David Duffy has been editor of Pacific Science since January of 2021, however he has articles published within the journal for over a decade including “Biology and Impacts of Pacific Island Invasive Species. 7. The Domestic Cat (Felis catus)” (Volume 66, Number 2) and “Has the Small Indian Mongoose Become Established on Kaua‘i Island, Hawai‘i?” (Volume 69, Number 4).  Outside of Pacific Science, Duffy has authored more than 100 scientific publications and is the founding editor of the journal Waterbirds.

On the School of Life Sciences page for the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, Duffy characterizes himself as “a jack of all trades having worked on seabirds, Lyme Disease, fish schooling, old growth forest, El Niño, and mapping biodiversity. Here in Hawaiʻi, I ran the Pacific Cooperative Studies Unit for two decades, bringing in over a quarter of a billion dollars to UH and helping to grow basic and applied conservation biology. I am continuing my studies of the Peruvian upwelling and Alaskan seabirds, editing Pacific Science, and trying to sustain and improve the research environment at UH.”

Below Duffy shares with UH Press what its been like these last two years as the editorial head for Pacific Science:

University of Hawai‘i Press: You took on the editor role starting with our January 2021 issue, not even a year into the pandemic.  What were some of the challenges you faced then, and is that still an issue with the creation of these articles and research now?

David Duffy: The last two years have been very rough on researchers who could not get to their study sites. They are now catching up, which means there will be a lag before they go to publish their results so we aren’t seeing as many submissions as before COVID-19.  Researchers are extra busy so many journals including ours are finding it is harder to get peers to review manuscripts to vet them for publication. 

UHP: How do you see Pacific Science having the most relevance, in the classroom or in the field?

DD: Pacific Science is more aimed at the working scientist but it continues to be useful as a classroom resource to introduce students to scientific writing.

UHP: Is there an issue or article you are particularly proud of?

DD: The next one! We want to keep getting better.

UHP: What is next for Pacific Science? Any special issues in the works? 

DD: We depend on workers sending us good papers of general interests to Pacific scientists. We will make the submission process as efficient as possible. We are also increasing our efforts to offer editorial support for those for whom English is not their first language. Finally we hope to produce a memorial volume honoring a scientist who played a major role in Pacific Science.