The Society's biological education journal has appointed a new editor.

Ian Kinchin FSB, head of the Department of Higher Education at the University of Surrey, will take over as editor of the Journal of Biological Education officially from today.

The previous editor David Slingsby CBiol FSB is stepping down after around a decade at the helm of the journal, published by Routledge.

In his final editorial, David thanked members of the journal's editorial board, Society staff and colleagues from the European Researchers in Didactics of Biology group, and spoke of the importance of the journal's scope.

"Research into biological education is essential to keep it healthy, to keep it growing, and to protect it," he wrote.

His successor, Ian Kinchin, has been at the University of Surrey since 2012. Before that he worked at the King's Learning Institute where he researched university pedagogy and was involved in the professional development of staff.

Ian has published research in the fields of zoology, science education and academic development. He is a Fellow of the Society of Biology; a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy, and is a member of the Governing Council of the Society for Research into Higher Education.