Publishing success in ecology

6^th September 2023

This webinar is the next in our Author Engagement Programme organised under the partnership between Wiley and the South African National Library and Information Consortium. Find out more about how this partnership personally benefits you as an author based at one of the institutions covered by this partnership: https://secure.wiley.com/sanlic.

Speaker 1: Adam Wheeler (Publisher, Wiley)

Adam is a research publishing professional of nearly 17 years, with a clear focus on STM journals. Working out of Oxford, UK, he has predominately worked in life sciences, including ecology and plant sciences. His interests lie in equity in research and diversity in STM, research transparency and integrity in research, upskilling in under-funded regions, and early career researchers generally.

Speaker 2: Dr Errol Douwes (Senior Manager, Restoration Ecology function, city of Durban, South Africa)

As a restoration practitioner Errol oversees many practical aspects of terrestrial ecosystem restoration in and around the city. He’s a Professional Natural Scientist, an honorary research fellow at the University of Kwa-Zulu Natal, and an Associate Editor of the Ecological Solutions and Evidence journal, published by Wiley. Areas of interest include restoration ecology, invasion biology, ethnobotany and sustainable land management.

Speaker 3: Dr Sophia Turner (PhD student, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, USA)

Sophia is an ecologist with experience in invasion biology, community ecology, and science communication. She began her career with a diploma in Nature Conservation from the University of South Africa (UNISA), then worked her way up to a MSc in Conservation Ecology from Stellenbosch University, while being a science outreach educator for the DSI-NRF Center of Excellence for Invasion Biology. Now, in her final year of a PhD at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville in the US, Sophia studies how above-and below-ground interactions are affected by changing environmental contexts. She has received over 1 million rand in research grants ($62 000), published five articles and has reviewed papers in peer-review journals, but is most proud of her outreach education work, using ants to teach learners about science, in previously disadvantaged schools across Western Cape, South Africa.

Speaker 4: Andrea Baier (Director of Publishing, British Ecological Society, London, UK )

Andrea is responsible for developing and managing the BES’ portfolio of publications. She works with the in-house editorial team, academic editors and publications committee to shape and implement the BES’ long-term publications strategy.

Moderator: Michael Willis (Researcher Advocate, Wiley)

Michael has worked in publishing for nearly 25 years. He champions the needs and aspirations of editors, reviewers and authors within journal editorial and peer review processes, advising and speaking on research integrity, publishing ethics, diversity, equity and inclusion, and researcher behaviour. Michael is content and delivery lead for the Wiley-SANLiC Author Engagement Programme.