Thulani Makhalanyane caught up with Tukkievaria to share his appreciation for the recent appointment by the American Society of Microbiology.

1. How do you feel regarding your new appointment by the American Society of Microbiology (ASM) - Senior Editor of mSystems®?

The ASM is the largest society in my field and I am delighted at the recognition from my peers. This role is an opportunity to serve as a senior member of the editorial board for mSystems, a leading journal in the field of systems ecology. 

2. How does one become a member of the ASM? 

The ASM is the biggest association of microbiologists studying bacteria, archaea, viruses, fungi and protozoa. Membership is open to all professional microbiologists at various levels. 

3. What is the scope of the mSystems® journal? 

mSystems is a multidisciplinary, open-access journal which publishes preeminent studies in systems ecology, and is one of the ASM’s premier journals. mSystems publishes leading studies using technologies for high throughput analysis to understand the metabolic and regulatory systems at both the single cell and microbial community scale. The journal publishes studies using large datasets, including biological and biochemical findings. The journal welcomes papers which apply omics (genomics, metagenomics, transcriptomics, metabolomics, proteomics etc.), bioinformatics and computational microbiology.

4. What is the impact factor of AMS and how will the institution benefit? Who are the targeted stakeholders/clients? 

The AMS is the largest professional association of microbiologists. mSystems currently has an impact factor of 7.2. As the first African appointed as Senior Editor, this is important international recognition by peers in my field. The role of Senior Editor allows me to serve my academic community by guiding manuscripts through the review process and ensuring quality control.

5. The term of appointment is 1 July 2022 through 30 June 2027. As  Senior Editor of mSystems®, what are the issues that need improvement with immediate effect or where you will commence?

There is an emergence of predatory publishers which poses a threat to the quality of peer-reviewed outputs. Publishers are also driven by financial incentives, without traditional rigorous peer review - most of these do not support the scientific community. Journals such as mSystems are society-focused and contribute to the development of the field in several ways. For instance, ASM and other society journals support travel by young academics and have several outreach activities for the broader community.