FLICKR, JENNI CThe founders of the postpublication peer review website PubPeer today (August 31) announced the creation of a nonprofit, called the PubPeer Foundation, and divulged their identities. Neuroscientist Brandon Stell, coleader of the Brain Physiology Lab at the University of Paris, is one of three people behind the controversial forum. Richard Smith, who briefly worked in Stell’s lab as a graduate student, and web developer George Smith—Richard’s brother—are also cofounders, according to Science.
In their latest venture, Stell and the Smiths are joined by neuroscientist Boris Barbour of École des Neurosciences Paris Île de France (ENP) and Institut de Biologie de l’École Supérierure (ENS), as well as San Francisco patent attorney Gabor Brasnjo; Barbour and Brasnjo will serve along with the PubPeer cofounders on the board of directors of the new nonprofit, which was registered in California in December.
“The overarching goal of the Foundation is to help improve the quality of scientific research by enabling innovative approaches for community interaction,” Stell and his colleagues noted in a press release. “Our initial focus will be on maintaining and developing the PubPeer online platform for post-publication peer review.”
Stell told Science that he got the idea for PubPeer at ...
