Biofyzikální ústav AV ČR

📅 23 September 2026, 13:30–16:00 📍 Lecture Hall, Institute of Biophysics of the CAS, Brno

Mendel published his groundbreaking work in Brno in 1866. Its impact came decades later. Who decides which science gets heard today?

Join us for an afternoon with Nele Hug, Senior Editor at Nature Communications, and Hartmut Vodermaier, Senior Editor at EMBO Journal, for an inside look at what happens behind the editorial decision.

The event will explore how professional editors evaluate manuscripts, what makes research stand out, how editorial and peer-review processes work, and how scientific publishing is changing. Each editor will share insights from their own career and editorial experience, followed by a joint panel discussion exploring broader questions about the future of publishing. The afternoon will conclude with informal discussions with the editors over refreshments.

PROGRAMME

13:30-14:00 From Research to Becoming an Editor by Nele Hug, Senior Editor, Nature Communications

14:00-14:30 Responsible Science Publishing by Hartmut Vodermaier, Senior Editor, EMBO Journal

14:30-15:30 Panel Discussion and Q&A — Behind the Decision with Nele Hug and Hartmut Vodermaier

from 15:30 Informal discussion and refreshments

MEET THE EDITORS

NELE HUG | Senior Editor | NATURE COMMUNICATIONS

Nele Hug is a Senior Editor at Nature Communications, where she is part of the Molecular Biology and Genetics team based in the London office. She studied at the University of Heidelberg, Germany, where she worked on protein translation, intracellular trafficking, and phosphoinositides. She then joined the Institute for Experimental Cancer Research (ISREC) at EPFL in Lausanne, Switzerland, for her PhD, where she studied telomeres and single-stranded DNA-binding proteins at telomeres. For her postdoctoral research, she moved to the MRC Human Genetics Unit in Edinburgh, UK, where she focused on mRNA processing and quality control pathways, RNA helicases, and alternative splicing. Since joining Nature Communications in 2021, Nele has handled manuscripts focusing in particular on DNA damage, repair & replication, and RNA-related processes.

HARTMUT VODERMAIER | Senior Editor | EMBO JOURNAL

Hartmut Vodermaier is a Senior Scientific Editor at The EMBO Journal, the long-standing flagship journal of EMBO Press. He studied biochemistry at the University of Regensburg, Germany, and the University of Colorado at Boulder, USA, before joining the Vienna Biocenter International PhD program in Austria. There, he studied ubiquitination in the cell cycle in the group of Jan-Michael Peters at the IMP. In his postdoctoral work in the laboratory of Andrea Musacchio at the IEO in Milan, Italy, he focused on the role of kinetochore proteins in chromosome segregation. In 2006, Hartmut joined The EMBO Journal in Heidelberg, Germany, where he focuses in particular on the subject areas of cell cycle & cell division, DNA replication, repair & recombination, post-translational modifications & proteolysis, proteomics, and structural biology.

TOPICS INCLUDED IN THE DISCUSSION

WHO SHOULD ATTEND?

The event is intended for researchers at all career stages from IBP and other institutions, including students, postdocs, group leaders, and anyone interested in scientific publishing and editorial decision-making.

Participation is free, but REGISTRATION is required.