Four more early-career authors invited to participate in a meeting hosted by one of eLife's founders

The academic editors of eLife have selected four new studies to represent the breadth, quality, and importance of papers invited by the journal, and be featured through the eLife-sponsored presentation series. A pre-tenure author on each of these papers will participate in a scientific meeting of one of eLife’s prestigious founding organisations: the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI), the Max Planck Society, or the Wellcome Trust.

The studies were selected for publication at eLife before September 2014 and have advanced our understanding of the evolution of photosynthesis, the synchronisation of sperm cells’ movements, the function of retinol binding proteins during an immune response, and the grooming behaviour of fruit flies.

The papers that will be presented include:

The role of photorespiration during the evolution of C4 photosynthesis in the genus Flaveria

Julia Mallmann, David Heckmann, Andrea Bräutigam, Martin J Lercher, Andreas P M Weber, Peter Westhoff, Udo Gowik,

Flagellar synchronization through direct hydrodynamic interaction s

Douglas R Brumley, Kirsty Y Wan, Marco Polin, Raymond E Goldstein,

Serum amyloid A is a retinol binding protein that transports retinol during bacterial infection

Mehabaw G Derebe, Clare M Zlatkov, Sureka Gattu, Kelly A Ruhn, Shipra Vaishnava, Gretchen E Diehl, John B MacMillan, Noelle S Williams, Lora V Hooper,

A suppression hierarchy among competing motor programs drives sequential grooming in Drosophila

Andrew M Seeds, Primoz Ravbar, Phuong Chung, Stefanie Hampel, Frank M Midgley Jr, Brett D Mensh, Julie H Simpson,

Authors Andrea Brautigam (Heinrich-Heine-Universität, Germany), Kirsty Wan (University of Cambridge, UK), Mehabaw Derebe (UT Southwestern Medical Center, US), and Andrew Seeds (Janelia Farm Research Campus, US), will be sponsored to present their work at their choice of upcoming meeting. They will also be featured in live events hosted by eLife on Google+. Add eLife to your circles to be kept up-to-date.

Past participants in the eLife-sponsored presentations series have appreciated the opportunity to engage with distinguished colleagues in their fields. Jesse Bloom, co-author of a study investigating the evolution of influenza proteins, participated in a HHMI meeting and said:

“Getting to interact with so many outstanding scientists, hear their talks, and get their feedback on my work was a great opportunity. The meeting was a great forum to present my research, and I made some good connections for future collaborations."

eLife is committed to creating a positive publishing experience, particularly for early-career investigators for whom delays and punishing reviews are most costly. The eLife-sponsored presentations are just one element in our suite of initiatives to enhance the experience of publishing for early-career scientists. More details are available on our careers website at http://elifesciences.org/careers.