Daniel Nocera Named Editor-in-Chief Of Chemical Science

Daniel G. Nocera, Patterson Rockwood Professor of Energy at Harvard University, has been named editor-in-chief of Chemical Science, the Royal Society of Chemistry’s flagship journal.

Nocera succeeds David W. C. MacMillan, who has led the journal since its launch in 2010. MacMillan, who is James S. McDonnell Distinguished University Professor of Chemistry at Princeton University, completed his term earlier this month.

Nocera “is an amazing hire for Chemical Science, and he will continue the trajectory of excellence in scientific publications that the journal has come to represent,” MacMillan says.

A pioneer in the field of solar energy conversion, Nocera is well-known for developing the artificial leaf, which mimics the process of photosynthesis in plants.

“Professor Nocera’s work to capture many of the elements of photosynthesis is tremendously exciting and of potentially huge significance to human society,” says Stephen Hawthorne, deputy chief executive officer of the Royal Society of Chemistry. “That outlook is a natural fit with Chemical Science, which publishes research articles of exceptional significance and high-impact reviews from across the chemical sciences.”

Starting in January 2015, Chemical Science will be available through open access, and all future content will be free. The journal will be supported by author-paid charges (C&EN, July 21, page 22).

“Today’s most challenging problems in science span a global community, and I am delighted to accept stewardship of the journal when it begins its journey as an open access journal,” Nocera says. “Chemical Science is synonymous with all: discovery across all the chemical sciences and available to all researchers of our global scientific community.”

The trend toward open access publishing is being driven by the potential for such knowledge to increase economic growth and provide benefits for society. The American Chemical Society, which publishes C&EN and 44 chemistry-related journals, will launch its first open access chemistry journal, ACS Central Science, in early 2015 (C&EN, Sept. 29, page 6).