Publishing Editor – General Team
I joined the Royal Society of Chemistry in February 2016 after spending 4 years working on my PhD in physical organic chemistry at Queen’s University, Belfast and the ISIS Pulsed Neutron and Muon Source in Oxfordshire.
Moving from research, I decided to look for a job that would allow me to keep in touch with chemistry and academia without being in the lab. The Publishing Editor role is perfect, since you see such a huge variety of manuscripts related to all aspects of the chemical sciences, and you really get a feel for what is popular in the research landscape at any given time.
As a member of the General Chemistry team, I work on Chemical Communications, Chemical Science, and RSC Advances. In addition to handling the peer review of manuscripts for ChemComm, I provide support for 15 associate editors across all 3 journals. This includes assisting the AEs with the initial assessment and peer review process of the manuscripts.
Over the last year, my role has become more production focused, with a range of responsibilities focusing on the handling of workflow between acceptance and the final version appearing in an issue and online. I particularly enjoy my role as the ChemComm production coordinator, which involves keeping track of the manuscripts in production, and allocating them to the twice-weekly issues ensuring that the articles are published as rapidly as possible.
The Royal Society of Chemistry is a friendly place to work, and it is particularly great around the Christmas period. Christmas 2017 was no different, with a range of festivities to fit everyone – in addition to the Christmas party, the general team took part in a team-wide Secret Santa gift exchange, and attended the annual Christmas lunch at King’s College, Cambridge. Those who brave working the final day before the Christmas shutdown are also rewarded with a big breakfast of champions in the cafeteria, which is always great fun.
With my second Royal Society of Chemistry anniversary soon approaching (and the cake/baked goods that inevitably come with it), I am looking forward to another year of more cake, peer review, lovely colleagues and ChemComm coordination, including production of the 2018 Emerging Investigators Issue. Oh and finally finishing my thesis!
Hannah Dunckley is a Publishing Editor working in the Royal Society of Chemistry's Publishing Department. To see if there are any current vacancies go to 'RSC: Latest Vacancies' Blog or subscribe to 'RSC: Latest Vacancies' by Email
