Two new Associate Editors joining Insectes Sociaux – From Madeleine Beekman, Editor in Chief, Insectes Sociaux

News, October 2022

I have been overwhelmed with interest to join Insectes Sociaux as Associate Editor, so I had to make some difficult decisions. Miriam and I decided that in addition to an AE with expertise in ants, we also wanted someone with expertise in ‘the other social critters’ so that hopefully we will see an increase in non-Hymenopteran and non-Isopteran submissions. It is therefore with great pleasure that I announce that Joël Meunier has joined us as the ‘other social critters’ AE and Christopher Pull brings his broad expertise in everything ants related to the table. Below they tell us a little bit about themselves.

Thank you to everyone who put their hand up to join our journal. I am sorry you didn’t make it this time, but there will always be a next time.

Hi everyone. My name is Joël Meunier. I am a CNRS researcher at the “Research Institute on Insect Biology” (IRBI) of the University of Tours, France. After a PhD on the evolution of social conflicts in Formica ants at the University of Lausanne (Switzerland), I started to study the evolution of social life in the "other social insects" - mainly in earwigs, a group of species I have been studying for more than 10 years. My research interests are quite broad and include, for example, the nature and early evolution of all forms of social life in arthropods, the evolution of conflict and cooperation, the role of micro-organisms (pathogens and microbiota) in the evolution of hosts’ social life, and the role of anthropogenic effects (climate change, pesticides ...) on the adaptation of social insects. I have been a member of the French-speaking section of IUSSI since 2005 and a member of its board for several years. Hence, I am very happy to continue to serve the IUSSI community by joining the editorial board of Insectes Sociaux, where I look forward to reading all the exciting research being produced on all forms of social insects.I, Chris Pull, am a Lecturer in Animal Behaviour at the Department of Biology at Oxford University, where my small lab group is investing in how social animals (ants, of course!) work together to keep their societies free of disease. I have been studying social insects since my undergraduate in 2012, focussing on ants during my undergraduate, masters, and PhD. I have also worked with honeybees during a summer research job and more recently bumblebees during my postdoc. The IUSSI was the first scientific society I joined, and I can still remember the overwhelming amazement I felt during my first section meeting at Sussex in 2013, when I realised just how much social insect research was going on. Since then, I have attended many more IUSSI meetings, both locally and internationally, and currently serve as secretary for the NW EU Section. The society remains a constant source of inspiration, and I am excited to be taking on an editorial role at Insectes Sociaux where I can work with authors to publish their fascinating social insect research.