Our Story

Students around the world are asking new scientific questions, testing hypotheses, and making discoveries every day. They share their exciting work with their community through projects and science fairs - but what if they want to go farther? How can they share their work not just with their classmates, but with the scientific community? How can they continue to learn and grow as science communicators, when they can't access traditional academic publishing pathways?

With these questions in hand and anchored in the belief that students deserve the same opportunities as adult scientists, Harvard graduate students Sarah Fankhauser, Lincoln Pasquina, and Chris Wells initially set out to open traditional peer-reviewed scientific publishing to students by founding the Journal of Emerging Investigators in 2011. Since then, thousands of students have worked with our dedicated volunteers to publish over 1,400 peer-reviewed articles in JEI!

But even as more and more students published with JEI, not all students had the mentoring or resources to complete the length peer-reviewed publication process. And in recent years, scientists, media, and the public have begun to realize how important it is that everyone finds belongs in science and has science communicated to them in an accessible, engaging way.

So as we looked to the future, we realized we had to dream bigger. Today, Emerging Investigators envisions a world where every student has a voice in science.

To make this possible, we have expanded beyond just the journal (JEI). Now, we also offer eiRxiv (a preprint for students to rapidly share their research), Ask-a-Scientist (where students can ask scientists for help designing and writing their research), and Classroom Resources that help every student in every science classroom learn to read, evaluate, and share science using many different kinds of science communication.

We invite you to explore our site to learn more about Emerging Investigators, stay in touch, and support the next generation of science communicators! 

Our vision

Every student has a voice in science

Our mission

To inspire the next generation of innovators and leaders by creating authentic science communication opportunities for all students.
 

Our values

  • Integrity: We believe honesty, accountability, and transparency are essential to earning the trust of the people we serve. We hold ourselves to the highest standards of quality, excellence, and ethical conduct in every experience we create and every word we publish.

  • Accessibility: We believe every young person, regardless of their background or circumstances, deserves meaningful opportunities to engage with and communicate science. We are commited to creating experience that are open, welcoming, and within reach for all students and stakeholders.

  • Learning: We believe great science communication is rooted in continuous growth, and we are committed to creating experiences that challenge young people to think critically, communicate boldly, and develop the skills that they need to share science with the world.

  • Humanity: We believe the relationships we build are as important as the experiences we created. We strive to cultivate a community rooted in empathy, respect, positivity, collaboration, and mutual encouraging support - where every young person feels seen, valued, and confident in their role bridging science and society.