American Chemical Society names distinguished Yale University professor Scott J. Miller, Ph.D., as new editor-in-chief of Journal of Organic Chemistry

WASHINGTON, Aug. 5, 2016 — The American Chemical Society has announced that the Journal of Organic Chemistry (JOC), the Society’s longstanding peer-reviewed journal focused on the theory and practice of organic chemistry, will be headed by Scott J. Miller, Ph.D., of Yale University, who in 2017 will succeed C. Dale Poulter, Ph.D., the journal’s editor-in-chief since 2001.

Miller, the Irénée du Pont Professor of Chemistry, has made a significant impact in the fields of organic chemistry, chemical biology and synthetic chemistry. His research is focused on complex molecular synthesis relying on rational design and combinatorial screening, with the goal of discovering new chemical transformations that enable the rapid synthesis of stereochemically complex structures. Miller’s work has earned him a number of accolades and awards, including the Pfizer Award for Creativity in Organic Chemistry, the ACS Arthur C. Cope Scholar Award, the National Institutes of Health MERIT Award and the ACS Award for Creative Work in Synthetic Organic Chemistry. He is a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.

“I am constantly amazed by the nuances of organic chemistry,” Miller says. “At the same time, the creative manner in which scientists apply organic chemistry towards inventive ends seems equally awesome to me. I am pleased to continue to foster JOC as the home for descriptions of these two aspects of the field and their intersection.”

“We are delighted to welcome Dr. Miller in his new role as editor-in-chief of JOC,” says James Milne, Ph.D., senior vice president, Journals Publishing Group at ACS Publications. “Dr. Miller’s ability to engage and inspire researchers, his impressive scholarship and unparalleled passion for organic chemistry and his prior experience as a senior editor at Accounts of Chemical Research will ensure JOC remains at the forefront of the field, publishing important work of relevance to the journal’s global community.”

The Journal of Organic Chemistry is the gold standard for the reporting of experimental results in the field of synthetic organic chemistry. In addition to publishing Articles, Notes and Perspectives, the journal recently began publishing special issues covering timely topics of interest to the organic chemistry community and JOCSynopses, which are focused, short reviews of current topics in emerging areas of research. Delivered to researchers’ desktops and mobile devices, JOC is a bimonthly publication disseminating nearly 1,400 articles annually. Poulter, Miller’s predecessor and the John A. Widtsoe Distinguished Professor at the University of Utah, led the journal to its highest-ever Thomson-Reuters ISI Impact Factor of 4.785 in 2015.

“ACS extends sincerest appreciation to Dr. Poulter for his dedicated leadership of JOC for over 15 years, for his commitment to experimental data standards in organic chemistry and for his efforts in maintaining JOC’s position as the most-cited journal in the field of organic chemistry,” says Brian D. Crawford, Ph.D., president of ACS Publications. “In addition to his role as editor-in-chief of JOC, Poulter held a number of other roles at ACS Publications, including associate editor of The Journal of Organic Chemistry, associate editor of Organic Letters and senior editor of The Journal of Organic Chemistry. His service to the ACS is emblematic of the valuable commitment made by active researchers who devote their expertise to our Society and the field of chemistry.” Poulter will retire from his editorial post in December 2016. Miller will begin his formal appointment on January 1, 2017, and will be coordinating with Poulter to effect a smooth transition of editorial responsibilities during the remaining months of 2016.

About ACS Publications

ACS Publications, a division of the American Chemical Society, is a nonprofit scholarly publisher of 50 peer-reviewed journals and a range of eBooks at the interface of chemistry and allied sciences, including physics and biology. ACS Publications journals are among the most cited, most trusted and most read within the scientific literature. Respected for their editorial rigor, ACS journals offer high-quality service to authors and readers, including rapid time to publication, a range of channels for researchers to access ACS Publications’ award-winning web and mobile delivery platforms, and a comprehensive program of open access publishing options for authors and their funders. ACS Publications also publishes Chemical & Engineering News — the Society’s newsmagazine covering science and technology, business and industry, government and policy, education and employment aspects of the chemistry field.

The American Chemical Society is a nonprofit organization chartered by the U.S. Congress. With nearly 157,000 members, ACS is the world’s largest scientific society and a global leader in providing access to chemistry-related research through its multiple databases, peer-reviewed journals and scientific conferences. Its main offices are in Washington, D.C., and Columbus, Ohio.