Professional Editing Service Center Bios
Name: David Mackay
About Me: David has been a scientific editor and proofreader for over 5 years and has edited over 5,000 manuscripts, mainly comprising dissertations, theses, and journal articles. He enjoys learning new information as he helps authors more effectively present their research. He is currently a professor at Columbia Basin College and has taught Dynamics and the Physics, as well as several introductory math classes. David was the lead battery test researcher specializing in developing lithium-ion battery anode technology during his graduate work at Washington State University.
Name: Melanie Thongs
About Me: Melanie Thongs holds a PhD in Physics (WSU) and an MFA in Creative Writing (University of Idaho). She focuses primarily on journal articles; dissertations and theses; proposals; and CVs, resumes, and other career documents. When she’s not providing editorial support to faculty and graduate students across the disciplines, she can be found chasing birds around the Northwest with binoculars in hand.
Name: Amy Whitcomb
About Me: Amy has more than 10 years of experience reviewing manuscripts as a developmental editor, copy editor, managing editor, and proofreader. Her clients have included public and private university marketing departments, a university press, and the interdisciplinary research journals PLoS ONE and PNAS, as well as independent scholars. She holds a Master of Fine Arts degree and a Master of Science degree, both from the University of Idaho. During her past membership in the Editorial Freelancers Association, Amy completed trainings in understanding bias and allyship in editing.
Name: Royce Grubic
About Me: An experienced editor and tutor, Dr. Royce Grubic is an award-winning instructor in the Department of Humanities at Western New Mexico University and was part of the original staff of the Graduate and Professional Writing Center at Washington State. He has a Ph.D. in Religious Studies and Ethics and a Master’s degree in History. His current clients include students, faculty, and authors in the fields of science, education, history, linguistics, and psychology.
Name: Richard Shafer
About Me: Dr. Richard Shafer is an emeritus professor of journalism and mass communication. Most recently he taught for the WSU Edward R. Murrow College of Communication. He has published widely both as a professional journalist and as an academic scholar. Dr. Shafer has taught writing and research courses, seminars and workshops in over 40 countries. In 2022, he was a Fulbright visiting professor at the Kabale University in Uganda, where he organized a new writing center for graduate students and faculty. He continues this work and has edited and advised on over 160 research manuscripts for African scholars, assisting them to complete graduate degrees and to engage in research for publication. He was on a Pulitzer Prize winning newspaper team for covering natural disasters. He has had numerous international fellowships, sponsored by the US State Department and international development NGOs and funding agencies, focused on teaching democratic journalism and science and research writing courses, seminars and workshops.
Name: Bailey Harrington
About Me: Bailey has worked as an editor since 2015 and is the Programming & Events Coordinator for the Academic Editing Chapter of the Editorial Freelancers Association. Most of her editing work is in the areas of genetics, biology, and medicine, although she also edits for clients writing in English as a foreign language and on creative manuscripts. Bailey holds a PhD in Genetics and Molecular Medicine (University of Edinburgh) and an MSc in Forensic Science (Univ. of Lincoln (UK), Univ. of Córdoba (Spain), ISCSEM (Portugal)). At this moment, she is probably reading.