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Meet PLOS Biology Associate Editor, Paula Jauregui

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This month, we chatted with associate editor Paula Jauregui. Paula joined PLOS Biology in September 2020 and, as a virologist by training, handles most of our microbiology and immunology papers. She shares with us her recommended reads, strengths of the journal, languages she’d like to learn, and what she’s collecting these days.

What is the specific background and expertise you bring to PLOS Biology?

I am a virologist by training. I studied Biology and Biochemistry and during my PhD and PostDoc, I worked in innate immunity against retroviruses. Now I handle most of our microbiology and immunology papers.

How would describe PLOS Biology’s strengths in three words?

Transparency

Teamwork

Author-oriented

What’s the coolest thing you are working on right now (in your role as an editor)?

As I handle most of the microbiology and immunology papers, I have seen the evolution of the science surrounding the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. It is amazing to see how in a very short time we have been able to learn a lot more about the virus and how science is helping improve the situation.

What’s something you find challenging about Open Access publishing you would like to improve?

I think that Open Access makes scientific discoveries accessible to everybody with an internet connection, which means that many can share their knowledge. Now, I think that the challenge is to make it also accessible to more people, not only expert scientist in the topic. At PLOS Biology, we publish peer-reviewed, high-quality science that we try to bring to as many people as possible through press releases, primers, or our blog posts.

Is there another scientific field outside your area of expertise you are interested in? If so, what is it?

I find evolution fascinating, ecology, cell biology, developmental biology are very interesting, and also new molecular biology technologies (like all the different technologies around CRISPR). I am lucky that microbiology can touch most of these areas too!

Do you collect anything? If so, what?

I used to collect books and a show series about how the human body works called “Once Upon a Time… Life” when I was a little girl. Now, I don’t collect anything material, only memories! Having moved to 3 different countries in the last 3 years, I needed to be mindful of the space in my suitcase!

Can you speak more than one language? If you could learn another language, what would it be?

My mother tongue is Spanish, I am from Spain. I can speak English, I could try to have a conversation in French and I learnt a bit of German when I was living in Austria. I would love to speak many languages, as I think that you also learn about the culture and the way other people think through learning a new language. I’d like to learn Chinese and Arabic, but also Basque since I was born in a Basque speaking region but I never learnt to speak the language.

What’s on your reading list for the PLOS Biology community?

In PLOS BiologyIn your local library
We need leaders that believe in scientific evidence

Why Lyme disease is common in the northern US,
but rare in the south: The roles of host choice,
host-seeking behavior, and tick density

The Physician, by Noah Gordon
 
Brave New World, by Aldous Huxley

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