New editors in chief named for four American Chemical Society journals

WASHINGTON, Dec. 21, 2021 — The Publications Division of the American Chemical Society (ACS) is pleased to announce that four of its leading journals will be under the direction of new editors in chief beginning in 2022. The new editors in chief and their journals are as follows: Chuan He, Ph.D., of ACS Chemical Biology; Xiaodong Chen, Ph.D., of ACS Nano; Romain Quidant, Ph.D., of ACS Photonics; and Laura Gagliardi, Ph.D., of the Journal of Chemical Theory and Computation.

“Each of these journals is among the most trusted in its field and is home to authors performing cutting-edge research around the world,” says Sarah Tegen, Ph.D., senior vice president, Journals Publishing Group at ACS. “I am confident that the appointments of these editors in chief will serve the journals’ author communities well and will continue each journal’s deserved reputation for excellence.”

ACS Chemical Biology
Chuan He, Ph.D., the incoming editor in chief of ACS Chemical Biology, is the John T. Wilson distinguished service professor in the departments of chemistry and of biochemistry and molecular biology at the University of Chicago. His research group studies a broad range of topics in chemical biology, nucleic acid chemistry and biology, epigenetics, and genomics. He is the recipient of a National Science Foundation CAREER Award, the American Chemical Society Arthur C. Cope Scholar Award and the ACS Chemical Biology Lectureship Award, among many other awards.

“Since its inception, ACS Chemical Biology has established itself as the main platform for chemical biologists to communicate their research and share scientific discoveries,” says He. “I envision the journal expanding its scope to encompass emerging research areas that are likely to blossom in the coming decade. I also look forward to building relationships with young chemical biologists through new initiatives, and I believe that the journal can play an active role in encouraging all chemical biologists to explore new areas of research.”

ACS Nano
The new editor in chief of ACS Nano, Xiaodong Chen, Ph.D., is the president’s chair professor in materials science and engineering, and professor of chemistry and professor of medicine, by courtesy, at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore. He holds a joint appointment as the scientific director and principal scientist at the Institute of Materials Research and Engineering of the Agency for Science, Technology and Research. Chen’s research focuses on developing soft materials for applications in flexible devices, energy storage and healthcare. Chen serves on the editorial advisory boards of ACS Nano and ACS Applied Bio Materials and is an associate editor of ACS Materials Letters.

“ACS Nano is renowned in the nanoscience and nanotechnology research community, and as editor in chief, I will be interested in how the journal can display the impact that nanoscience and nanotechnology research has on society,” says Chen. “The research described in ACS Nano has the potential to transform pressing issues facing society, helping to provide solutions to unmet challenges in sustainability, healthcare and security. I look forward to leading ACS Nano to increase its global leadership and influence.”

ACS Photonics
Romain Quidant, Ph.D., will lead ACS Photonics. Quidant is a professor at ETH Zürich and director of the Nanophotonic Systems Laboratory. His research group’s activities are focused on the field of nanophotonics, at the interface between photonics and nanotechnology. His research is interdisciplinary, using the unique properties of nanophotonics systems as an enabling tool to address open questions in different disciplines of science, all the way from fundamental to applied research and innovation. Quidant has made pioneering contributions to different subfields of photonics, and he has received numerous awards and recognitions, including the European Physical Society’s Fresnel Prize and the International Commission for Optics Prize. Quidant has served the ACS Photonics community since 2014, as an associate editor through 2019, as an executive editor beginning in 2020 and as interim editor in chief since mid-2021.

“As the second editor in chief in ACS Photonics’ history, I have a unique opportunity to shape the future of the journal,” says Quidant. “I plan to explore several initiatives to improve our authors’ publishing experiences and to attract new authors from underrepresented fields of photonics. I look forward to using my experience both as an author and reader of the journal, and as a member of the journal’s editorial community, to bring ACS Photonics to new heights.”

The Journal of Chemical Theory and Computation
The Journal of Chemical Theory and Computation (JCTC) will be led by Laura Gagliardi, Ph.D., the Richard and Kathy Leventhal professor in the department of chemistry, the Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering, and the James Franck Institute at the University of Chicago. Gagliardi is a theoretical and computational chemist known for her contributions to the development of electronic structure methods and their use for understanding complex chemical systems. She is an elected member of the National Academy of Sciences and of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and is the recipient of numerous awards, including the Peter Debye Award in Physical Chemistry of the American Chemical Society. Gagliardi is an associate editor for the Journal of the American Chemical Society and served as an associate editor for JCTC from 2016 to 2020

“The Journal of Chemical Theory and Computation has an opportunity to play a role in forming and promoting the next generation of theorists and computational chemical scientists, and as editor in chief, I will make such community-building a priority,” says Gagliardi. “I plan to lead JCTC to a future that expands both the diversity of our authors and the scope of the journal’s focus, building upon the success of the journal to date in creating a world-class home for outstanding researchers.”

“I am pleased to welcome Professors Chen, Gagliardi, He and Quidant to their new appointments,” says James Milne, Ph.D., president, ACS Publications. “Each of these editors brings their own vision for the future, supported by impressive research backgrounds in their respective fields. I look forward to working with each of them to build the best publications for researchers across all fields of chemistry.”