What makes rOpenSci’s software peer review work is people who care deeply about the quality and usability of scientific software, and who give their time and expertise to help others build it better. Today, we’re pleased to announce three new members of our editorial team.

We welcome Joel H. Nitta, and Nicholas Tierney as new editors, and formally introduce Ronny Hernández Mora, who joined the editorial team in August 2025. Each brings a distinct perspective shaped by their work, their communities, and their experience with open-source R development. Together, they strengthen our capacity to serve the growing number of package authors who submit their work for review, and to uphold the collaborative, friendly and transparent standards that rOpenSci software peer review is known for.

Ronny Hernández Mora

Ronny is a PhD student at the University of Alberta and a research software developer with a background in data analysis and remote sensing. His current research explores how perception-driven drone systems can support detection, monitoring, and decision making in real world settings.

Before starting his PhD, Ronny worked as a data developer at ixpantia, developing data tools, automation pipelines, APIs, and production analytical applications for organizations across Latin America and the United States. Alongside his PhD, he works with Openscapes and contributes to opensource communities through teaching, mentorship, talks, and collaborative software projects.

Ronny on GitHub, Website.

I first heard about rOpenSci through a Data Latam podcast episode, and from there I started following the organization and its work. Over time, I got to know people connected to the community, but it was not until 2024 that I became directly involved by volunteering as a package reviewer.

I have always liked the idea of building software collaboratively: creating tools that can be understood, reviewed, reused, and improved by others. That is one of the things I value most about rOpenSci: the way it combines technical review with openness, care, and constructive feedback. I am grateful for the opportunity to contribute as an editor and to support authors and reviewers through that process and continue learning through this community effort.

Joel H. Nitta

Joel is currently an associate professor at Chiba University, Japan, where he studies the evolution and ecology of ferns. Throughout his career as a botanist, he has also cultivated a keen interest in reproducible data analysis and has authored several R packages. Two of these are currently part of rOpenSci, canaper for spatial phylogenetic analysis, and dwctaxon for validation and maintenance of taxonomic databases. He is also an official maintainer of two rOpenSci packages, rgnparser for parsing taxonomic names, and restez for querying the GenBank DNA database. Outside of rOpenSci, Joel is active in the Bio”Pack”athon community in Japan, serves on the organizing committee of the Pteridophyte Phylogeny Group, and is a certified instructor for The Carpentries. Joel’s hobbies include various forms of being active outside (hiking, running, backpacking, botanizing, cycling), playing the euphonium, and tabletop games.

Joel on GitHub, Website.

rOpenSci has been incredibly important in my journey with data science and R. Above all, the extremely knowledgeable and helpful rOpenSci community has provided invaluable support as I transitioned from “R package user” to “R package developer”. While it may be possible to do this on your own, it is much more enjoyable and efficient when you are in the company of like-minded people. I especially appreciate this because I did not study computer science in undergrad and I am largely self-taught when it comes to R, having first learned it out of necessity during my graduate studies. I am very excited to officially join the editorial team and have the opportunity to give back to the organization that has supported me so much.

Nicholas Tierney

Nicholas (Nick) Tierney is a statistician, Research Software Engineer, and freelance consultant with a PhD in Statistics who specialises in data analytics, R package development, and teaching. Previously, he worked with Professor Nick Golding at The Kids Research Institute Australia and was a Research Fellow at Monash University with Professor Dianne Cook, where he developed tools for exploratory data analysis including visdat, naniar, and brolgar. Nick actively writes about R related projects at his blog, “credibly curious”. When not coding, Nick enjoys outdoor adventures and hiked the entire Pacific Crest Trail in 2023, documenting his journey at njt.micro.blog.

Nick on GitHub, Website.

I remember seeing rOpenSci online in 2014, at their first rOpenSci hackathon in San Francisco, USA. I was inspired by not just the projects they worked on, but the collective of people who were kind and generous as much as they were brilliant. I helped run an offshoot of the rOpenSci Unconf in Australia, which ran in 2016, 2017, 2018, and 2019. I received amazing mentorship and support from Karthik Ram and Stefanie Butland in learning how to run these unconferences. I think these have had a lasting impact on connecting people from Australia and New Zealand.

I had my R package, visdat, reviewed by rOpenSci in 2017, and this experience was formative to my understanding of software review, and greatly improved my own day to day practice. In 2024, with Eric Scott, and Andrew Brown, we submitted the geotargets package to rOpenSci.

rOpenSci has always been at the forefront of building a community of practice, and their model of peer review is a gold standard. Science would be better if more journals practised such transparency and kindness. It is an enormous honour to be able to give back to a community that has been so formative in my career and my life.

About the Software Peer Review Program

rOpenSci’s software peer review program brings together volunteers to collaboratively review scientific and statistical software according to transparent, constructive, and open standards. We have two different type of review: one for general research software packages and another for package that implement statistical methods. Editors like Ronny, Joel, and Nick are central to that process: they handle initial submission checks, identify and coordinate reviewers, and guide authors through the review until their package is ready.

Get Involved

Thinking about submitting a package? Start here:

• rOpenSci Software Peer Review: scope, process, and guidelines;
• rOpenSci Packages: Development, Maintenance, and Peer Review: the full guide for package authors;
• rOpenSci Statistical Software Peer Review: the full guide for statistical software submissions;
• Public software review threads on GitHub: see software peer review in action.

Would you like to contribute as a reviewer? We’d love to have you. Fill out the rOpenSci Reviewer Sign-Up Form and we’ll match you with packages that fit your expertise.

A warm welcome to Ronny, Joel, and Nick! We’re very glad to have you with us.