Duo bring deep expertise in advanced research methods to growing entomology journal
Annapolis, MD; October 12, 2021—Entomologists Hojun Song, Ph.D., and Jason Bond, Ph.D., have been selected to be new co-editors-in-chief of the journal Insect Systematics and Diversity, published by the Entomological Society of America.
Hojun Song, Ph.D., and Jason Bond, Ph.D.
Song is an associate professor in the Department of Entomology at Texas A&M University. Bond is a professor and the Evert and Marion Schlinger endowed chair in insect systematics in the Department of Entomology and Nematology at the University of California, Davis. They will begin in their positions with the journal on January 1, 2022. In September 2021, the ESA Governing Board approved their appointment after an open search was conducted for candidates to succeed Insect Systematics and Diversity founding editors Sydney A. Cameron, Ph.D., and James B. Whitfield, Ph.D.
"Dr. Song and Dr. Bond are esteemed leaders in their areas of research, and their knowledge and experience with the evolving techniques in systematics, evolution, genomics, and beyond make them ideal for this role," says ESA President Michelle Smith, BCE. "My fellow ESA Governing Board members and I are pleased to welcome them aboard, and we look forward to seeing them build upon the excellent foundation that Dr. Cameron and Dr. Whitfield have established."
Insect Systematics and Diversity published its first issue in 2017 and has since risen to be a premier publication for cutting-edge research on systematics, evolution, and biodiversity of insects and related arthropods. Its debut impact factor, issued by Clarivate in 2021, was 4.771.
Song and Bond bring a complementary blend of experience in entomology to their new role. Song's research has focused on understanding behavioral, ecological, physiological, morphological, and molecular evolution of various groups of insects, particularly those in the order Orthoptera (grasshoppers, katydids, and relatives). Bond has specialized in spiders, millipedes, and darkling beetles, with a focus on speciation patterns and processes, high-level phylogenomics, and the influence of habitat destruction and climate change on biodiversity.
Jessica Ware, Ph.D., ESA vice president and chair of the search committee, lauded Song and Bond's experience and enthusiasm for advancing the journal. "They both impressed the committee with their editorial skill, scientific expertise, and commitment to ESA's mission and vision for its family of journals," she says. "ISD aims to publish high-impact, integrative research, and I'm confident the journal will be in good hands."
Song and Bond will take on a four-year term as Insect Systematics and Diversity co-editors-in-chief.
"I am honored to be selected as a new co-editor-in-chief of Insect Systematics and Diversity, and I am excited about the possibility of moving the field of insect systematics in this new capacity," says Song. "The inaugural co-editors-in-chief, Drs. Sydney Cameron and Jim Whitfield, have done a tremendous job launching the journal. Dr. Bond and I have some big shoes to fill, but we will do our best to make sure that ISD continues to become an outlet for publishing the best work in insect systematics, evolution, and biodiversity."
Song's career in entomology began in 2006 at Brigham Young University as a research fellow and associate before moving to the University of Central Florida in 2010 to serve as an assistant professor and curator of the Stuart M. Fullerton Collection of Arthropods. He moved to Texas A&M University in 2015, where he currently serves as an associate professor in the Department of Entomology. Among various honors, Song earned a Faculty Early Career Development Award from the National Science Foundation in 2013 and a Fulbright Future Scholarship from Australian-American Fulbright Commission in 2019. He has served as editor-in-chief of the journal Insect Systematics and Evolution (2014–2021), president of ESA's Systematics, Evolution, and Biodiversity Section (2015–2016), and a governing board member of the Orthopterists' Society (2009–present). Song earned his bachelor's degree in entomology from Cornell University in 2000 and his master's and Ph.D. degrees, both in entomology, from Ohio State University in 2002 and 2006, respectively.
"Without question it's a real honor to be selected along with Dr. Hojun Song as one of the new co-editors of Insect Systematics and Diversity," says Bond. "I am really excited to start working with such an incredibly talented group of associate editors, along with the managing team, that have already done the hard work establishing the journal as a go-to venue for publishing top-rate articles in insect and terrestrial arthropod evolution and systematics. I'll take this opportunity to ask the community to send us their ideas for future special topic issues!"
Bond's career has traced a path from a research associate role at the Field Museum of Natural History in Chicago in 1999 to his current role as professor and Evert and Marion Schlinger endowed chair in insect systematics at UC Davis, which he began in 2018. In between, Bond served as a professor of biology at East Carolina University (2002–2011), director of the Auburn University Museum of Natural History (2011–2016), and professor and chair of the Auburn Department of Biological Sciences (2016–2018). He has served in various editorial roles for scholarly journals, including associate editor for Systematic Biology (2019–present) and editor for New World Mygalomorphae for Zootaxa (2016–present). Bond earned a bachelor's degree in biology at Western Carolina University in 1993 and a master's degree in biology and Ph.D. in evolutionary systematics and genetics at Virginia Tech in 1995 and 1999, respectively.
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CONTACT: Joe Rominiecki, jrominiecki@entsoc.org, 301-731-4535 x3009
ABOUT: ESA is the largest organization in the world serving the professional and scientific needs of entomologists and people in related disciplines. Founded in 1889, ESA today has more than 7,000 members affiliated with educational institutions, health agencies, private industry, and government. Headquartered in Annapolis, Maryland, the Society stands ready as a non-partisan scientific and educational resource for all insect-related topics. For more information, visit www.entsoc.org.
Insect Systematics and Diversity publishes research on systematics, evolution, and biodiversity of insects and related arthropods, including comparative and developmental morphology, conservation, behavior, taxonomy, molecular phylogenetics, paleobiology, natural history, and phylogeography. For more information, visit https://academic.oup.com/isd, or visit www.insectscience.org to view the full portfolio of ESA journals and publications.