Dr Dana Clark appointed as Senior Editor of NZJMFR to succeed A/Prof Candida Savage

After 6.5 years, Associate Professor Candida Savage (Otago) will step down as the Senior Editor of the New Zealand Journal of Marine and Freshwater Research at the end of June 2023. Under Candida’s outstanding leadership, NZJMFR made significant gains across every meaningful metric and the journal remains a premier outlet for aquatic science research with emphasis on Australasia, South America, Antarctica, and the Pacific and Southern Oceans.

Throughout her tenure, she has proactively commissioned thematic special issues, which considerably raised the journal’s profile and provided excellent opportunities to stimulate collaboration and accelerate science and mātauranga Māori. She has been dedicated to creating an engaged and collaborative editorial board and also ensuring a regular injection of fresh and diverse perspectives to keep the board effective and representative of the diverse field of aquatic sciences. We are deeply grateful to Candida for her tremendous service, which will undoubtedly benefit our research community for years to come, and we wish her much continued success in her future endeavours.

Candida extends a special Ngā mihi nui ki a koe to the Publishing team and Associate Editors of NZJMFR. “I am incredibly grateful to Mr Fei He, Programme Manager, and the team of Associate Editors who supported my role tirelessly and made the task rewarding and collegial. The team provides a level of dedication and expertise that is reflected in the outstanding growth the journal has enjoyed in recent years. I am honoured to have served the aquatic sciences community in this position for the past 6.5 years and am confident that under the guidance of Dana, the journal will continue to serve the science community in relevant and innovative ways.”

In the meantime, it gives us great pleasure to announce that Dr Dana Clark (Cawthron) will be taking over the position as the new Senior Editor, effective from July 2023. She will carry forward the journal’s success to ensure NZJMFR continues to grow and thrive.

Dana leads Cawthron's Restoration Ecology Team. Her research aims to understand the drivers of change in coastal ecosystems to enable better management and thus protect the commercial, social, and environmental services these ecosystems provide. She has published broadly across a range of leading journals, including NZJMFR.

Dana first joined the NZJMFR’s editorial board in 2021 as an Associate Editor and has most recently served as the Managing Guest Editor for the highly successful special issue on “Wahapū: transcending boundaries in Aotearoa New Zealand estuaries”. This was published in conjunction with the Waitī Waitā: The 2022 NZMSS & NZFSS Joint Conference, which held sessions under the same theme showcasing research from the special issue. The notable success of this large project is a testament to her excellent leadership and great commitment to NZJMFR and the research community as a whole. She is also active in a number of professional capacities, including as the immediate past Secretary of the New Zealand Marine Science Society.

Dana said: “I am excited to take on the role of Senior Editor for NZJMFR. This journal provides an important platform to share marine, estuarine and freshwater science of relevance to New Zealand and to support early career researchers in this field. During my time as Senior Editor, I hope to continue to maintain or improve the track record of the journal and look forward to initiating Special Issues on emerging areas of interest in New Zealand, such as seaweed aquaculture and restoration.”

As a mid-career researcher who is well connected with both senior and emerging scientists across New Zealand, Dana hopes to bring fresh energy and ideas to the journal and will encourage researchers to publish their research here. She looks forward to working with everyone in her new capacity.

We believe this is an exciting time for NZJMFR, as changeover of Senior Editors is a positive and valuable development for a journal and takes place at a time when many NZ researchers can publish their articles in NZJMFR Open Access without a need to pay an Article Processing Charge (APC) from this year.

Candida and Dana will work together on the transition over the coming months. We are confident that Dana will lead NZJMFR forward with imagination, innovation, and rigour. The editorial team and Royal Society Te Apārangi appreciate your continued support.