Read in 2018

In 2018, I logged having read some 6.709 pages of academic literature.

Work hours logged in 2018

In 2018 I logged some 2955,5 work hours. This results in a weekly all-year average of 56,7 hours - the most since 2012 (when I became a father). 

The most significant repriorization concerned quitting elected positions in the Green Party of Norway, bringing time spent on research back to normal, and spending more time on book projects than ever before in the time covered (starting with 2009) - namely 20% of my work hours. I have also spent slightly more time on my role as Editor-in-Chief of Biosemiotics, after I took over as Main EiC this last summer.

Minding Animals Conference 4 to be held in Mexico City

As was announced in the latest bulletin (#30) of Minding Animals International, which was recently distributed, Minding Animals Conference 4 will be held in Mexico city, in July 2018.

Reappointed Minding Animals Africa and Europe national groups convenor

In a board decision by the Board of Directors of Minding Animals International, I have been appointed as Minding Animals Africa and Europe national groups convenor "until resignation or until such time as the next face-to-face meeting" (which might be only in 2018). The decision was discussed in Delhi in January (see below), but since a quorum was not present a further board member had to vote after the board meeting was held in order for decisions to take effect. The minutes were distributed a few days ago.

The same, then, goes for my appointment as Tool Kit Editor.

See also:
MAI board meeting attended; reappointed Europe and Africa Convenor, appointed Tool Kit Editor

Contracted as co-Editor-in-Chief of Biosemiotics

In the end of June I was offered the position as co-Editor-in-Chief of the academic journal Biosemiotics, along with Timo Maran (co-Editor-in-Chief) and Alexei Sharov (lead Editor-in-Chief) - and accepted. I think this is a good solution for the journal - an arrangement I am very comfortable with. I am honored to be part of the team that will take the journal forward.

My contract with Springer Science+Business Media, the world's second-biggest academic journal publisher, with validity from July 1st 2013 to June 30th 2018, was signed on June 25th and completed on June 27th.

See also:

Biosemiotics achieves ISI acceptance and indexing

Suggested as Editor-in-Chief of Biosemiotics; input on the field given

My vision for the journal Biosemiotics

ISCB launches annual conference series - 2017 conference to be organised in Norway by me

The International Socity for Code Biology (ISCB), where I am a member of the Governing Board, is making plans for an annual conference series which will start in 2014. As can be seen from the partial overview below, I have been asked, and agreed, to organise the 4th conference in Norway, in 2017.

• 1st International Conference in Code Biology (2014): Paris, France - organised by Chris Ottolenghi
• 3rd International Conference in Code Biology (2016): Urbino, Italy - organised by Almo Farina
• 4th International Conference in Code Biology (2017): Stavanger*, Norway - organised by Morten Tønnessen
• 5th International Conference in Code Biology (2018): Braga, Portugal - organised by João Carlos Major
• 7th International Conference in Code Biology (2020): Stellenbosch, South Africa - organised by Jannie Hofmeyr

* depending on where I'll be working

I will soon post on Why I joined the ISCB, a post which will make clear how I am relating to the current split in the biosemiotic community. For now, let it suffice to say that I will only regard the enterprise of the International Conferences in Code Biology as truly successful if they result in greater and not less interest in biosemiotics as a field. Consequently, a measure of their value will be whether they bring more people into biosemiotics, or simply contribute to fragmentation of the biosemiotic community. A further criterion for success is naturally how the ISCB conference series will affect the overall development of the discipline of biosemiotics in qualitative terms. 

At any rate, from 2014 onwards there will be two annual conference series in biosemiotics. The already established conference series is the International Gatherings in Biosemiotics (organised by the International Society for Biosemiotic Studies, ISBS), the 13th of which is to be held in Castiglioncello, Italy this June.