SAGE hires eLife's Mulvany

SAGE has hired Ian Mulvany, head of technology at open access science journal eLife, to the new role of head of product innovation.

Mulvany, who joins the publisher in September, will sit in its innovation unit with a remit to engage with big data and social research.

SAGE said it was "excited by changes in the research landscape as a result of the availability of varied, vast datasets that can be used by researchers to provide insights into the social world." Mulvany will be actively shaping product strategy and development in this area, driving product innovation beyond SAGE's traditional publishing.

Global publishing director Ziyad Marar commented: “Social research is on the cusp of a major turning point thanks to the rise of big data and new technology. SAGE as an innovator in research methods will be creating new ways to help researchers, from political science, criminology, sociology, psychology and other fields, take advantage of this huge opportunity. It is tremendously exciting to have Ian join us to help develop products and services to that will enable social scientists to engage effectively.”

Martha Sedgwick, SAGE's executive director of product innovation, said: “Ian brings a wealth of experience building digital products and digital teams during his time at Nature Publishing Group, Mendeley and, more recently, eLife. His combination of technical skill, appetite for innovation and deep interest in network science will support the disciplines we serve incredibly well.  I look forward to him working with us at SAGE to tackle new challenges facing social scientists in a world of data intensive research.”