Call for IUBMB Nomenclature Subcommittee concepts, chairs and members

For 70 years, the International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology has united biochemists and molecular biologists in nearly 80 countries and regions. The IUBMB is devoted to promoting research and education in biochemistry and molecular biology worldwide.

A core mission of the IUBMB is to improve accessibility to, and facilitate communication of, biochemical information among the global scientifical community. A crucial aspect of improving communication is by establishing a common scientific language, where the terminology is unambiguous, logical and consistent, and documented in published guidelines for uptake and use by the science community. To this end, the IUBMB Nomenclature Committee has a proud history of equipping scientists with the vocabulary they need for communicating their discoveries for the past 50 years.

With the changing landscape of science, and continuous advances in the ways in which we access information, 2025 is an ideal time to refresh our approach to maintaining, building and communicating the role of Nomenclature in contemporary science. A new structure for the IUBMB Nomenclature Committee is envisaged, where a set of subcommittees will join the existing Kinases and Non-Enzyme subcommittees, and chairs of these subcommittees will join a parent Nomenclature Committee. Accordingly, we are asking our scientific community for:

  1.       Proposals for key topic areas in Nomenclature for which a new subcommittee should be established
  2.       Nominations of candidates to chair Nomenclature subcommittees
  3.       Nominations of candidates to serve as members on Nomenclature subcommittees

 
Candidate subcommittee chairs and members can be specified in proposals for new subcommittees. Our expectation is that all committee compositions should reflect the diversity of the IUBMB community with respect to, for example, gender, geographic origin and career stage. Appointments will be for three years in the first instance, commencing August 1, 2025. Meeting frequency for subcommittees will be determined by each Chair. The parent Nomenclature committee on which each Chair will sit will be held quarterly in a virtual format for 1-2 hours.

 
Applications should include the following:

  1.       A full CV, including details of peer review and/or editorial roles and the applicant’s publication record
  2.       A cover letter outlining your suitability as a Nomenclature Subcommittee chair/member, and your motivation for taking up the role
  3.       If relevant, a proposal for establishment of a Nomenclature Subcommittee (max. 3 pages)

Please send any queries relating to this appointment and applications, in confidence, to: Prof. James Murphy (jamesm@wehi.edu.au), Chair of IUBMB Publications and Nomenclature. Application deadline July 31, 2025.

 
IUBMB upholds the principles of equity, diversity and inclusion. We especially encourage nominations of and by women and researchers working in Africa, Asia and Latin America.