Deputy editors named for the ACS Au portfolio of open access journals

WASHINGTON, Jan. 21, 2020 — The Publications Division of the American Chemical Society (ACS) has named nine deputy editors to lead its newest journals, a collection of Plan S-compliant open access journals known as the ACS Au portfolio. The journals, which are launching this year, will each be led by Editor-in-Chief Shelley D. Minteer, Ph.D., of the University of Utah, and by a deputy editor with special expertise in the journal’s subject area. Minteer will also serve as deputy editor of ACS Measurement Science Au.

“The deputy editors who will lead these journals represent the best in their fields,” says Minteer. “I am confident that with their expertise, we will work together to grow this portfolio into the premier journals in their respective areas of chemistry.”

ACS Bio & Med Chem Au
The deputy editor of ACS Bio & Med Chem Au will be Squire J. Booker, Ph.D., Howard Hughes medical investigator, Evan Pugh university professor of chemistry and of biochemistry and molecular biology, and Eberly distinguished chair in science at The Pennsylvania State University (Penn State). There, he and his lab study the chemical mechanisms by which enzymes use organic radicals to catalyze various reactions in the biosynthesis of medicinally important natural products and other essential biomolecules. Booker is the recipient of numerous awards and was elected to the National Academy of Sciences in 2019. He currently serves as an executive editor for Biochemistry.

ACS Engineering Au
Vivek Ranade, Ph.D., will be the deputy editor of ACS Engineering Au. Ranade holds joint appointments as professor in the school of chemistry and chemical engineering at the Queen’s University Belfast and in the department of chemical science at the University of Limerick. His research focuses on the complex interactions of mass, momentum and energy as a part of the manufacturing processes of chemicals and materials. He is a fellow of numerous institutions, including the Institute of Chemical Engineers, the Indian National Science Academy and the Indian Academy of Sciences. Ranade is an associate editor of Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research.

ACS Environmental Au
Xiang-Dong Li, Ph.D., will be the deputy editor of ACS Environmental Au. He is the chair professor of environmental science and technology at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University, where he also serves as the dean of the faculty of construction and environment and the director of the Research Institute for Sustainable Urban Development. Li’s research interests include air pollution and health, urban environmental studies and remediation of contaminated soils. He has published extensively and is the author of a few highly cited papers in the environment/ecology category in the Web of Science database. Li currently serves as an associate editor for Environmental Science & Technology.

ACS Materials Au
ACS Materials Au will be led by Deputy Editor Stephanie Brock, Ph.D., professor in the department of chemistry at Wayne State University and associate editor of Chemistry of Materials. At Wayne State, Brock leads a team of researchers whose efforts are centered on the synthesis and characterization of novel inorganic/solid-state materials with unique and tunable properties, particularly nanomaterials. Brock was elected a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) in 2012 and an ACS Fellow in 2014.

ACS Nanoscience Au
The deputy editor of ACS Nanoscience Au will be Raymond Schaak, Ph.D., DuPont professor of materials chemistry in the chemistry department at Penn State University. He is also part of the Penn State Materials Research Institute and the department of chemical engineering. His research group focuses on developing new chemical strategies for the synthesis of nanoscale solid-state materials and applying these materials to problems at the forefront of modern materials research. In 2017, Schaak was elected as an AAAS Fellow. He currently serves as an associate editor of ACS Nano.

ACS Organic & Inorganic Au
ACS Organic & Inorganic Au will be led by Deputy Editor Géraldine Masson, Ph.D., research director of the French National Center for Scientific Research (known as CNRS). She leads the Masson group, which focuses its research on photocatalysis, organocatalysis and catalyst design. She has been an associate editor for The Journal of Organic Chemistry since 2019.

ACS Physical Chemistry Au
Gemma C. Solomon, Ph.D., will be the deputy editor of ACS Physical Chemistry Au. Solomon is a professor in the nano-science center and department of chemistry at the University of Copenhagen and currently serves as a senior editor for The Journal of Physical Chemistry A/B/C. At the University of Copenhagen, the Solomon group works to understand chemical trends in charge and heat transport through molecular systems with a particular focus on quantum interference effects.

ACS Polymers Au
ACS Polymers Au will be led by Deputy Editor Arthi Jayaraman, Ph.D., of the University of Delaware. There, she is currently the centennial term professor for excellence in research and education in the department of chemical & biomolecular engineering, with a joint appointment as professor in the department of materials science & engineering. Her research expertise lies in the development and application of molecular models and computational techniques for fundamental understanding of polymers and the design of macromolecular materials for various applications. Jayaraman is the recipient of numerous honors, including the American Physical Society Fellowship, the American Institute of Chemical Engineers COMSEF Young Investigator Award and the Department of Energy Early Career Research Award. She is currently an associate editor for Macromolecules.  

“I am proud to welcome this dynamic group of deputy editors to the ACS Au portfolio,” says James Milne, Ph.D., president, ACS Publications Division. “The ACS Au journals will offer an excellent publishing option for authors who want or need to publish open access, and these deputy editors have the skills, knowledge and editorial expertise to ensure that the journals meet ACS’ unmatched reputation for excellence.”

All of the journals are now open for submissions. 

The American Chemical Society (ACS) is a nonprofit organization chartered by the U.S. Congress. ACS’ mission is to advance the broader chemistry enterprise and its practitioners for the benefit of Earth and its people. The Society is a global leader in providing access to chemistry-related information and research through its multiple research solutions, peer-reviewed journals, scientific conferences, eBooks and weekly news periodical Chemical & Engineering News. ACS journals are among the most cited, most trusted and most read within the scientific literature; however, ACS itself does not conduct chemical research. As a specialist in scientific information solutions (including SciFinder^® and STN^®), its CAS division powers global research, discovery and innovation. ACS’ main offices are in Washington, D.C., and Columbus, Ohio.