Dr. John Pham Appointed as New Editor-in-Chief of Cell

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Jul 19, 2018, 12:28 ET

CAMBRIDGE, Massachusetts, July 19, 2018 /PRNewswire/ --

Elsevier, the global information analytics business specializing in science and health, today announced that Cell Press appointed molecular biologist Dr. John Pham as the next Editor-in-Chief of its flagship life science journal Cell. He will be the fourth person to hold the position in the journal's 44-year history.

Dr. Pham joined Cell Press in 2008 as a member of the Molecular Cell editorial team and became the journal's Editor-in-Chief in 2012. In this role, he has expanded his scientific expertise across the broad range of areas that Molecular Cell covers and has led initiatives on transparency and integrity, piloted new policies on data archiving, and tested different approaches to peer review.

"I want to bring that same pioneering philosophy to Cell," Dr. Pham says. "Our authors and readers should expect and trust that everything Cell publishes is of the highest quality, and I'm very excited about leading Cell into the future and making sure that it continues to feature cutting-edge findings that help drive science forward."

He also plans for Cell and its editorial team to speak out with a stronger voice on behalf of the research community. "I want scientists to know that we understand their perspective. We were all trained as scientists ourselves, and we think and care about science as much as they do," he says. "We're going to engage with our authors, reviewers and readers as partners and lend our voice on the issues that scientists are facing."

"I'm delighted that, in John, we have someone whose passion for publishing groundbreaking science will ensure Cell continues to be the home for the most exciting discoveries," says Dr. Philippe Terheggen, Elsevier's Managing Director of Science, Technical, and Medical Journals. "In addition, we look forward to the contributions he can make at Cell and Cell Press to address areas that are currently prominent in researchers' minds, including reproducibility and ethical research conduct, to serve the progress of science."

Dr. Pham's appointment comes as part of some broader changes in the leadership structure at Cell Press following the departure of former CEO and Cell Editor-in-Chief Dr. Emilie Marcus in February 2018. Over recent years the Cell Press family has expanded into the physical sciences with the launches of Chem, Joule, and iScience, and in April 2018 formed a joint publishing unit with The Lancet headed by Managing Director Anne Kitson.

Dr. Pham received his PhD from Northwestern University, where he studied the mechanisms of RNA splicing and RNA interference with Dr. Erik Sontheimer, and conducted postdoctoral work at Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Women's Hospital.

About Cell

Cell (@CellCellPress), the flagship journal of Cell Press, is a bimonthly journal that publishes findings of unusual significance in any area of experimental biology, including but not limited to cell biology, molecular biology, neuroscience, immunology, virology and microbiology, cancer, human genetics, systems biology, signaling, and disease mechanisms and therapeutics. www.cell.com/cell

About Cell Press

Cell Press (@CellPressNews), an imprint of Elsevier, is a leading publisher of scientific research and reviews. We drive science forward and promote cross-pollination of ideas with our passion for excellence and commitment to innovation. Our aim is to engage the scientific community by communicating important, exciting discoveries made today that will impact the future of research. www.cell.com

About Elsevier

Elsevier is a global information analytics business that helps institutions and professionals advance healthcare, open science and improve performance for the benefit of humanity. Elsevier provides digital solutions and tools in the areas of strategic research management, R&D performance, clinical decision support and professional education, including ScienceDirect, Scopus, SciVal, ClinicalKey and Sherpath. Elsevier publishes over 2,500 digitized journals, including The Lancet and Cell, 38,000 e-book titles and many iconic reference works, including Gray's Anatomy. Elsevier is part of RELX Group, a global provider of information and analytics for professionals and business customers across industries. www.elsevier.com