FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE | December 19, 2019

American Chemical Society names Joan-Emma Shea and Gregory D. Scholes as new editors-in-chief of The Journal of Physical Chemistry

WASHINGTON, Dec. 19, 2019 — The Publications Division of the American Chemical Society (ACS) today named Joan-Emma Shea, Ph.D., of the University of California, Santa Barbara as editor-in-chief of The Journal of Physical Chemistry A, B, and C (JPC A/B/C) and Gregory D. Scholes, Ph.D., of Princeton University as editor-in-chief of The Journal of Physical Chemistry Letters (JPC Letters).

All four journals have, until now, been under the guidance of a single editor-in-chief, George C. Schatz, Ph.D., of Northwestern University, who is retiring. In naming separate editors-in-chief for JPC A/B/C and JPC Letters, each editor will be able to solidify and expand the strengths of each individual journal. The goal is to identify and publish groundbreaking research in physical chemistry, with JPC A/B/C being the premier community journals, and JPC Letters being at the forefront in disseminating rapid and high-quality communications.

Shea joined the department of chemistry and biochemistry and the department of physics at the University of California, Santa Barbara in 2001. She has been awarded a National Science Foundation CAREER award, an Alfred P. Sloan research fellowship, a David and Lucille Packard award, and is a Fellow of the American Physical Society. Shea joined JPC as a senior editor in 2011 and has been deputy editor of JPC B since November 2014. She will be the first female editor-in-chief in the 124-year history of the journal.

“I am deeply honored to be selected as the new editor-in-chief of JPC. I wish to thank George Schatz and his predecessors for their exemplary leadership and vision since JPC’s inception in 1896. I am excited to further expand JPC’s capability to adapt to the ever-changing landscape of physical chemistry research,” says Shea. “I look forward to engaging with current and new authors, and to making JPC the home of a vibrant and globally engaged physical chemistry community.”

Scholes is currently the William S. Tod professor of chemistry at Princeton University, and a senior fellow at the Canadian Institute for Advanced Research (CIFAR). He has been a senior editor of JPC and JPC Letters, and since 2016, has been serving as deputy editor of JPC Letters.

“I am honored and excited to be chosen as editor-in-chief of JPC Letters. Through its first decade of publication, the journal has attained a strong international reputation as the top journal for impactful physical chemistry,” says Scholes. “Starting the journal’s second decade with its editorial independence is a huge opportunity to make JPC Letters an even more important global journal for our field.”

“I am pleased to welcome Professor Joan-Emma Shea and Professor Gregory D. Scholes to their new roles as editors-in-chief of the JPC group of journals. The shift to two editors will allow for greater efficiencies in the publishing process and a better author experience, and help ensure JPC reaches a diverse and growing global audience,” says James Milne, Ph.D., acting president, ACS Publications Division. “We are truly grateful to Professor George C. Schatz for his invaluable contributions and look forward to working with the new editors-in-chief to actively develop these important journals even further.”

ACS extends its sincere thanks to Schatz for his leadership as editor-in-chief of JPC for the last 15 years. During his tenure, JPC expanded to include JPC C and JPC Letters. The journals have published nearly 100,000 articles, making the JPC family one of the highest-volume journals in ACS’ portfolio and the most-cited journals in the field of physical chemistry.

About the American Chemical Society
The American Chemical Society, the world’s largest scientific society, is a nonprofit organization chartered by the U.S. Congress. The Society is a global leader in providing access to chemistry-related information and research through its multiple databases, peer-reviewed journals and scientific conferences. The Society does not conduct research, but publishes and publicizes peer-reviewed scientific studies. Through its Publications Division, ACS publishes 60 peer-reviewed journals and many eBooks, including digital archives of legacy scientific research published since the Society’s founding, as well as the industry-leading weekly news periodical, Chemical & Engineering News. ACS journals are among the most cited, most trusted and most read within the scientific literature. Its Publications Division offers high-quality service to authors and readers, including rapid time to publication, cutting-edge web and mobile delivery platforms and comprehensive open-access options. The Society's main offices are in Washington, D.C., and Columbus, Ohio. 

 

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