James Milne named president of ACS Publications

The American Chemical Society has named James Milne the president of ACS Publications. Milne, who is based in Oxford, England, has served as acting president of ACS Publications since his predecessor, Brian Crawford, retired in September 2019.

“Jim’s reputation for excellence extends far beyond ACS,” says Thomas Connelly, ACS executive director and CEO. “He has demonstrated creativity and vision, as well as a willingness for partnership and collaboration—skills that are essential as we continue to enhance our publication offerings to meet the needs of the scientific community.”

Milne will oversee the society’s portfolio of more than 60 peer-reviewed journals, its suite of e-books, Chemical & Engineering News, and other products and services.

“Science publishing is in a state of flux, and ACS Publications is in a great position to work with the scientific community for the betterment of research and the dissemination of that research,” Milne says, adding that ACS Publications will continue working on ways to enhance users’ experience, whether it’s through the adoption of practices like responsive web design or expansion into open access and open science.

Milne earned a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering and a PhD in computational structural engineering from Heriot-Watt University. He also has a degree in management studies from Henley Business School.

Milne joined ACS in 2016 as senior vice president of the Journals Publishing Group, where he directed strategic planning and business development. Previously, Milne served as global publishing director at John Wiley & Sons and also held leadership positions at the Royal Society of Chemistry and Elsevier. He is currently chair of the board for the International Association of Scientific, Technical, and Medical Publishers. “Having been responsible for leading research publications across chemistry and related fields since 2001, I’ve been directly involved with most of the leading global societies in this domain,” Milne says. “I look forward to identifying new opportunities for societies to work together in a way that is really positive for the research community.”