PLoS is pleased to announce that Heather Joseph and Robin Lovell-Badge will join the PLoS Board of Directors, effective May 19, 2012. “Heather and Robin will be terrific additions to the board, significantly broadening our expertise in outreach, policy, and research,” said board chairman Gary Ward. Both Heather and Robin have long-standing associations with PLoS and play active roles in policy and scientific publication now and throughout their careers, albeit in much different capacities.

Heather serves as the Executive Director of the Scholarly Publishing and Academic Resources Coalition (SPARC) (Washington, DC). Under her leadership, SPARC is a strong ally with PLoS in the Open Access movement to eliminate barriers in the dissemination of scholarly research. Heather is also the convener of the Alliance for Taxpayer Access, a coalition of universities, libraries, and advocacy groups for patients, consumers, and students that influences policy and legislation to promote unrestricted access to publicly funded research. Prior to joining SPARC, Heather worked for 15 years as a publisher in commercial and nonprofit organizations, including five years as the President of BioOne and nearly three years as the Director of Publishing for the American Society for Cell Biology.

Robin is Head of the Division of Stem Cell Biology and Developmental Genetics at MRC National Institute for Medical Research (London, UK). His research into sex determination, the nervous system, and early embryo stem cell biology has been published in PLoS journals, among many other scholarly publications. Robin has become increasingly active as a leader in public engagement and policy work related to stem cells, genetics, and human embryo and animal research. His focus on the ways science is regulated, conducted, and disseminated led to his involvement with PLoS. In 2004, he published Ethereal Ethics in PLoS Biology to describe the differences in the politics of bioethics between the US and UK. Robin received his PhD in Embryology at University College London and conducted postdoctoral research in Cambridge, UK and Paris, France.

Robin and Heather join sitting board members David Liddle, Rosalind Smyth, Marty Tenenbaum, and Beth Weil serving with Gary Ward as chairman and Patrick Brown and Michael Eisen as co-founders on the board.