Profiles in Publishing: How Zhang Wei Connects Researchers with Journals and Trusted Science at ACS Publications

In our “Profiles in Publishing” series, we’re featuring dedicated staff members from around the globe who work to ensure that ACS Publications delivers on our promise of the most trusted, most cited, and most read journals in the chemical and related sciences.

Meet Zhang Wei, a Senior Journal Marketing Manager at ACS Publications based in China, where she supports journal marketing and author engagement across China, Japan, and South Korea. Working closely with editorial colleagues and regional partners, she helps connect researchers with ACS journals through conferences, campus outreach, strategic campaigns, and community-focused initiatives.

In this interview, she shares what brought her to ACS Publications and how she and her team engage with researchers.

Read the Interview with Zhang Wei

What’s your role at ACS Publications and what path led you to it?

I worked as a marketer for a commercial publisher for over a decade, where we considered ACS Publications to be a strong competitor. I heard from many researchers about its reputation for excellence, especially mentioning JACS as their dream journal.

When I saw that ACS was looking for a marketing manager in China, I took the chance and applied. I had always wondered what it would be like to work in a non-profit organization that has a mission to serve the scientific community. It’s been such an exciting six years, and I’ve been proud to grow alongside ACS Publications in China.

What team do you work with and how does your collective work contribute to the excellence of ACS Publications journals?

I’m a member of the Global Marketing team at ACS Publications looking after journals with a focus on China, Japan and South Korea. I have another two team members to plan and execute marketing and author engagement activities to increase journal content in these regions.

We very closely with our Editorial teams on collective efforts to make ACS journals the first choice of every researcher when they submit their papers and to publish the best science from these regions. We regularly discuss strategies to engage the community, including events to organize, partners to work with, conferences to sponsor, and content to promote to researchers.

A big part of our work is helping researchers get to know ACS journals better, both the trusted science we publish and the different opportunities they offer authors. We help researchers learn more about each journal’s scope and strengths so they can better understand which ones might be the right fit for their work. That kind of outreach is important to help authors feel more informed and confident when they decide where to submit their papers.

What does a day in your work life look like?

Each day can be very different since I travel often to conferences and campuses to meet researchers and Editors for our journals. When I’m in the office, I usually start by brewing a pot of tea to catch up on emails in the morning since I collaborate with team members in other time zones across the globe. I use face-to-face time to catch up with my colleagues in China on projects and explore new initiatives.

Events with researchers are key for us to understand their work and collect feedback on how we can serve the community better. It’s been wonderful to collaborate with my colleagues on the ACS 150 JACS Symposium Series, which most recently held three events that I attended in China, Korea, and Japan.

Which campaign or initiative are you most proud of?

I would say I’m most proud of the first virtual event I organized together with two editorial colleagues.

It was back in 2020, shortly after I joined ACS, when the pandemic broke out. All in-person events stopped, so we wanted to start a virtual event series featuring different topics. There was only a very small team in the Beijing office at that time, but there were three of us who formed an “Iron Triangle” of Editorial and Marketing to make it happen from scratch.

It was such a sense of achievement and collaboration to adapt to continue engaging with researchers. I’m very proud of not just myself, but also of the whole team that built out this successful series. It showed us we could still create meaningful engagement across the region even when travel was impossible.

What do you like most about working at ACS Publications?

I really like the respectful and diverse working environment, as well as the professional and ethical culture. I love the opportunities to meet and collaborate with the most wonderful minds around the world. I also value that our work is ultimately in service of the scientific community, which gives a deeper sense of purpose to what we do.