The American Physical Society (APS) has appointed Dr. Jan Michael Rost, Director at the Max Planck Institute for the Physics of Complex Systems in Dresden, Germany, as the Lead Editor of Physical Review A (PRA). He takes over this role from Dr. Gordon Drake, who has served as PRA’s Lead Editor since February 2006. Dr. Rost formerly served as an Editorial Board member for PRA from January 2004 to December 2006 and begins his new role January 1, 2019.
“I am very excited to welcome Jan Michael Rost as the new Lead Editor of PRA. I would like to take this opportunity to also thank Gordon Drake, who served outstandingly in this position for 13 years,” said Michael Thoennessen, APS Editor in Chief. “I look forward to working with Jan Michael towards a bright future for PRA.”
Dr. Rost received his Ph.D. from the University of Freiburg in Germany, where he studied physics and philosophy. After postdocs at the University of Washington and Harvard University and habilitation in Germany, he was appointed Director at the Max Planck Institute for the Physics of Complex Systems in Dresden where he is also Professor at the Technische Universität. He is a Fellow of APS and presently a member of the Wissenschaftsrat, the official science policy advisory body to the German Government.
“The appointment as PRA’s Lead Editor and the possibility to work with its excellent staff is an honor for me,” said Jan Michael Rost. “I am looking forward to being part of a team shaping PRA’s future where excellence and reliability regarding papers, refereeing, and handling of manuscripts will continue to define the gold standard in a rapidly changing world of scientific publishing.”
“We owe a great debt of gratitude to Gordon Drake for his many years of diligent service at the helm of PRA. While we will certainly miss him, it is very exciting that Jan Michael will be taking on the role of PRA’s Lead Editor,” said Matthew Salter, APS Publisher. “Having such outstanding scientists taking a leading editorial role within the Physical Review journals continues the mission of APS as a community-driven society publisher.”
