Mohammed Yahia is named editor in chief of C&EN

Mohammed Yahia has been selected as the new editor in chief of C&EN. Currently an executive editor at Springer Nature, Yahia will join the magazine in the coming weeks.

While at Nature, Yahia helped launch several print and digital publications, including Nature Middle East, which covers science news from the Arab world. Prior to that, he was the Middle East and North Africa regional coordinator for SciDev.Net and wrote for several publications, including Cancerworld, the Daily Star Egypt, and the Swiss National Science Foundation’s magazine, Horizons. He was also president of the World Federation of Science Journalists from 2017 to 2019.

“We are excited that Mohammed is joining ACS to lead the beginning of the next centennial of C&EN,” Albert G. Horvath, CEO of the American Chemical Society, says in a press release. “His experience brings the right perspective to help C&EN thrive.” C&EN is published by ACS but is editorially independent.

Yahia is arriving after a difficult period for the magazine. In 2021, ACS moved C&EN from its Publications Division to its Communications Division, a shift that alarmed many of the magazine’s journalists. In December 2022, the previous editor, Bibiana Campos Seijo, who had led C&EN since 2014, was dismissed. Other employees left soon thereafter. In February, ACS moved C&EN back to its Publications Division.

In a statement, Yahia says he looks forward to leading the next phase of the magazine. “I am committed to ensuring that C&EN maintains its integrity and independence, offering timely breaking news, captivating in-depth features and thought-provoking commentary on the latest advancements in the field of chemistry,” he says.

Yahia will replace Michael McCoy, who became interim editor in chief in February. McCoy will return to his role as executive editor for business and policy coverage.