Sara Rouhi joins AIP Publishing as Director of Open Science and Publishing Innovation

MELVILLE, N.Y., April 30, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- AIP Publishing (AIPP) announced today that Sara Rouhi has joined the organization in the new role of Director of Open Science and Publishing Innovation. She will report to Chief Publishing Officer Penelope Lewis.

Rouhi is charged with developing new publishing models and sustainable business strategies to accelerate AIPP's mission to advance open, equitable research communication and empower researchers to accelerate global progress.

"AIPP has a storied history as researcher-focused non-profit committed to putting science first," Rouhi said. "I'm honored to join a leadership team not only committed to forging an equitable open science path but also deeply invested in building a workplace culture grounded in humility, experimentation, and embracing change. AIPP -- thanks to its cultural transformation and its open science investment -- stands poised to contribute meaningfully and substantively to the furthering of open science globally."

Rouhi joins AIP Publishing from Public Library of Science (PLOS) where she was Regional Director, Publishing Development, The Americas. In this role she focused on engaging with high-level stakeholders, including funders, policymakers, and institutional leaders in local scholarly communication ecosystems. Before this role she built up PLOS' institutional business models and partnership base as Director of Strategic Partnerships. During that time, she launched three new, non-APC business models (including the 2021 ALPSP Innovation in Publishing award winner, Community Action Publishing) and implemented over 200+ partnerships globally.

Rouhi is active in the scholarly communications community as a volunteer and thought leader, speaking frequently on open access, equity in publishing, and diversity in scholarly communications. She is currently Board Member for the Society of Scholarly Publishing (SSP) and was the recipient of SSP's Emerging Leader award in 2015.

AIP Publishing CPO Penelope Lewis: "Sara's proven track record in innovative publishing models, coupled with her passion and entrepreneurial spirit for tackling complex challenges, make her an ideal fit for our dynamic AIPP team. We share the belief that open science fosters inclusivity and accelerates scientific research. I'm thrilled that Sara will join us in driving open science innovation that truly benefits the physical sciences community."

SOURCE AIP Publishing