Rachael Jack Looks Toward Future of Psychological Science as First Editor of Advances in Psychological Science Open

APS’s new fully open access journal has its first editor: APS Fellow Rachael Jack.  

Jack began her tenure as editor in chief in February 2025. She is a professor of computational social cognition and head of the Centre for Social, Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience at the University of Glasgow. Her work has been featured in several high-profile outlets, including Annual Review of Psychology, Current Biology, Psychological Science, the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, and Trends in Cognitive Sciences. She has also been the recipient of numerous awards, including APS’s Rising Star award, the British Psychological Society Spearman Medal, the American Psychological Association’s New Investigator award, and the Social and Affective Neuroscience Society Innovation award. 

Advances in Psychological Science Open (APSO) will publish high-quality empirical, technical, theoretical, and review articles across the full range of areas and topics in psychological science, with an emphasis on creative interdisciplinary synergies with fields such as artificial intelligence (AI), neuroscience, economics, medicine, sociology, engineering, political science, and more. The journal will accept submissions in a variety of formats, including long-form articles and short reports, and encourages scientists to submit integrative and interdisciplinary research articles.   

APSO will begin accepting submissions in the summer of 2025. APS members will receive a 25% discount on the open access fee for this new journal, adding to the suite of benefits that members already receive.   

The Observer asked Jack about her vision for the journal’s first year, including how it will stand out from other psychological science publications.  

Can you tell our readers a bit about your background? What specific experiences and expertise do you bring to your new role as the inaugural editor of Advances in Psychological Science Open? 

My background has profoundly shaped my scientific thinking and approach. I trained as a psychologist and my research focuses on how humans communicate complex social messages, such as emotion, through facial expressions—both within and across cultures. I approach these questions by blending vision and cognitive science, social psychology, communication theory, 3D computer graphics, AI, and social robotics. 

My career has taken me on a fascinating cross-disciplinary journey—from vision science to social psychology and more recently computer science and AI. These shifts have embedded me in diverse academic communities and given me a broad perspective on the evolving landscape and the foundational role of psychological science in meeting the major challenges facing society. I’ve also seen firsthand the transformative power of interdisciplinary collaboration through my roles as associate editor at Psychological Science and Journal of Experimental Psychology: General and service with organizations such as the National Science Foundation, UK Research and Innovation, the European Research Council, and the Marcel Benoist Foundation. 

My curiosity for psychological science began early, sparked by hours spent exploring Edinburgh’s Royal Museum of Scotland, captivated by its natural specimens, cultural artifacts, and historical treasures. That early love of discovery led me to study psychology at the University of Glasgow. There, as an undergraduate, I was drawn to both social psychology—particularly how humans use complex orchestrations of signals to communicate—and the deliciously detailed work of vision science. The challenge was bridging these two, apparently separate, worlds. That opportunity came during my PhD, when I joined a pioneering research program that innovated in applying rigorous vision science methods to the study of social perception. This experience profoundly shaped my scientific identity and helped me consider new ways of scientific thinking.  

Since then, I’ve used this interdisciplinary approach to make new discoveries in understanding human facial-expression communication, which I am now translating into designing culturally sensitive avatars and robots to enhance their social interactions with humans. To further promote interdisciplinary dialogue beyond my own laboratory, I have launched international initiatives, including Illusion of the Fortnight—a seminar series developed with philosophers; MOSAIC (Multimodal Social Interaction Research Grand Challenges) with the Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics; and the Joint Centre for Intelligent Social Agent Research with East China Normal University.  

My leadership roles are also cross-disciplinary, spanning psychology and AI. At the University of Glasgow, I lead the Centre of Social, Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience, which brings together researchers from psychology, linguistics, computer science, and engineering. On the international scene, I chair the APS Global Engagement Committee, serve as president of the Society for Affective Science, and have co-chaired interdisciplinary conferences, such as the Association for Computer Machinery’s conference on Intelligent Virtual Agents and the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers’ conference on Automatic Face and Gesture Recognition. 

Together, these experiences have deeply underscored the power of openness, intellectual humility, and risk-taking in driving meaningful progress and innovation. They’ve also strengthened my commitment to open science, global inclusivity, and research that serves both academic progress and societal good. I’m truly grateful for these experiences—they’ve led me down a path full of discovery, challenge, and growth. Now, I’m thrilled to bring these values—and a deep belief in the future of psychological science—to Advances in Psychological Science Open.  

Can you describe your vision for the journal? How will it be unique from other journals that feature psychological research? 

Psychological science stands at a pivotal moment in its history—at the nexus of urgent global challenges, transformative technologies, and a crisis of trust in science. To meet this moment, it must break free from traditional boundaries and forge bold new connections with adjacent fields—AI, neuroscience, sociology, economics, medicine, political science, and beyond. 

At the heart of this shift is a radical commitment to openness—not just in providing open access to research, but in fostering a vibrant culture of curiosity, collaboration, and meaningful dialogue. When academic discourse can feel fragmented or constrained, APSO will act as a unifying force, providing an active, dynamic space for transformative conversations that spark cross-disciplinary connections and new ideas. 

To realize this vision, APSO will transcend conventional formats. We will create immersive, interactive platforms—online spaces, in-person events, and collaborative gatherings at global venues like the APS Annual Convention. Through these initiatives, APSO will become a living, evolving archive of ideas in motion—a place where scholars don’t just publish findings, but actively engage, challenge, and co-create the future of psychological science. Success on such an ambitious venture also requires taking creative risks. APSO will create a space where authors are confident to take risks in pushing the boundaries of psychological inquiry. 

Ultimately, my ambition for APSO is to redefine what a scientific journal can be—serving as a launchpad for the next era of psychological science, where bold, transformative ideas are explored and new cross-disciplinary synergies are catalyzed, amplifying the impact of psychological research on the world’s most urgent problems. 

What topics are you most interested in seeing represented? 

APSO will welcome work from across the entire field of psychological science, with an emphasis on creative interdisciplinary synergies that tackle the biggest challenges of our time. That means supporting work that: 

• bridges disciplines to explore pressing topics, such as the integration of AI into society, and tackling global economic and political inequality;  
• challenges assumptions through cross-cultural comparisons, novel experimental designs, and metascientific critique; 
• strengthens the research process through practices that enable statistical robustness, reproducibility, and trust in psychological science findings; 
• looks ahead, with special issues on grand challenges and emerging fields—from affective computing to global mental health inequality.  

We’ll ask: What are the next frontiers for psychological science? Which paradigms need rethinking? Where can our methods and theories make the biggest difference? 

Above all, APSO will be the place where transformative ideas take root—a space that nurtures bold thinking and interdisciplinary collaboration to address major theoretical and applied challenges.  

How do you plan to approach putting together the editorial board for APSO? 

Building the editorial board for APSO is about shaping the future of psychological science. We’re not just assembling a team—we’re creating a coalition of bold thinkers who share a radical commitment to openness, curiosity, intellectual risk, and collaboration.  

Drawing on my global networks and editorial experience, I will bring together a visionary team that will make APSO a catalyst for discovery, dialogue, and transformation. To drive meaningful, cross-disciplinary breakthroughs, we’ll recruit scholars from across regions, domains, and methodologies—including AI, neuroscience, medicine, economics, and the social sciences—reflecting the full diversity and dynamism of our field. This team will uphold the highest standards of rigor and transparency while actively redefining what psychological science can be.  

We’ll also invest in the future by creating real opportunities for early career researchers to contribute, learn, and lead. These voices are essential to building a journal that’s as forward-looking as the science it seeks to inspire. 

Is there anything else you would like to share with readers and potential authors about your plans as editor? 

APSO will champion work that dares to challenge convention—whether through novel methods, cross-disciplinary thinking, or bold ideas—while upholding the highest standards of research integrity, including rigor, transparency, and openness. This is more than a journal; it’s a movement to redefine the future of psychological science. 

Readers—welcome aboard. Let’s shape what’s next! 

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