Editorial Analyst, American Chemical Society
Tell us a bit about yourself. Where are you from, and what did you study? Where are you currently based?
I was born and raised in Nanjing, China. I came to the US for college at Colby College in Maine, majored in Psychology and Economics, and then I obtained my Master’s degree in Marketing Analytics at Johns Hopkins, which led to my journey at ACS in DC.
Describe your current role and organization. What are your main responsibilities? What type of organization do you work for?
I’m currently an Editorial Analyst at ACS Publications, part of the Global Editorial Strategy team. In my role, I support journal strategy and publishing initiatives across a portfolio of journals. My main responsibilities include analyzing and reporting editorial and performance data, managing and streamlining processes such as lectureship nominations and journal paper invitations, and collaborating cross-functionally with editorial and marketing teams to improve workflows and drive data-informed decisions. I also work on special projects, including survey design, reporting automation, and dashboard development to support strategic planning.
Overall, my role sits at the intersection of data analysis, operations, and publishing strategy, helping ensure our journals run efficiently and continue to grow their global impact.
Walk us through a typical day in your role. What challenges do you face? What opportunities do you encounter?
A typical day for me is a mix of data analysis/reporting, project coordination, and cross-functional collaboration. I usually start by checking in on any ongoing projects—this could include updating or building Python scripts for automated survey collection, preparing reports on journal or program performance, or operational requests from our managing editors. I spend a good portion of my day using tools such as Python, Excel, Tableau, and Qualtrics to generate insights that support editorial strategy.
I also regularly collaborate with different teams, including editors, marketing, and operations, so meetings and communication are a big part of my day—whether it’s aligning on timelines, troubleshooting issues, or refining workflows.
One of the main challenges is balancing multiple projects with different stakeholders and timelines, especially when priorities shift quickly. But that’s also what makes the role interesting. It’s a very dynamic environment that gives you exposure to different parts of the publishing process.
In terms of opportunities, I’ve been able to work on a variety of initiatives—from improving nomination processes to building automated workflows in journal operations—helping me develop both technical and strategic skills. It’s a role where you can really see the impact of your work across the organization.
Share your journey in scholarly publishing. What was your first role in this field, and how did you land it? What path led you to your current position? What unexpected challenges have you faced?
My journey started from my internship at ACS during my graduate studies at Johns Hopkins. My first role was an editorial operations assistant back then. During my internship, I worked closely with the editorial team and eventually landed a permanent position on my current team. As mentioned, one of the main challenges is balancing multiple projects with different stakeholders and timelines, especially when priorities shift quickly.
Can you share a memorable project, achievement, or pivotal moment in your career development? Was there a defining moment or influential person who shaped your career?
A pivotal moment in my career began with a request to improve a Qualtrics survey—both in form design and in automating reporting. What began as a focused task quickly revealed broader inefficiencies in how data was collected, cleaned, and used across workflows.
I expanded the project by building a Python-based solution to automate data export, cleaning, and reporting, which then evolved into supporting a range of journal operations—from invitation workflows to recurring reporting and process standardization.
This experience reshaped how I approach my work. I now look beyond individual requests to identify scalable, end-to-end automation opportunities, and it has been a key driver of my technical growth and impact within the organization.
