We are incredibly excited to announce that there will be three new Co-Editors-in-Chief of FEMS Microbes. Here we introduce the next of our new Editors-in-Chief: Associate Professor Kathleen Scott; as she talks to us about her career and her vision for our new open access journal. Previously, we talked to Co-Editor-in-Chief Kimberly Kline.

• Institution: Department of Integrative Biology, University of South Florida, Tampa, USA.
• ORCID ID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9407-518X
• Research Interests: Microbial physiology; Autotrophy; Lithotrophy; Carbon metabolism; Hydrothermal vents; Carbon stable isotope biogeochemistry.

What encouraged you to pursue a career in the field of microbiology?

I chose microbiology because, as we all know, microorganisms are in charge. Furthermore, it’s impossible to be a biologist without being a microbiologist…perhaps I exaggerate?

More seriously, I became a microbiologist when I was six years old and took my first look at pond water through a microscope. That first diatom, or rotifer, or paramecium, or colonial alga, did it. From there, I moved on to cultivating slime molds, and empirically determining which items from the kitchen generated the most prolific/colorful/amusingly scented microbial growth of any sort, much to my mother’s horror.”

What do you think are the challenges being faced by researchers today, and in particular by Early Career Scientists?

Funding, and also a reliance on short-term metrics to evaluate researchers for hiring and promotion.  Both these things are not aligned with developing a meaningful long-term research agenda.”

How would you describe FEMS Microbes in your own words?

Our hope is to create a venue for publication of solid, full-length research articles in open-access format.  Our scope statement indicates that all avenues of microbiology will be included in FEMS Microbes.”

What makes FEMS Microbes unique for the community, and why should scientists submit their manuscripts?

This journal will be a fantastic addition to the complement of journals currently available via FEMS for the reasons listed in response to the previous query.  Also, since this is a society-affiliated publication, funds collected from publications will be placed back into the community.”

How do you see the future of FEMS Microbes in 5, 10, 20 years, and what would you consider a success for it?

In the near-term, I plan to facilitate the publication of solid advances in microbiology.  Since this is a new journal, I also plan to keep my ears and eyes perked for ways we can continue to improve and expand..”

FEMS Microbes – Open science towards a sustainable world

FEMS Microbes is our new community journal for sharing research findings. In particular, it is a venue for early career scientists to read, publish, and contribute. It includes research articles, commentaries, reviews, as well as methodological advancements that are of general interest to a wide audience. All microbes, including bacteria, archaea, fungi, protists, parasites, and viruses are covered. The journal is fully gold open access and all articles are free to read.

We welcome spontaneous submission of manuscripts. More information on the how to submit is available on this page.