NETL researcher Dustin McIntyre, Ph.D., has an increasingly busy personal and professional life.

He is a full-time dad, brother, son, and scout leader in his Washington, Pennsylvania, hometown. He is also an award-winning innovator, spearheading important research on laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy — an analytical technique that that supports development of affordable, reliable energy while protecting the environment.

McIntyre recently added another prestigious title and responsibility to his impressive resume: editorial board member for Scientific Reports, an open access journal that publishes original research from across all areas of the natural sciences, psychology, medicine and engineering.

The editorial board makes final decisions on whether papers should be accepted and is composed of experts from all major fields within the clinical, biological, chemical, physical and earth sciences. Each submission is handled by a specialist with an active research career.

Scientific Reports has global influence. It is the fifth most-cited journal in the world, with more than 738,000 citations in 2022. It receives widespread attention from decisionmakers in creation of policy documents and in the news media. As an open access journal, Scientific Reports provides researchers with a way to make their peer-reviewed work immediately accessible and discoverable across a range of channels including nature.com, where it receives approximately 2.7 million visitors per month.

McIntyre said he is pleased to join a network of experts that provides rigorous, objective and constructive peer review, and supports researchers throughout the publication process.

“I was interested to join the publication because it provides the opportunity to help guide the quality and impact of important work,” he said. “It also allows reviewers like me to encourage others to submit high-quality work and to participate in service roles. It essentially provides reviewers access to some of the world’s best work and authors. It’s all at your fingertips.”

Sean Plasynski, Ph.D., acting director of NETL, applauded McIntyre’s appointment.

“This is a recognition of the value and impact of the Department of Energy and, more importantly, NETL’s research and program direction,” he said.

At NETL, McIntyre’s research is focused on optical sensing methods in harsh environments. He helps develop laser-based probes for deployment into the subsurface, harsh chemical environments, and waste processing facilities. It is important work because it enables researchers to characterize domestic sources of valuable rare earth elements, helps natural gas producers develop more efficient shale drilling operations, assures safe and permanent carbon storage and enables monitoring of groundwater quality — essential work for providing the nation with affordable, reliable energy while still protecting the environment.

McIntyre said one of his proudest milestones was when he received the 2019 R&D 100 Award, a prestigious industry recognition of the laser research work performed at NETL. He continues to maintain an active interest in writing research proposals and scholarly articles and licensing intellectual property.

McIntyre, a 21-year veteran NETL researcher, earned his Ph.D. and master’s degrees in mechanical engineering from West Virginia University where he also earned bachelor’s degrees in electrical engineering and computer engineering. He has served the Future Steps Child Development Center as vice president on its board of directors, is currently serving as a director on the board for the North American society for laser induced breakdown spectroscopy (NASLIBS) and as a scout leader.