Roles

Meet the Editor

Main tasks

• form editorial board (associate editors, non-divisional assistant editors)

• assign manuscripts to associate and assistant editors

• make final decision on manuscripts

•  invite submissions (commissioned manuscripts)

•  develop strategies and policies to maintain and improve journal’s quality and impact

• promote the journal to potential authors

• call editorial board meetings (frequency may depend on work load)

Role

The Editor has the overall editorial responsibility for ICB in maintaining and improving the journal’s scientific quality.  The editor implements editorial policies as identified in ICB’s mission statement; serves as an ambassador and spokesperson for the journal; promotes it at relevant meetings and workshops; works within an annually approved page budget; works closely with the ICB Editorial Board, the SICB Executive Committee, and the Publisher (Oxford University Press); and coordinates and seeks synergies with SICB’s open-access journal, Integrative Organismal Biology (IOB).

The Editor appoints the associate editors (subject to approval by the Executive Officers). The Editor attends the annual planning SICB meeting (at location of the upcoming annual meeting, typically in October), the annual SICB meeting, and is highly recommended to attend OUP editor meetings (currently in the form of several webinars per year).  The Editor will coordinate with the Managing Editor to hold regular (virtual) meetings with the Associate and Assistant Editors.

Main tasks

• invite peer reviewers

• support editor in organizing editorial board meetings

• facilitate manuscript handling process

• provide task lists for all editorial board members (sent twice a week)

• coordinate outreach

• liaise with publisher (OUP)

Role

The Managing Editor is the main coordinator of the wide range of managerial tasks.  These tasks include: obtaining information about future symposia from the SICB program officers; facilitating the process of assigning manuscripts to editors; liaising with OUP about the production process (through weekly virtual meetings); checking in with editors to ensure timely progress of the peer review process (twice a week); facilitating regular (virtual) meetings of the editorial board; collating information and preparing drafts of annual reports about ICB to the SICB Executive Board; support ICB’s promotion and outreach (organize booths at conferences; create promotional material; support and coordination with ICB’s social media team).

Meet the Associate Editors

Main tasks

• oversee assistant editors

• make final decision on manuscripts

• provide timely and constructive decision letters to authors that clearly communicate go/no-go versus merely recommended revision steps to ensure timely, one-round revisions

• support journal by identifying potential topics and contributors for future symposia and paper bundles

• attend monthly associate editor meeting (frequency may depend on work load)

Role

The Associate Editors work closely with the assistant editors to oversee the peer review process and to make decisions based on the peer reviews and the recommendations of the assistant editors.  The Associate Editors support the editor to ensure the future of the journal, for example, by identifying suitable focal areas for future symposia and paper bundles, and by supporting ICB’s efforts to remain a high-quality scientific journal that is relevant to and supports the SICB membership and the SICB mission.  Associate Editors will attend monthly (virtual) editorial board meetings. 

Workload

Associate Editors typically handle two symposia or special issues, which corresponds to 15 to 20 manuscripts per year.  Additionally, they may handle one or two invited manuscripts.

Timeline for manuscripts arising from SICB annual meetings

Fall: indicate your symposium preferences and receive your portfolio of assigned manuscripts

January: attend SICB annual meeting if possible to attend our in-person editorial board meeting and to attend presentations of the manuscripts assigned to you

January to March: receive your assigned manuscripts and supervise the Assistant editors handling manuscripts in your portfolio; attend regular virtual editorial board meetings to help handle arising issue

March to August: help authors navigate the revision process (craft letters to authors that help them improve their manuscript in response to the peer reviews and reduce the need of multiple rounds of revision), and make decisions about manuscripts; attend regular virtual editorial board meetings to help handle arising issue

Meet the Assistant editors

Main tasks

• identify peer reviewers (typically 6 to 9 per manuscript)

• evaluate peer reviews (typically 2 to 3 per manuscript)

• prioritize peer reviews and action points for authors to ensure timely, one-round revisions

• communicate with authors to ensure timely revisions

• communicate with peer reviewers to ensure timely and constructive peer reviews

• recommend manuscript decisions to associate editors

• attend editorial board meeting (typically 2 to 3 per year)

Role

The role of the Assistant Editor is to assist the Associate Editors, Editors and the ICB Editorial team to ensure that the standards of ICB are maintained, and to help guide policy and development of the journal.  The main task of the Assistant Editors is to handle the peer review process for manuscripts.  Assistant Editors are responsible for the quality, consistency, and impact of ICB by selecting qualified and independent peer reviewers, and by managing the peer-review process.  Assistant Editors make recommendations about manuscripts based on peer reviews to the Associate Editor.

Workload

Assistant editors typically handle five to ten manuscripts per year.  Most of those are symposia manuscripts, but some might be other invited papers, such as manuscripts from SICB award winners, special issues, and manuscripts commissioned by ICB.

Timeline for manuscripts arising from SICB annual meetings

Fall: indicate your manuscript preferences and receive your portfolio of assigned manuscripts

January: attend SICB annual meeting if possible to attend our in-person editorial board meeting and to attend the presentations of the manuscripts assigned to you

January to March: receive your assigned manuscripts and identify peer reviewers; attend regular virtual editorial board meetings to help handle arising issue

March to August: help authors navigate the revision process (synthesize peer reviews), and make recommendations to the associate editors; attend regular virtual editorial board meetings to help handle arising issue

Meet the editorial reviewers

Main tasks

• perform peer reviews (typically 3 to 4 manuscripts)

• attend editorial reviewer workshops and meetings (typically 2 to 3 per year)

Role

The role of the Editorial Reviewer is to assist the Associate Editors, Editors and the ICB Editorial team to ensure that the standards of ICB are maintained, and to help guide policy and development of the journal.  The main task of the Editorial Reviewer is to provide peer reviews for manuscripts.  Editorial Reviewers are responsible for providing constructive peer reviews to ICB authors to maintain the publication standards of ICB while providing a positive and inclusive peer review experience to ICB authors.  Editorial reviewers make recommendations about manuscripts that support the decision making process of the Assistant and Associate Editors. Note that each ICB manuscript is reviewed by typically two to four reviewers, one of which may be an Editorial Reviewer.

Workload

Editorial Reviewers typically handle two to four manuscripts per year.  Most of those are symposia manuscripts, but some might be other invited papers, such as manuscripts from SICB award winners, special issues, and manuscripts commissioned by ICB.

Timeline for manuscripts arising from SICB annual meetings

Early fall: receive training by participating in two virtual ICB workshops (90 minutes each) 

Fall: indicate your manuscript preferences and receive your portfolio of assigned manuscripts

January: attend SICB annual meeting if possible to attend our in-person editorial board meeting and to attend the presentations of the manuscripts assigned to you

January to July: receive your assigned manuscripts and provide peer reviews; some manuscripts may require a second peer review of their revised manuscript

Josephine Low 

(Swarthmore Undergrad) Josephine Low is a second-year undergraduate at Swarthmore College studying biology and environmental studies, currently researching Octodon degus as a model for physiological and developmental responses to water scarcity with Professor Carolyn Bauer. When not in the lab, you can find her in the woods looking for mushrooms.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/josephinesylow/ 

Sneehanjana Chatterjee 

Snehanjana is a third-year PhD student in Biology at Texas Tech University. She researches the influence of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi on plant resource use economics. In her spare time, Snehanjana likes to create comics, watch TV series and sleep. Follow her on X & Bluesky – @SnehanjanaC

Stephanie Amaya 

(Wellesley undergrad) Stephanie is a fourth-year student at Wellesley College studying biochemistry and Italian. She has been studying endocrine processes in insects, specifically examining gene expression changes associated with hormonal changes in larvae. Outside of the lab, she loves trying different cuisines and cycling. 

Zach Lightfoot 

(Colgate Univ) Zach is a third year undergraduate student at Colgate University studying biology. In the Jimenez Lab, he studies oxidative stress in House Sparrows (Passer domesticus) in response to different temperature conditions and seasonal phenotypic plasticity. In his free time, he enjoys running, hiking, and bird watching.

Ronan Gissler 

Rónán is a third year PhD student in the Fluids and Thermal Sciences group at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island. He works in the Breuer Lab studying flapping flight from an aeromechanics perspective through experiments with robotic flappers and birds. Outside of work, he likes to run and read. 

https://sites.brown.edu/breuerlab/ 

Sarah Jacobson 

Sarah is a third year undergraduate studying Biology, Society, and Environment at the University of Minnesota. She currently works on assessing how biomimetic frameworks are perceived by people in various careers and career stages with a focus on the perceived usefulness of the statements for design. She is interested in pursuing graduate research in marine biology, and she likes to play boardgames and watch movies in her free time.  

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/sarah-jacobson01 

Jaralynn Morellano 

(Morellano U Tulsa) Jaralynn Tammi Morellano is a third-year at the University of Tulsa studying Biology with minors in Computer Science and Bioinformatics. She is currently studying the differential gene expression on Danio rerio with Dr. Katelyn Mika. Outside of the lab or classes, she loves to go to the gym or cook her favorite foods.

Grant Wass 

(Polomar College )Grant Wass is a third-year undergraduate student majoring in Biology at Palomar College. He conducts research on arachnid phylogenetics and biogeography, as well as the ecology of the economically important Cotton Seed Bug (Oxycarenus hyalinipennis). You can find Grant looking for strange arthropods in the canyons and tidepools of San Diego.

Atalanta Ritter

 Indiana University Bloomington

Atalanta is a 3rd year PhD student at Indiana University Bloomington and NSF Graduate Research Fellow. She studies physiological and behavioral mechanisms of heat tolerance in wild birds with Dr. Kim Rosvall. She received her B.S. in Biology at University of Rochester in 2022. 

Twitter: https://x.com/acritter42 

https://rosvall.lab.indiana.edu/profiles/atalanta-ritter.html 

Karen Peralta Martinez

Karen is a final year PhD student at the University of Pittsburgh and NSF Graduate Research Fellow. She studies gut microbial and host physiological mechanisms of fiber-containing diets in wild rodents with Dr. Kevin Kohl. She received her B.S. in Biology at Bucknell University in 2017. Outside of the lab, she enjoys cooking, baking, reading, and spending time with family and friends.

Tab Henry 

Tab Henry is a second-year PhD student in the Evolution, Ecology, and Organismal Biology program at UNC Chapel Hill, where they study the neural and hormonal mechanisms behind navigation and parental care in poison frogs. As a trans and queer scientist, Tab is passionate about fostering inclusivity in STEM and welcomes opportunities to promote diversity and equity in science. Outside the lab, they enjoy gardening, spending time with their pets, and trying new crafts.  www.linkedin.com/in/tab-henry 

Audrey Friestad

Audrey is a 2nd year master’s student at Ohio University in Athens, Ohio. She researches the effects of environmental pollutants on animal physiology and development. She mainly studies lizards, but is also interested in learning about insects and other reptiles and amphibians! She hopes to become a professor and inspire the next generation of ecologists. In her spare time, she loves to play the piano and go rock climbing!

Follow me on Instagram at acfriestad_8 or on Facebook (Audrey Claire Friestad)

Colleen Hecker 

Colleen is a Ph.D. student at Florida Atlantic University studying Integrative Biology. Her research involves surveying bacterial assemblages and processes associated with sea stars to better understand the role these bacteria play in regulating sea star health. In her free time, Colleen enjoys SCUBA diving, star gazing, and crafting wreaths. 

Joseph Minus 

Molly Gabler Smith 

Alison Hall 

Brent Foster 

Lisa Mesrop 

Katrina Pinili 

Katrina Pinili is a 4th year Ph.D. candidate in the Gibbs Lab at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. She is studying starvation-selected Drosophila melanogaster with a focus on how exercise affects their metabolism and physiology. In her spare time, she loves doing arts and crafts and playing video games. She loves animals; she has 2 cats and a brazilian short-tailed opossum!

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/katrina-pinili-02797a187/