Gregory Herczeg
Gregory Herczeg, Associate Professor at Peking University and Associate Director for Science of the KIAA, was appointed as the newest Science Editor for the AAS Journals, which includes the flagship Astrophysical Journal. In this new role, Herczeg will accept or reject submissions to the Astrophysical Journal using an evaluation process that relies heavily on scientific reports by expert referees. The editors serve the gatekeepers for high-quality astronomical results.
In astronomy, almost all papers are published in one of the three major journals and their respective Letters: the Astrophysical Journal, which is run by the American Astronomical Society and has the highest impact factor, the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, which is run by the UK, and Astronomy and Astrophysics, run by Europe. Herczeg is only the third editor in all of Asia across these three journals, joining Prof. Luis Ho, Director of the KIAA and Science Editor of the AAS Journals and Deputy Editor of Astrophysical Journal Letters, and Prof. Zhanwen Han, Academician, Director of the Yunnan Astronomical Observatory, and Science Editor of Astronomy and Astrophysics. Herczeg is the third youngest current member of the AAS Journals editorial board.
Responding to the appointment, Herczeg said, "I am honored by the trust placed in me by the community to review papers to improve their scientific results and to decide whether papers should be published. The editorial review process plays a critical role in the modern scientific method. I am both excited and humbled by the opportunity to dedicate a fraction of my career to this important service." Herczeg will serve in the interstellar medium corridor, although science editors are expected to evaluate submissions across a wide range of fields.
The Astrophysical Journal has a legendary history, founded in 1895 by George Hale. Past Editors-in-Chief include Edwin Hubble, Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar, and Rob Kennicutt, the current Chair of the KIAA Science Advisory Committee. The current Editor-in-Chief is Ethan Vishniac, most famous for so-called the Vishniac Instability in expanding blast waves.
