Get to know Niklas Boers, PLOS Climate’s new Co-EiC

We introduced Prof. Niklas Boers as the new Co-Editor-in-Chief of PLOS Climate at the beginning of October 2024. Here, we hear directly from Niklas about his background, his belief in Open Science, and his ambitions for the journal.

I’m Niklas and I recently joined PLOS Climate as Co-Editor-in-Chief together with Emma Archer. I am Professor of Earth System Modelling at the Technical University of Munich and have a background in physics and mathematics. I have been working on the more theoretical side of climate and Earth system science for a bit over a decade now, focussing on the development of methods for climate data analysis and modelling that are rooted in complex systems science, dynamical systems theory, and Machine Learning. My current research focusses on estimating the risks of abrupt climate transitions (’tipping points’) in response to anthropogenic climate and land-use change, as well as on methodological developments to include Machine Learning methods into Earth system science in general, and Earth system modelling in particular. 

I am very excited about my new role at PLOS Climate and am looking forward to contributing to shaping the future path of this still young journal, which only got started in 2021. As part of the PLOS family, PLOS Climate is an inclusive, Open Access outlet for climate research, with a focus on interdisciplinary and collaborative papers. PLOS Climate shares the general PLOS philosophy of Open and inclusive research principles with a rigorous peer-review process. These aspects, together with a fantastic editorial board, were key in my decision to join PLOS Climate as Co-EiC. 

In addition to classical themes such as the dynamics of atmospheres and oceans, key directions on the physical science side of PLOS Climate‘s broad scope will be the quantification of climate change impacts, methodological developments for climate modelling, analysis of the increasing amounts of available climate data, and the inclusion of state-of-the-art Machine Learning techniques in many branches of climate and Earth system science. With these key new focus areas, I am very much looking forward to helping develop PLOS Climate into an established venue for high-quality climate research from regional to global scales.

Ready to submit your work?