Prof. Randy W. Schekman
2013 Nobel Prize in Medicine

About:

Prof. Randy Schekman led the fight against old-style autocratic and bureaucratic scientific peer review system and the modern-style paradoxical "impact factor" criteria by proposing a new peer review system where the decision making is done by active scientists instead of bureaucrats and the criteria of publication are not determined by the commercialization of the so-called "impact factor".

Probably all scientists and academics have wondered where to publish a scientific achievement or discovery. They always tend to target some specific journals that are somehow well known following some certain criteria or have a high impact factor (a new criterion of the internet era). The scientists also frequently wander about the uncertainties of publishing in somehow well-known journals in which their peers and competitors are in the review board

Prof. Randy Schekman led the fight for a unique and original view on how important but also how challenging is publishing an original scientific work. Prof. Schekman breaks with the taboos and stereotypes and describes a new convincing picture on the real value of an original scientific work and its need of being published.

His original point of view is so pertinent with the story of Prof. Dan Shechtman, in whose honor this Award is named. Prof. Dan Shechtman's first manuscript dealing with the discovery of quasi crystals was refused for publication by the publishers from a very well-known journal without scientific peer review but he got the Nobel Price many years later for the same discovery.

Prof. Randy Schekman coincidentally has a similar family name with Prof. Dan Shechtman. Although they did not personally know each other and are not related in any way in their family tree or in their strict research area, they have a lot in common: They are both Nobel Prize winners (Schekman in 2013 & Shechtman in 2011) and they have the same scientific courage and leadership.

[Written by Dr. Florian Kongoli]

Prof. Randy W. Schekman, Receiving the Shechtman International Leadership Award from Dr. Florian Kongoli at FLOGEN SIPS 2014

Material and Life Sciences: Dr. Florian Kongoli with Nobel Laureates Shechtman and Schekman

Dr. Florian Kongoli in conversation with Prof. Randy W. Schekman (2013 Medicine Nobel Laureate and recipient of 2014 Shechtman International Leadership Award) and Prof. Dan Shechtman (2011 Nobel Chemistry Laureate) during FLOGEN SIPS 2014

The Guardian: Schekman View on Scientific Publication Process:
http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/dec/09/how-journals-nature-science-cell-damage-science
Short Biography: http://mcb.berkeley.edu/mcbfaculty/schekmanr/
Schekman Lab: http://mcb.berkeley.edu/labs/schekman/