• by Sara Guaglione , August 16, 2016

Wired executive editor Joe Brown has been named the next editor-in-chief of Popular Science, the fourth in as many years.

In April, former Popular Science editor-in-chief Cliff Ransom and executive editor Jennifer Bogo were dismissed.

This will be a homecoming of sorts for Brown, who started his career in tech journalism at Popular Science as an assistant editor in 2002.

“Popular Science has always been an important place for me as a journalist and reader,” stated Brown.

He was also previously editor-in-chief of Gizmodo, Gawker Media’s tech site.

According to a report from Recode, Brown wants to revamp Popular Science, a nearly 150-year-old publication owned by Bonnier Corp. Average circulation for the monthly title dipped about 4.4% year-over-year in 2015, according to the Alliance for Audited Media.

“That team has had so many foster parents at this point. And I'm not a fool about what I'm walking into,” Brown told Recode via IM. “But that is part of why I'm walking into it. I asked a lot of candid questions during the interview process, and I wouldn't be taking the job if I hadn't gotten some really impressive answers. ...

"This is the kind of situation where you, as an editor and a person driven by creativity, can really make a mark.”

Gregory Gatto, VP and publishing director of Bonnier Corp’s Lifestyle Group, stated that Brown has the experience the company wanted in “handling Website strategy and digital operations.”

Brown, who lives in San Francisco, will move to New York to start his new job on Sept. 12.