Announcements

We had the pleasure of speaking with Dr. Carrie Mae Long, winner of the Pathogens 2022 Young Investigator Award. Dr. Carrie Mae Long is an NIH Independent Research Scholar (IRS) in the Laboratory of Bacteriology at the Rocky Mountain Laboratories, a component of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID). Dr. Long obtained her Ph.D. in immunology and microbial pathogenesis from West Virginia University School of Medicine in 2016. Her research focuses on C. burnetii pathogenesis, immunology, vaccinology, Q fever, animal modeling, guinea pigs, and bacterial vaccine development. Her scientific achievements are documented in 21 peer-reviewed publications, including six first-author manuscripts in well-respected journals.

We hope you enjoy the interview.

We are pleased to inform you that Pathogens (ISSN: 2076-0817) has received an updated CiteScore of 5.1, an increase of 46% compared with the 2021 metric. The 2022 CiteScore™ was released recently, making an assessment of the scientific influence of journals in the 2019 to 2022 period.

Pathogens’ CiteScore ranks as follows:

• Q2 (14 out of 53) in the "General Immunology and Microbiology" category;
• Q2 (119 out of 304) in the "Infectious Diseases" category;
• Q2 (55 out of 124) in the "Microbiology (medical)" category;
• Q3 (113 out of 211) in the "Immunology and Allergy" category;
• Q3 (235 out of 380) in the "Molecular Biology" category.

For more journal statistics, please visit https://www.mdpi.com/journal/pathogens/stats.

Excellent performance is inseparable from the support and dedication of all journal editors, reviewers, authors, and readers. We would like to take this opportunity to thank all of you who have contributed to the journal.

MDPI journals will be attending the 42nd annual meeting of the American Society for Virology as an exhibitor. This meeting will be held in Athens, Georgia, USA from 24 to 28 June 2023.

The American Society for Virology (ASV) is a wonderful community that brings together virologists from all areas of the field. As a result, the annual meetings are rich in diverse scientific offerings and they can be quite large (sometimes over 1600 attendees). This conference is hosted by the University of Georgia and held at the Classic Center; the scientific program will include symposia, concurrent workshops, poster sessions, exhibits, and special events. Professional development activities and social events will be interspersed throughout the meeting.

The following MDPI journals will be represented:

• Biomedicines;
• Life;
• Viruses;
• Cells;
• Vaccines;
• Veterinary Sciences;
• Microorganisms;
• CIMB;
• Pathogens;
• TropicalMed;
• Zoonotic Diseases;
• COVID.

If you are attending this conference, please feel free to start a conversation with us. Our delegates look forward to meeting you in person and answering any questions you may have. For more information about the conference and our booth, please visit: https://asv.org/asv2023/.

FEMS was established in 1974 and is now an active and diverse federation of 55 European learned societies that includes around 30,000 professionals who are committed to advancing microbiology for the benefit of society. Located in 38 European countries, around half of these professionals are early career researchers, and the remainder include industry scientists, established academics, educators and campaigners. The 10th FEMS Congress of European Microbiologists will take place in Hamburg, Germany, from 9 to 13 July 2023. This event is dedicated to showcasing the latest developments in microbiology and to connecting microbiologists from all over the world.

Main topics:

• Environmental Microbiology & Ecology;
• Biotechnology & Synthetic Microbiology; 
• Food Microbiology; 
• Infection Biology & Pathogens; 
• Infectious Diseases; 
• Taxonomy & Systematics;
• Genetics & Genomics;
• Virology;
• Microbiology Education & Profession;
• Molecular Microbiology & Biochemistry.

The following MDPI journals will be represented:

• Microorganisms;
• Veterinary Sciences;
• Foods;
• MPs;
• CIMB;
• Diversity;
• Biology;
• Fermentation;
• Microbiology Research;
• JoF;
• Pathogens;
• Antibiotics;
• Biomolecules.

If you are attending this conference, please feel free to start an online conversation with us. Our delegates look forward to meeting you at booth #B18 in person and answering any questions you may have. For more information about the conference and our virtual booth, please visit the following link: https://www.fems2023.org/.

Conference: 8th European Congress of Virology 2023
Date: 4–7 May 2023
Location: Gdańsk, Poland

MDPI will be attending the 8th European Congress of Virology 2023 (ECV 2023) as an exhibitor, and we welcome researchers from different backgrounds to visit and share their latest ideas with us.

This conference is organized by the European Society for Virology. ECV 2023 will be a great opportunity for European virologists representing various fields of research to meet, present their results, and discuss all the developments in virology that have taken place during this unusual time. It will also be a great opportunity to meet friends, renew old acquaintances, and establish new collaborations. Although coronavirus studies will undoubtedly be one of the leading subjects at ECV 2023, it is important to have all research areas represented, including basic, clinical, veterinary, and plant virology. 

The following MDPI journals will be represented:

• Viruses;
• Microorganism;
• Vaccines;
• Pathogens;
• Biomedicines;
• Veterinary Science;
• Immuno;
• COVID.

If you are planning to attend this conference, please do not hesitate to start an online conversation with us. Our delegates look forward to meeting you in person and answering any questions that you may have. For more information about the conference, please visit the following website: https://www.eusv-congress.eu/.

The 2023 American Society for Microbiology Annual Meeting (ASM Microbe 2023) will be held in Houston, USA, from 15 to 19 June 2023. This annual meeting is the largest gathering of microbiologists in the world, and it is expected that nearly 8,000 professionals from all over the world will attend the meeting. Founded in 1899, the American Society for Microbiology (ASM) is the oldest and largest single life science society in the world, consisting of more than 50,000 scientists and health professionals, of which more than one-third of the members are from countries and regions outside the United States. The mission of the American Society for Microbiology is to promote and advance the science of microbiology.

Topics include:

• Disaster Microbiology;
• Emerging Infections – What is the next pandemic? (Focus on Nipah and Marburg);
• Natural Product Discovery and Synthesis;
• Combating the Climate Crisis with Critters: Microbial Carbon Capture;
• Powering the Future: Applied Microbiology in the Energy Industry;
• Equity and Access in Laboratory Diagnostics;
• Microbiome Management in a Changing World.

The following MDPI journals will be represented:

• Microorganisms;
• Journal of Fungi;
• Viruses;
• Applied Biosciences;
• MPs;
• IJMS;
• Vaccines;
• Fermentation;
• Diversity;
• Metabolites;
• Biomolecules;
• Antibiotics;
• Pathogens;
• Life.

If you are attending this conference, please feel free to start an online conversation with us. Our delegates look forward to meeting you at booth number #2504 in person and answering any questions you may have. For more information about the conference and our virtual booth, please visit the following link: https://asm.org/Events/ASM-Microbe/Home.

Conference: The 112th Annual Meeting of the Japanese Society of Pathology
Date: 13–15 April 2023
Place: Shimonoseki, Japan

MDPI will be attending the 112th Annual Meeting of the Japanese Society of Pathology as an exhibitor. This meeting will be held in Shimonoseki, Japan, from 13 to 15 April 2023. This conference is held every year, and the theme of the 112th edition is “Doors to Overcoming Intractable Diseases: Potential of Pathology and Pathological Diagnostics”. The aim of this meeting is to provide an opportunity for all the members who chose the path of pathology to engage in hot discussions and introduce new perspectives to pathology and diagnostic pathology.

The following MDPI journals will be represented:

• Cancers;
• Diagnostics;
• JPM;
• Pathogens;
• CIMB;
• Pathophysiology.

If you are attending this conference, please feel free to start a conversation with us. Our delegates look forward to meeting you in person and answering any questions that you may have. For more information about the conference, please visit https://site2.convention.co.jp/112jsp/english/.

In this series, we interviewed the Editor-in-Chief of Pathogens (ISSN: 2076-0817), Prof. Dr. Lawrence S. Young, a highly respected publication in the field of infectious diseases. Our goal is to present a behind-the-scenes look at the journal and provide insights into the Editor-in-Chief's perspective on the publishing process.

The following is a short Q&A with Prof. Dr. Lawrence S. Young, who shared his vision for the journal with us, as well as his views of the research area and Open Access publishing.

Can you share with us some information about your academic background and your current research focus?
I began my academic career at the University of Birmingham, UK, and later spent some time in the United States. Currently, I am working as an academic at the University of Warwick, UK, where my research focuses on tumor virology, cancer biology, HPV, immunotherapy, and gene therapy, with a particular emphasis on EBV.

What is your opinion of the papers published in Pathogens?
In my opinion, Pathogens serves the infectious disease community by publishing high-quality papers across a very broad spectrum of topics. We continue to focus on attracting more high-quality papers while maintaining a rigorous peer-review process. I have observed that authors from developing countries often face challenges in securing funding to cover the article processing charge (APC). As far as I know, the journal has already offered discounts to such authors to encourage them to submit high-quality papers to the journal.

What aspects of the journal do you think could be improved?
We need to continue our rigorous approach to peer-review by ensuring that we receive at least three review reports for each paper and by extending the number of reviewers when there are conflicting reports. We need to exploit advances in technology to ensure the probity of all submissions. It is important that we continue to publish review papers that appeal to non-specialists and broaden their horizons. Such papers will add value to the journal.

What are your expectations for Pathogens?
I am pleased to see that Pathogens has a large authorship and receives a significant number of submissions, as well as having a good impact factor. The review process is both timely and of high quality, and the journal does not have multiple review cycles, which is a problem with some other publications. However, I believe the journal could benefit from increased profile-raising and attracting more high-quality papers, particularly reviews from well-respected scientists. Maintaining and increasing Pathogens’ reputation and credibility are my top priorities. With internet technologies becoming increasingly popular, scholars will quickly identify journals and prioritize reliability and reputation over impact factor. Pathogens’ broad and multidisciplinary approach to infectious disease will continue to appeal to a wide variety of researchers and is useful in allowing researchers to learn from different fields.

What are your thoughts on Open Access publication?
Open Access publication is a growing trend that is supported by the UK government and many universities. It is crucial for academics who cannot afford journal subscriptions to have access to the latest research and to build on it.

We wish Prof. Dr. Lawrence S. Young every success in his current position as Editor-in-Chief, and we look forward to his contributions to the journal.

As a leading open access publisher, MDPI provides scholars with a high-quality and rich academic exchange platform by continuously expanding into new and exciting research areas.

In December 2022, MDPI launched five new journals, covering multiple subjects such as life sciences, biology, medicine and pharmacology, social sciences and humanities. These new journals are being edited by established scholars across the world.

If you are interested in creating more open access journals with us to publish cutting-edge research, please send your journal proposal application to newjournal-committee@mdpi.com.

MDPI is pleased to announce that we now display the co-authors’ email addresses in addition to the corresponding author’s email address on the webpage of published papers, protected by Captcha. For more information about this change, please visit the journal’s instructions for authors page. 

We believe this change will facilitate academic discussions and advance our cause of open science and research. The corresponding authors are responsible for communicating with their co-authors and indicating in our system (https://susy.mdpi.com/) if co-authors would prefer for their email addresses not to be displayed.