American Chemical Society names Mary Beth Mulcahy new editor-in-chief of ACS Chemical Health and Safety

06 Sep 2019

WASHINGTON, September 6, 2019 — The American Chemical Society (ACS), Publications Division, today named Mary Beth Mulcahy, Ph.D., principal member of the technical staff at Sandia National Laboratories, as the new editor-in-chief of ACS Chemical Health & Safety. ACS recently acquired the journal from the ACS Division of Chemical Health and Safety (CHAS), in order to support the ACS mission and core value to promote and strengthen the importance of safety to the global chemistry community.

“The Division of Chemical Health and Safety is looking forward to supporting Dr. Mulcahy’s vision as she brings her exceptional skill set to the journal. Her insight will support the advancement of chemical safety science to the global community. CHAS plans to work closely with ACS Publications and the editor to continue serving the scientific community while reinforcing the importance of safe, ethical and responsible science,” says Samuella Sigmann, chair of the division.

Mulcahy joined the global chemical and biological security group at Sandia National Laboratories in Albuquerque, New Mexico, in 2018 after nine years as an investigator with the U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board (CSB), an independent federal agency that determines the root causes of major chemical accidents in the U.S. At CSB, Mulcahy investigated a variety of accidents, including an onshore oil rig blowout, a dust explosion at a corn milling facility in Wisconsin, an offshore oil drilling rig (Deepwater Horizon), an ammonium nitrate explosion, an accident at a university laboratory at Texas Tech, as well as explosions at a food and power plant. Now part of Sandia staff, Mulcahy works with an interdisciplinary team that engages global partners to enhance national and international chemical security and safety.

“The chemical safety community is so diverse, extending beyond scientists and other practitioners to include students, environmental health and safety professionals, managers, regulators and others,” says Mulcahy. “I am excited to lead the journal as it embraces the sharing of best practice and new ideas under the auspices of the ACS.”

ACS Chemical Health & Safety will publish peer-reviewed research articles and related reviews, case studies, educational content and highlights. To stay abreast of the changing safety landscape, it is critical that all researchers receive access to safety information, regulatory updates, effective chemical hygiene practices and hazard assessment tools. Topics covered in the new journal may include risk assessment, hazardous materials, laboratory incidents and lessons learned, emerging contaminants and chemical safety information.

“I take great pleasure in welcoming Dr. Mary Beth Mulcahy to her new role as editor-in-chief of ACS Chemical Health & Safety. We are excited to bring this title to the ACS portfolio of high-quality journals and look forward to seeing her vision for the journal come to life. We truly appreciate the CHAS Division of the ACS in supporting this move, which aims to build upon the success achieved by the journal’s previous editors,” says James Milne, Ph.D., senior vice president, Journals Publishing Group within ACS Publications. “Given the rapid pace of scientific discovery, and the sustained growth of global research activities, it is vital for us to continue to improve safety culture, a key goal of this important international journal.”