Community Member Spotlight: Reinier Proseé, preLights

Sciety's Community Member Spotlight blog series aims to amplify the preprint curation and review activities of our diverse preprint evaluation community, while exploring the faces and stories behind the science. Each spotlight features five regular questions and one ✨ wildcard ✨ question decided by the guest.

In our first entry, we meet Reinier Proseé from The Company of Biologists - a not-for-profit publishing organisation dedicated to supporting and inspiring the biological community, where he discusses preLights - the preprint highlights service run by the biological community, as well as the importance of openness and collaboration in science.

1. Can you share a bit about your role and/or research interests, and what drives your passion in this field?

I work for The Company of Biologists where I manage a unique community platform called preLights. preLights is a preprint highlighting service run by a diverse, international community of early-career researchers. What I love about preLights is that it provides a platform to discuss the latest scientific discoveries in an open, engaging and more inclusive way.

2. What aspects of the scientific community do you find most inspiring?

What I find most inspiring about the scientific community is the pure enthusiasm for discovery, which is often most obvious when interacting with early-career researchers. Such passion and curiosity are the driving force for innovation. My goal is to help sustain this energy by fostering connections among scientists, creating a sense of community and belonging.

3. What is the main change you would like to see in the scientific community?
(and how do you think platforms like Sciety.org can help/contribute?)

The scientific community needs to become more open and inclusive by (among other things) breaking down the walls between people, institutions, funders and publishers.

4. How did you discover Sciety.org, and what features or aspects of the platform have been most beneficial to your research/preprint discovery habits?

Sciety and preLights share many goals which is why I quickly discovered Sciety.org when I started working as the preLights Community Manager. What I love most about Sciety is its overarching goal to capture various forms of peer review in a single, cohesive space. This approach promotes the review and curation of research by multiple groups, rather than just a handful of people working for a single journal.

5. What would you say to a fellow researcher who is considering joining Sciety.org?

I think the Nike slogan “Just do it” really applies here. Joining initiatives like Sciety.org (or preLights) is a fantastic way to contribute to a more inclusive and collaborative scientific landscape.

✨ Wildcard Q✨: What are the things that give you a sense of belonging to the wider scientific community?

It’s the shared journey we all embark on. As preLights Community Manager, I get to talk to a lot of (early-career) researchers who all juggle the many responsibilities that are part of the life of a scientist. The sense that we all ride (or at least, have ridden) the same rollercoaster of uncertainty and excitement, makes me realise we’re all in it together and makes me feel right at home in the wider scientific community.

Stay updated

preLights' dedicated team of scientists from the community select, highlight and comment on preprints they feel are of particular interest to the biological community. Follow preLights on Sciety to stay up to date with their latest review and curation activity. Here you’ll find a summary of each preprint, the reasons it was selected and the selector’s thoughts on its significance.

preLights are always looking for ways to further grow and develop their community platform, and welcome early-career researchers (PhD students, postdocs, early-stage PIs) who are passionate about preprints, enjoy writing and communicating science, to join their friendly, diverse, and international group of preLighters. Apply to become a preLighter today.

If you have any questions about the application process, please email prelights@biologists.com

Do you use Sciety and would like to be featured as a guest? Get in touch with us at connect@sciety.org. We'd love to hear from you!