Interview: “We’ll achieve more working together”
Claire Moulton, CEO of The Company of Biologists, celebrates the organisation’s 100th birthday and looks to the years ahead
What inspired you to get into science?
I’ve always been interested in general biology, developmental biology and environmental biology – as a child I imagined I would grow up to explore jungles looking for rare frogs and orchids. In reality, my PhD and postdoc both focused on sex determination, first in fruit flies, then in alligators (for which egg temperature determines hatchling gender). It was quite a leap to move from research into publishing, but I quickly realised it was the right place for me.
When and how did you join The Company of Biologists, and what is the Company’s raison d’etre?
I’ve really enjoyed my career in science publishing – still learning about biology, but also all about journals and publishing. I was lucky to have lots of opportunities for personal development and career progression in London, moving from running one journal to running a department of 50+ staff.
This brings me to 2007 – I was thinking about my next move and, with a young child, wondering about a nice place to live as a family. A colleague in Cambridge asked me if I’d noticed the Publisher role being created at The Company of Biologists and it seemed just right for me. I loved the idea of working for a non-profit organisation (and registered UK charity), I’d received travel grants from them myself as an early-career researcher, their journals were very well known as quality publications – and, to cap it all, I already knew some of the excellent staff working there.
The Company has changed quite a lot over the years, launching new journals, expanding the range of scientific meetings we host, and increasing our focus on global equity and sustainability. But at its heart it’s retained the same focus, on serving the biological community.
I think one of my favourite projects has been launching The Forest of Biologists, through which we plant a new tree for every article we publish and help to preserve trees in ancient woodland on behalf of our peer reviewers (researchers who help us preserve the integrity of the content we publish) – the community loves the project too.
You’ve recently been appointed CEO as part of a management restructure; what was the thinking behind that, and what are your plans?
Yes, it’s an exciting new role for me. It really started last year when the Board of Directors – all practising scientists – commissioned a review of our operations. The publishing industry has quite a few challenges coming up, from the need for new and sustainable Open Access models through to the emergence of AI tools, and the Board decided to strengthen the in-house management team to better position us for the future.
This will be a big year for me and also for the Company, because 2025 marks the 100-year anniversary of The Company of Biologists and we have lots of exciting plans. In addition to celebrating that milestone, we’ve already started work on a new strategy to sustain the Company for another 100 years!
Future-gazing is notoriously difficult, but where would you like to see The Company of Biologists – and the industry – in, say, 10 years’ time?
I think you have to start by considering what you want to stay the same – and for us that includes a continued focus on our charitable mission, providing an excellent author / reader experience, and serving the community of biologists. In terms of change, we’ll increasingly be thinking about community-focused innovation, future-scaping possible publishing models, technology (AI) integrations, our open science aspirations, and our sustainable development goals. A lot of work to be done, as always, but made easier through the support of our excellent and dedicated staff.
An industry change that I’d like to see? Well, we have a number of interesting collaborations and coalitions with other non-profit mission-driven publishers and I would really like to see that develop further into meaningful publishing partnerships. Whether that’s achievable in the next 10 years I’m not sure, but I feel that we’ll achieve more working together and safeguard the important community work we do.
You clearly have your work cut out with your new position, but what do you get up to in your spare time?
I play a lot of board games with family and friends (at the moment we’re in the middle of both Spirit Island and Root). And I’m also in a village book group with a focus on fiction. That escapism extends to immersive experiences when I have the time and energy to dress up and throw myself into an imaginary world (such as those hosted by Secret Cinema, Phantom Peak or Locksmith’s Dream).
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