Assistant Editor, Biological and Chemical Sciences | Physical Sciences and Engineering

Rapid Reviews: COVID-19  is an open-access, rapid-review initiative of the MIT Press and UC Berkeley that was developed in June 2020 to accelerate peer review of COVID-19-related preprints covering the pandemic and its impacts. We rely on a two part process: 1) a student-supported review and curation process of current literature powered by AI tools and platforms 2) engaging expert peer review networks to produce reliable rapid peer reviews on newly released research that clinicians, researchers, journalists, and policy-makers worldwide can rely on to make sound judgements about disease priorities and amelioration. We create a shorter runway for open source peer-reviewed research produced in the wake of new findings. This helps accelerate productive academic, medical, and social science research on COVID-19 while reducing the likelihood of false and misleading scientific news being consumed by the public.

Based on the success of RR:C19, we are now launching the new spinoff journal Rapid Reviews\Infectious Diseases (RR\ID). RR\ID will allow us to expand beyond COVID-19 to advance the science community’s understanding of infectious diseases and emerging outbreaks. We are recruiting an advanced graduate student for the position of Assistant Editor (AE), BCS/PSE  to begin immediately. AE’s are expected to:

• Use preprint repositories and servers (i.e., medRxiv, bioRxiv, and related STEM and social science repositories) to review and critically assess a large number of current preprints in their domain. With a team of apprentices, mentors and associate editors, find “diamonds in the rough” and efficiently justify their selection (or non-selection) of notable preprints with a paper’s scholarly weaknesses/strengths at weekly domain and editorial meetings.

• Manage and coordinate the BCS/PSE editorial domain, including a domain coordinator and student volunteer team that will help them review preprints and, more importantly, select peer reviewers for each selected preprint

• Adhering to predetermined timelines, provide and oversee the identification, quality check and feedback of peer reviewers selected for each preprint

• Work closely with the editor-in-chief and managing editor on all aspects of prioritizing preprints for review by the senior editorial team and subsequent peer review.

• Support the Editor-in-Chief and editorial team in their review and publication of peer reviews 

Qualifications

• Current doctoral student, medical resident/student, or post-doctoral fellow strongly preferred. Masters students with strong relevant experience in a discipline relevant to the domain may also be considered.

• Strong research methodology background relevant to the domain and familiarity with COVID-19-related and/or infectious disease research methods

• Experience conducting extensive literature reviews is expected; experience reviewing/writing grants and contributing to peer-reviewed publications/papers is desired.

• Excellent English writing and verbal skills. Ability to synthesize and summarize (verbally and written) potentially dense and complex research methods and findings into clear and easy-to-understand synopses/abstracts.

• Extremely organized and reliable -- comfortable with organizing and managing a continuous flow of research papers on a set timeline. Comfortable working in teams towards timelines.

• Be comfortable with (and ideally enjoy) a frontline view of the latest research into emerging infectious diseases like COVID-19. Appreciation of how different disciplinary approaches within the domain may affect the wider global scientific, policy and social response to infectious diseases.

• Experience managing people and working in a team environment is preferred.

Requirements & Application instructions: This position will require 10-15 hours a week, to begin immediately, with the possibility of extension beyond Spring 2023. To apply, please send a resume and a cover letter to Hildy Fong Baker ([email protected]). The hourly pay rate will commensurate with experience. If you are a UC Berkeley student, Graduate Student Researcher appointments are available for the Spring semester. Please also let us know if you are eligible for a work study position.