We are delighted to announce the appointment of Christopher S. Chen, M.D., Ph.D., as an Editor of Journal of Cell Science. Chris received his A.B. in biochemistry from Harvard, M.S. in Mechanical Engineering from M.I.T., and Ph.D. in Medical Engineering and Medical Physics from the Harvard–M.I.T. Health Sciences and Technology Program. He earned his M.D. from Harvard Medical School.

After leaving Boston, Chris became an Assistant Professor in Biomedical Engineering and in Oncology at Johns Hopkins University. He subsequently moved to Philadelphia and now holds the title of Skirkanich Professor of Innovation in the University of Pennsylvania's Department of Bioengineering. He is also a faculty member of the Cell Biology and Physiology Program and the Cell Growth and Cancer Program, a director of the Tissue Microfabrication Laboratory and a founding director of the Center for Engineering Cells and Regeneration.

Chris has received numerous honors, including the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers, the Angiogenesis Foundation Fellowship, the Office of Naval Research Young Investigator Award, the Mary Hulman George Award for Biomedical Research and the Herbert W. Dickerman Award For Outstanding Contribution to Science. He is a member of the Faculty of 1000 and of the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering.

Chris has been a key figure in the development of engineered cellular microenvironments to manipulate cell function. The goals of his research are to identify the underlying mechanisms by which cells interact with materials and with each other to build tissues, and to apply this knowledge to the biology of stem cells, tissue vascularisation and cancer.

While we are pleased to welcome Chris to JCS, we are very sorry to say goodbye to Karen Vousden, who has stepped down as an Editor. Karen has been a tremendous asset to our Journal, so we are delighted that she has agreed to remain a member of the Editorial Board and will continue to support JCS in that role.

• © 2011.