Paul Chirik To Lead Organometallics

The American Chemical Society has appointed Paul J. Chirik, the Edward S. Sanford Professor of Chemistry at Princeton University, as the new editor-in-chief of the ACS journal Organometallics.

Chirik will succeed John A. Gladysz, distinguished professor of chemistry and holder of the Dow Chair in Chemical Invention at Texas A&M University, who will be stepping down at the end of the year. Gladyz took the helm from founding editor Dietmar Seyferth in 2010.

Chirik says his vision for the journal is to “continue its position of excellence as the flagship publication in the field and also to capture the growth and new multidisciplinary chemistry moving forward.”

His research focuses on the discovery of new reactions for the functionalization of atmospheric nitrogen. He is also investigating the catalytic chemistry of base metal compounds to serve as improvements for expensive and toxic heavy metals in the construction of carbon-carbon, -boron, -silicon, and -hydrogen bonds.

Chirik earned a B.S. in chemistry from Virginia Tech in 1995, received a Ph.D. in chemistry from California Institute of Technology in 2000, and completed a postdoc at Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 2001. He has served as an associate editor for Catalysis Science & Technology as well as on the editorial advisory boards for Inorganic Chemistry and Organometallics.

“Dr. Chirik’s breadth of scientific interests, his strong leadership skills, and his editorial experience will ensure Organometallics continues to innovate and expand into multidisciplinary areas,” says Susan King, senior vice president of the Journals Publishing Group at ACS, which also publishes C&EN.

“Paul is an excellent choice, with a very high profile in the field, who I am confident can effectively lead the journal,” Gladysz says.

King expressed gratitude for Gladysz’s commitment to the journal. “We thank Dr. Gladysz for his service and wish him continued success in his future endeavors,” she says.