The Value of Serving as Special Guest Editor
Inside Laboratory Management‘s volunteer spotlight series offers a glimpse of just a few of AOAC’s many exceptional and dedicated members who give their time and expertise to the Association. From authors and special guest editors to working groups, expert review panels, and much more, AOAC is able to provide a suite of analytical solutions that give confidence in results due to the commitment of its volunteers.
This issue, we celebrate Sharon Brunelle, who joined AOAC as a member in 2005 and brings a wealth of experience in analytical science, specifically in biochemistry, food safety, clinical oncology diagnostics, and method development and validation. She shares the value of serving as a special guest editor to introduce a new topic or dive deeper into a current analytical challenge and advice to members on the importance of volunteering and contributing to the scientific community.
Special guest editors play a key role in contributing to the Journal of AOAC INTERNATIONAL and to the overall Association’s mission of advancing food safety, food integrity, and public health. They are the drivers of topic-oriented sections comprising basic and applied research manuscripts, while ensuring that AOAC maintains its high standards for publications. Sharon Brunelle, who is best known by AOAC members and customers for her work as a technical consultant for the AOAC Research Institute, has joined the ranks of guest editors. Her special collection of fully refereed papers on standard practices for cultivation and accurate potency determination of psychedelic plants and fungi appears in the January/February 2026 issue of J. AOAC Int.
“With her background, Sharon has long been integral in helping develop AOAC validation guidelines and protocols that are used today,” says Jennifer Diatz, AOAC Director of Publications. “Her familiarity and insight into AOAC processes and procedures are greatly relied upon. We are excited that she brought her knowledge and experience to J. AOAC Int. in leading this special section on psychedelic plants and fungi to ensure safety and effectiveness in clinical treatment.”
Brunelle, a PhD-level biochemist with training in enzymology and medical biochemistry, is founder of Brunelle Biotech Consulting, providing services for industry in the areas of food microbiology and veterinary drug residues. She began working with AOAC in 2003 as its first technical consultant, assisting volunteers to develop validation protocols, providing technical support for stakeholder programs and working groups, contributing to development of validation guidelines, and facilitating Performance Tested MethodsSM (PTM) certifications and Official Methods of AnalysisSM (OMA) approvals.
Although this is her first experience as a special guest editor, Brunelle is no stranger to scholarly publishing.
“Being familiar with J. AOAC Int. as a reviewer and author, I was interested in this opportunity to serve as a special guest editor as a way to experience the publication process from another angle,” says Brunelle. “I have great respect for and a deeper understanding of the important work the section editors do every day.”
The special section focuses on psychedelic plants and fungi, including their cultivation and analytical techniques to assess potency, which became a topic of interest to Brunelle in 2020 when she had the opportunity to vote on the Oregon ballot measure to enact the Oregon Psilocybin Services Act to create a regulatory structure for providing psilocybin treatment to those who would benefit.
“I began researching the literature, following the developments in Oregon, and organized a symposium of speakers for the AOAC Annual Meeting in 2023,” Brunelle recalls. “The symposium prompted the opportunity to be a guest section editor for J. AOAC Int.”
It was also a starting point for Brunelle to reach out for contributors to the special section.
“I began with the presenters from my symposium, then worked with AOAC staff to issue a call for papers,” she said. “The papers received are varied and impactful.”
She notes that for her, the biggest challenge during the editorial process was finding reviewers with appropriate expertise who did not have a conflict of interest. So, she expanded her network.
“Being a new topic area for J. AOAC Int., I had to look beyond my usual AOAC community of experts,” Brunelle said. “Through literature searches, emailing researchers in the field, and networking, I was able to identify knowledgeable reviewers for each of the papers. The review process can be challenging, but in the end, it makes the papers stronger.”
For Brunelle, being able to let authors know that their paper will be published is an aspect she enjoyed most serving as an editor. In addition, she values the deeper dive and different viewpoints that special sections can offer.
“After introducing the AOAC community to this topic through the symposium, the guest editor section provides a deeper look into the challenges and successes faced by the authors in providing reliable natural products for use in clinical and analytical research and in developing and validating practical analytical methods for potency determination and product characterization,” Brunelle said. “I appreciate that J. AOAC Int. offers these special sections that may provide different perspectives.”
To future guest editors considering this role, Brunelle says that, with a bit of time and patience, it is a fulfilling experience to introduce a new topic to readers of J. AOAC Int. as well as bringing in new authors.
“Being a guest editor requires some patience, diligence, and time commitment, but it is rewarding to contribute to the scientific community,” she said. “It’s a great opportunity to introduce a new topic or dive deeper into a current analytical challenge. I hope this special section on psychedelic plants and fungi sparks some interest in the topic and encourages others to propose ideas for special sections that may be of interest to the AOAC community and publish their work in J. AOAC Int.”
AOAC thanks Brunelle for her time and dedication. Inspired to get involved? Visit the AOAC website at https://www.aoac.org > Get Involved for more information on volunteer opportunities.
