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Public Library of Science
PLOS was founded in 2000 by Harold Varmus, Patrick Brown, and Michael Eisen, three biomedical researchers who had called for a public library of freely...
Public Library of Science
PLOS was founded in 2000 by Harold Varmus, Patrick Brown, and Michael Eisen, three biomedical researchers who had called for a public library of freely available scientific literature. That founding petition garnered 34,000 signatures and became the organizing premise for a non-profit publisher built to challenge subscription-based journals. The organization operates from San Francisco, with additional offices in Cambridge, Berlin, and Singapore, and publishes across the full spectrum of science — from PLOS Biology and PLOS Medicine to newer titles like PLOS Climate and PLOS Digital Health. PLOS deploys its resources across three interdependent tracks: open-access journal publishing, open-science policy advocacy, and community practice-building. On the publishing side, the flagship PLOS ONE accounts for the majority of article volume and operates on a selectivity model that evaluates rigor rather than novelty. The organization also runs several specialty journals including PLOS Computational Biology, PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases, and PLOS Water. Beyond publishing, PLOS has received direct grant funding for its policy work — the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation provided $750,375 in 2024 (per Altss research), and the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation has historically funded PLOS's article-level metrics tools. PLOS participates in multi-stakeholder policy efforts across the US, Europe, and Singapore, engaging funders, librarians, and institutional leaders on mandated open-access requirements. PLOS does not report AUM or an endowment scale. Its financial model relies on article-processing charges, institutional partnerships, and restricted grants from foundations. The leadership team under CEO Alison Mudditt includes CFO Kate Motonaga and Chief Scientific Officer Véronique Kiermer. PLOS is a member of OASPA, ALPSP, and ORCID, and helped establish NISO standards for scholarly communication. In 2025, the organization launched a new brand identity that re-centers its publishing, policy, and practice work around a unified open-science narrative — the most significant external repositioning since the launch of PLOS ONE in 2006. PLOS's structural differentiator is that it is not merely a publisher but a grant-active operating foundation that uses its journals as laboratories for open-science norms. The non-profit charter means no exit event or LP distributions — surplus revenue flows back into policy campaigns and publishing infrastructure. The cross-subsidy between high-volume journals and lower-volume flagship titles, combined with foundation grants for advocacy, creates a model where editorial rigor and mission alignment are structurally prioritized over market-share growth.
General information
Firm type
Foundation
Year founded
2000
Location
Region
North America
Country
United States
City
San Francisco
Corporate office
1265 Battery Street, Suite 200, San Francisco, CA 94111
Additional offices
Cambridge, United Kingdom · Berlin, Germany · Singapore
Principals
Alison Mudditt
Chief Executive Officer
Altss tracks 5 additional named team members for this firm — including direct investment leads, IR, and operating principals not listed on the public website.
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Frequently asked questions
Who runs PLOS's day-to-day operations and sets editorial strategy?
CEO Alison Mudditt leads the organization, supported by CFO Kate Motonaga and Chief Scientific Officer Véronique Kiermer. Editorial direction sits with the CSO and individual editors-in-chief for each journal, while the board of directors provides fiduciary and mission oversight. PLOS's founding scientists — Harold Varmus, Patrick Brown, and Michael Eisen — no longer hold operational roles but remain influential in the open-access movement they helped create.
How is PLOS funded if it is a non-profit that does not charge subscription fees?
PLOS generates revenue primarily through article-processing charges paid by authors or their institutions upon acceptance. It also receives restricted grants — the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation awarded $750,375 in 2024 for open-science policy work (per Altss research), and the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation has funded tool development historically. Institutional sales agreements with universities and consortia provide additional recurring revenue. Any surplus is reinvested into publishing infrastructure and advocacy rather than distributed to shareholders.
What distinguishes PLOS ONE from PLOS's other journals?
PLOS ONE uses a selectivity model based on methodological rigor rather than perceived novelty or impact. It is the highest-volume journal in the PLOS portfolio and has become the most visible embodiment of the organization's open-access philosophy. The other journals — including PLOS Biology, PLOS Medicine, and PLOS Climate — apply editorial selectivity on both rigor and significance, functioning more like traditional flagship journals but within an open-access, author-pays framework.
Does PLOS maintain a for-profit subsidiary or investment vehicle?
No. PLOS is structured entirely as a California non-profit corporation with a UK Establishment Office and subsidiaries in Germany and Singapore. It has no for-profit subsidiaries, investment affiliates, or venture arms. All publishing and advocacy activity sits within the non-profit entity, and the organization's unrestricted investments and cash are held to support operations and mission-related projects.
What role does PLOS play in shaping open-access policy beyond its own journals?
PLOS engages directly with funders, governments, and multi-stakeholder groups to advocate for open-access mandates and research-integrity standards. It is a member of OASPA, ALPSP, and NISO, and contributes to policy discussions around Plan S, US federal open-access requirements, and European research-data regulations. Its policy team operates from offices in San Francisco, Cambridge, and Berlin, giving it presence in the three largest English-language research-policy markets.
How does PLOS relate to the founders' other ventures or institutions?
Harold Varmus, Patrick Brown, and Michael Eisen co-founded PLOS while holding academic positions at major research universities — Varmus at Memorial Sloan Kettering, Brown at Stanford, and Eisen at UC Berkeley. None of the founders currently hold executive roles at PLOS. The organization operates independently of their home institutions, though the founding ethos remains embedded in its non-profit charter and mission statements.
Does PLOS accept external capital or operate as a philanthropic grantmaker itself?
PLOS accepts restricted grants from foundations — including the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation — to fund specific policy and tool-development projects. It does not raise capital from private investors or venture funds. PLOS is not a grantmaking foundation; it uses grant income to fund its own operating programs rather than regranting to external organizations.
Profile maintained by Altss using OSINT (open-source intelligence), regulatory filings, licensed data partners, and verified direct submissions. Read the methodology. Last updated: . Continuous refresh with full update cycles at least every 30 days.
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