ESA Welcomes Scott Collins as Editor-in-Chief of Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment

For Immediate Release:  12:00 pm EST, October 16, 2023

 Contact: Alison Mize, gro.asenull@nosila

ESA Welcomes Scott Collins as Editor-in-Chief of Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment

After a competitive search, the Ecological Society of America is pleased to announce the appointment of Scott L. Collins as the new editor-in-chief of its journal Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment. In his new role, Collins will lead Frontiers in publishing ecological and environmental research that is timely, clearly written and relevant to all users of ecological science, including policy makers, resource managers and educators.

Scott Collins is named third Editor in Chief of Frontiers. Photo credit: Scott Collins

Collins is an internationally recognized community ecologist. He is a Distinguished Professor of Biology and the Loren Potter Chair of Plant Ecology, University of New Mexico, and former Director of the Sevilleta LTER Program. Collins and his collaborators investigate the ecological impacts of climate variability and climate change on ecosystems in the US desert southwest, tallgrass prairie in Kansas, and savanna grasslands in South Africa.

“I am both excited and intimidated to be the next Editor-in-Chief of Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment. Frontiers plays such an important role in the portfolio of ESA journals. I look forward to working with authors, reviewers, and the Editorial Board to keep the content of Frontiers interesting and relevant to its broad readership,” said Collins.  

Formerly, he served as editor in chief of the journal BioScience for six years, as Chair of the ESA Publications Committee, as ESA president in 2012 and as Chair of the LTER Network Science Council and Executive Board. He received a PhD (Botany) from the University of Oklahoma, a MS (Botany) from Miami University and a BA (Biology) from Wittenberg University.

Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment consistently ranks among the top journals in both the Ecology and Environmental Science subcategories of Journal Citation Reports, featuring , featuring both peer-reviewed papers and non-peer-reviewed editorials and commentaries. The journal’s broad interdisciplinary appeal attracts readers from different backgrounds, educational levels and career stages.

Frontiers has a strong tradition of sharing ecological research that is relevant to researchers and the public sector alike ,” says ESA president Shahid Naeem. “Dr. Collins’ deep experience working in research and publishing make him an excellent choice for advancing the journal’s vision.”

Collins will step into the new role Dec. 1. He succeeds Richard Wallace as the third editor-in-chief of Frontiers since the journal was first launched in 2003 by founding editor, the late Sue Silver, Ph.D., whose dedication and vision for Frontiers guided its growth into the well-respected journal it is today. Wallace remains connected to the journal in his new role as the ESA Director of Publishing.

###

The Ecological Society of America (ESA), founded in 1915, is the world’s largest community of professional ecologists and a trusted source of ecological knowledge, committed to advancing the understanding of life on Earth. The 8,000 member Society publishes six journals and a membership bulletin and broadly shares ecological information through policy, media outreach, and education initiatives. The Society’s Annual Meeting attracts 3,000+ attendees and features the most recent advances in ecological science. Visit the ESA website at https://www.esa.org.