May Withers

May is currently a trainee teacher on a SCITT (school-centred initial teacher training) course with Cambridge Training Schools Network. She has a doctorate in chemistry and extensive experience in the STEM publishing industry. She spent nearly 20 years working as an editor for the Royal Society of Chemistry and has managed and developed journals covering the breadth of the chemical sciences. She has experience of leading editorial teams, working with researchers and editorial board members and developing journals strategy as a member of the RSC journals senior management team.

May has always had an interest in training and mentoring, acting as a course tutor for ALPSP (Association of Learned Professional and Society Publishers) and as a mentor within the RSC and wider publishing industry. After 19 years within publishing, May was keen to have a new challenge. Armed with the knowledge it had to involve chemistry and have a significant face-to-face element, she has decided to making the career change to teaching.