The Encyclopedia of Life, a collaborative project that aims to gather and share knowledge about all species on the planet, has a new executive director, Dr. Erick Mata. Mata is currently the Director of Biodiversity Informatics and Education at the National Biodiversity Institute of Costa Rica. Dr. Jim Edwards, who previously held the position, retired on May 30, 2010 and now serves as a Senior Advisor to EOL.
Dr. Mata served as the chair of the Global Biodiversity Information Facility’s (GBIF) Outreach and Capacity Building Scientific Subcommittee from 2001 to 2005 and as the chair of GBIF’s Science Committee from 2007 to 2009. He has worked as the Coordinator of the Inter American Biodiversity Information Network Species and Specimen Thematic Network from 2006 to the present.