Geraldine Hay

"As a journal editor, I am passionate about sharing knowledge and research with the community, so I think the Trainer personality type is a good match. To succeed in my role, I have to be very organised with good attention to detail, which is highlighted in the Coordinator traits. I also have to work with lots of different people in my job so being a Coach personality type is important to be able to form relationships and communicate effectively."

"The main role in my job is to read research papers, submitted to my journal by chemists working in universities or in industry, and guide the manuscripts through the peer review process. Peer review is when we ask two independent working scientists to read a paper and give comments and feedback on whether the science is interesting and correct. I also commission top scientists to submit to our journal by going to conferences and networking with researchers. I really enjoy guiding authors through the process and making sure they have a positive experience of submitting to the journal, even if ultimately their manuscript is not suitable for publication and is rejected. In terms of progression, there are great opportunities to learn and gain experience and move up from Assistant Editor to Executive Editor, right up to Publisher or Director of Publishing, where the role is more focused on strategic development rather than the day-to-day running of the journal."

"At school, I loved chemistry and english and was struggling to decide what career to pursue. Inspired by my chemistry teacher, I ended up doing a degree in Chemistry at the University of Edinburgh which I really enjoyed as it was a great mix of lectures and hands-on practical work. I even had the opportunity to work in a university lab in Hong Kong for a year which was incredible! After graduating, I decided I was no longer interested in being in a lab, so looked into careers where I could use my science background, and also my passion for reading and writing. I joined the Royal Society of Chemistry as a Publishing Editor and really enjoyed being in contact with breakthrough developments through the articles submitted to our journals. After two years, I was promoted to our flagship journal and had more opportunities to travel, interact with authors at conferences, and be more involved with the strategy of the journal."

"I love cooking and baking because following a recipe feels just like chemistry - but tastier! I also play netball and find that it is a great way to meet new people as I moved across the country from Scotland to the south of England."

"A typical day at work starts with reading submissions to the journal and deciding whether I think the work is interesting by doing desk based research around the subject. We then have editorial meetings where we discuss as a team the more difficult decisions. We have a submission system which guides the papers through peer review so I spend a little time assigning actions to papers that I have taken responsibility for. A large part of my day is also interacting with authors via email to answer any questions they may have. I also commission cover artwork for the journal issues and liaise with our external suppliers with any issues they may have. Training new starters on the team is a great way of passing on my knowledge and ties in with my personality types. "

"I have Scottish Highers in English, Maths, French, Chemistry, Biology, Physics and Scottish Advanced Highers in Chemistry and Biology. I then completed a Masters degree in Chemistry at the University of Edinburgh with a year abroad at the University of Hong Kong. Lots of my colleagues have PhDs in STEM subjects, but this is not a requirement for the role."