Editors’ Vox is a blog from AGU’s Publications Department.
We are delighted to share that Alexandre Schubnel has just taken over as the Editor-in-Chief of JGR: Solid Earth. We asked him some questions about his own research interests and his vision for the journal.
What are your own areas of scientific interest?
My scientific interests are in rock physics, with a particular focus on earthquake source physics and mechanics. In the past few years, I have been particularly fascinated with the role that minerals play in earthquake faulting—how they can trigger rupture and contribute to frictional weakening. All these interests merge when studying the mechanics of intermediate and deep focus earthquakes.
My research methods have always been a mix of experiments and theory. Experimental science is really great because experiments are often full of surprises. I have immensely benefitted from great mentors that I was lucky to cross paths with during my career, and great students I was lucky to work with.
What does it mean to you to serve as Editor-in-Chief of JGR: Solid Earth?
My two first papers were published in JGR: Solid Earth, but had you told the young PhD student I was at the turn of the millennium that I would become Editor-in-Chief, he would probably have burst into laughter, and walked away, nodding incredulously.
It’s an amazing honor to act as Editor-in-Chief of such a landmark journal.
20 years later, approximately more than a quarter of my publications have been in JGR: Solid Earth and I have served as an Associate Editor for 8 years. Of course, it’s an amazing honor to act as Editor-in-Chief of such a landmark journal. It’s also quite humbling, working with other Editors and Associate Editors, all of them being at the forefront of their field. Finally, it’s also a great responsibility because JGR: Solid Earth has such a legacy.
What makes JGR: Solid Earth special?
People know that if they want serious, constructive, and sound reviews, JGR: Solid Earth is the place to submit their paper to.
In my field at least, but that could probably be extended to all of geophysics, most of the landmark papers were published in JGR: Solid Earth from the 1960s to the 1990s. It’s still amazing to read these and how sound and well written these papers were! This amazing legacy is why JGR: Solid Earth is a journal that people truly regard as great. People say, “I published this in JGR” and it immediately feels as important as if it had been published in one of the more general, high-impact journals. In addition, it immediately looks serious, and that’s because of the journal’s rigorous review process. People know that if they want serious, constructive, and sound reviews, JGR: Solid Earth is the place to submit their paper to.
What are some of the challenges of leading this large journal?
From my point of view, there are at least four challenges:
- How to handle the overwhelming number of submissions in a fair, reasonable and scientific way. For that, we need to expand the board of editors in order to expand its scientific expertise and share the load so that editorial decisions remain enlightened by scientific knowledge.
- Open data and open science. Geophysics is a science that produces an enormous quantity of data. On one hand, we really want to push for data and science to be open. On the other hand, we cannot replicate data an infinite number of times. In particular, some modern techniques generate so much data, it’s simply overwhelming.
- Make the journal more inclusive and diverse. That’s a pressing issue. While the journal can only be as diverse as our scientific community, we should be pro-active.
- Probably the greatest challenge is the rise of artificial intelligence. I simply don’t know how we’re going to face it. I am certain other Editors-in-Chief feel the same and we will need to have many conversations on the matter in the coming years.
How do you plan to take the journal forward in the coming years?
I would like, if possible, the journal to reconnect with its glorious past. The first step is to expand the board, for JGR: Solid Earth to resemble more closely the thematic diversity of AGU Solid Earth. We will therefore introduce more thematic diversity at the board level, and this expansion will be performed by also increasing both regional diversity and gender parity.
We’re also going to continue to push for science to be more open, and JGR: Solid Earth will hopefully transition to Gold Open Access in the coming years.
We’re also going to continue to push for science to be more open, and JGR: Solid Earth will hopefully transition to Gold Open Access in the coming years. It seems weird, at least to me, that data should already be opened, while science is not completely opened yet. It feels a bit like we’re skiing on one leg only for the moment.
—Alexandre Schubnel ([email protected]; 
0000-0002-9321-220X), CNRS – École Normale Supérieure, France
Learn more about the outgoing Editor-in-Chief, Isabelle Manighetti.
