here and your training is second-to-none; as well as peer review, I’m a fully trained in editing - I’ve always enjoyed writing for fun so it’s an enjoyable challenge. I find my work just as varied and unpredictable as my days in the lab.
One thing that struck me ever since my assessment day is the working environment. We’re proud of our growing reputation as a world-leading scientific publisher - my colleagues impress upon me how much Publishing has grown and the recent building extension backs them up - but you’d be hard pressed to find a bunch of friendlier, more helpful colleagues anywhere else.
There’s a great social scene; many people relocate for the job, so you won’t be the only one whose accent isn’t quite ‘Royal’ (I speak for myself!). ‘RSC’ also unofficially stands for ‘Royal Society of Cake,’ to say we’re a keen bunch of bakers is an understatement.
I’m very happy to be part of an ambitious publisher that’s going exciting places in the coming years - hopefully I’ve persuaded you to come and join me!
Jon is working as a Publishing Editor in the Sustainability team, in the Royal Society of Chemistry's Publishing Department. To see if there are any current vacancies in Publishing click here.
