At the Royal Society of Chemistry, our board members play indispensable roles in maintaining the quality and relevance of our journals. As some members’ terms come to an end, we welcome a new set of editorial and advisory board members to guide us into the future. We would like to offer a warm welcome to these researchers and to thank them graciously for their work at RSC.
Every year, we compile a list of the most successful manuscripts – judged by number of citations – published in RSC journals. Recently, we presented our Highly Cited Author certificates to those researchers whose work published in 2020 was within the top 3% of all cited articles in 2021. We take pride in the work published in our journals and are grateful to authors for continuing to choose us as the host for their most exceptional findings. This year, we have more than 150 researchers from North and South America who made the list, which you will find below.
Written by Elizabeth Magalhaes
A satellite office of RSC Americas, the Brazilian office in São Paulo, has been operating since 2012 and represents the whole portfolio in the region including all of South America. Now, after the worst (we hope) of the pandemic, we are re-assessing our approach in the region. The main partner in the community is the Brazilian Chemical Society, SBQ. At the beginning of 2022, RSC president Tom Welton gave a webinar to SBQ to reflect on Sustainability, which has become a prominent subject from 2022 onwards in the Brazilian Community.
Most of our publications in Brazil come from the local chemistry community, totalling nearly 500 at RSC. More and more, research in this area has become multidisciplinary, so following Biochemistry, Materials, Food Engineering, and Energy topics has played an important role in pursuing submission leading to publications locally. This movement has been essential in times where national funding has become an issue in Brazil and other Latin American countries. Other sources of funding, such as applications through innovation, are paving initial steps to enable research despite major cuts in governments’ science budgets.
Our goal in the region is to keep RSC relevant and to continue to be a trustworthy source for quality publications. To perform best in our aims, we support the most important local meetings in our communities, general or specific, to better understand the local environment. We look for opportunities to find engaged authors and editors, as well as to enlighten the future generation. We recently came back from one of the largest events in the area, the 45th Annual Meeting of the Brazilian Chemical Society. This conference was an opportunity to showcase our portfolio in full, including journals, books, databases, and other campaigns on Diversity and Inclusion. Our marketing stand attracted attention and was an effective point of contact for researchers.
At the conference, we presented a How-to-Publish talk with 3 of our local editorial board members in an interactive section. A highlight of the trip was the second annual awarding of the so-called JP RSC RASBQ prize, organized in partnership with SBQ. This award recognizes two young researchers for their scientific competence and quality of work, providing them with funding to attend international conferences and to boost their initial careers as professionals by covering research costs. More about the award and this year’s recipients can be found here (in Portuguese).
Yet there is still more to come, and this year we will sponsor and/or attend focus events and meetings in Materials, Analytical, Inorganic, Medicinal, and Organic Chemistry, including ICCST 15 – the International Conference on the Chemistry of Selenium and Tellurium. Watch this space!
Recently, Nanoscale presented their 2022 Emerging Investigators collection, highlighting the rising stars of nanoscience and nanotechnology research. All the contributors were recommended by experts in these fields, and each have demonstrated work with the potential to shape the future of nanoscience and nanotechnology.
Follow the links below to read some of the very best work from these nanoscientists early in their independent career. Congratulations to all of the featured researchers on their important work to the field so far!
| Read the Collection | Meet the Scientists |
We are pleased to introduce three new RSC journals: EES Catalysis, RSC Sustainability, and Sustainable Food Technology.
All three journals are gold open access, and will have their article processing fees (APCs) waived until mid-2025, so you can publish your research openly without cost. Submissions will open for each journal in Summer 2022.
Click the images below to find out more information about each journal and to stay up to date with their developments as they move forward.
The accuracy and quality of chemical science literature is only possible through the hard work of dedicated reviewers. We would like to thank all those who have contributed to the peer review process this past year, and especially recognize those from the Americas selected as Outstanding Reviewers. These reviewers have been chosen based on the number, timeliness, and quality of reports completed over 2021.
For a full list of the Outstanding Reviewers of 2021 from over 130 countries, please click here.
Update: The webinar on Thursday, March 24th has been cancelled due to exceptional circumstances. We apologize for any inconvenience. However, the webinar on Tuesday, March 29th will occur as scheduled.
The first issue of Digital Discovery is coming soon, and to mark the occasion we are excited to announce two desktop seminars. These free 90 minute seminars will feature the authors and editors of Digital Discovery and discuss the exciting experimental and computational work being performed to accelerate scientific progress.
Please see below for the seminars’ details, including scheduled times, featured speakers, and links to registration.
If you are unable to attend during their scheduled times but are still interested, simply register and you will receive the recorded seminars afterwards.
Tuesday, March 29th – 18:00 BST (1:00 PM EDT/10:00 AM PDT)
| Professor Alán Aspuru-Guzik
University of Toronto, Canada Editor-in-Chief, Digital Discovery Title: “Computer Vision for Self-Driving Labs.” |
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| Andrea Angulo
New York University, USA Title: “Leveraging Machine Learning Approaches to Optimize Organic Electrosynthesis.” |
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| Professor Lilo D. Pozzo
University of Washington, USA Editorial Board Member, Digital Discovery Title: “Materials Acceleration for All through Open Hardware.” |
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Register for Tuesday, March 29th
Thursday, March 24th – 9:00 UTC (5:00 AM EDT/2:00 AM PDT)
(Cancelled)
| Professor Yuya Oaki
Keio University, Japan Title: “Sparse modeling for small data (SpM-S) toward digital discovery in chemistry and materials science.” |
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| Professor Ekaterina V. Skorb
ITMO University, Russia Editorial Board Member, Digital Discovery Title: “Digital Discovery at Infochemistry Scientific Center of ITMO University.” |
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| Professor Evgeny A. Pidko
Delft University of Technology, The Netherlands Title: “High throughput computational screening and reaction network analysis for homogeneous catalysis with transition metal complexes.” |
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Additional Information
Register for Thursday, March 24th
The second Pan-American Nanotechnology Conference
PAN-NANO-2020 happened Mar 4-7, 2020 in Águas de Lindoia-SP, just before the Covid-19 crisis struck Brazil. During that week, we were aware of the situation spreading in the world, but Brazil had just a few cases and social distancing was only a distant idea. Águas de Lindoia has hot springs where people normally go to relax and is attractive due its mild climate. The organizers prepared for the uncertainties (with masks and alcohol-gel), and around 200 attendees, in total, were present. This conference was a joint effort between several engaged institutions with common interests and the same continent, the Americas.
Being “Pan-American”, related to North, South and Central America collectively, the organizers used their common scientific subject, NANO, to create the PAN-NANO event. The purpose was to develop useful and sustainable applications of nanotechnologies throughout the Pan-American region by understanding nanotechnology and nanoparticles’ behavior in biological, chemical and environmental systems.
The Royal Society of Chemistry had already sponsored its first edition, and the journals Nanoscale, Nanoscale Advances, Nanoscale Horizons and Environmental Science: Nano saw a good opportunity to get involved with a such variety of communities, which include Physicists, Chemists and Engineers.
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RSC supported Prof Rebecca Kapler (U. Wisconsin-Milwaukee), who gave a plenary talk on Interactions at the Nano-Bio Interface Across Biological Systems. The talk showed the significant variation in these interactions due to differences in the biological characteristics of organisms and the environments where they are found. She highlighted how it is necessary to probe the molecular interactions that occur at the interface of the nanomaterial and the places where the material comes in contact with the organism. In addition, she discussed the molecular interaction of nanomaterials across species. On the same day, RSC promoted a special Meet the Editor event, in a “Pint-of-Science” like format, to attract the audience and encourage them to have a beer and relax during the discussions. |
Elizabeth and Rebecca gave an overview of RSC, promoted the main RSC journals in the area, as well databases and books. Finally, Prof Rebecca gave general tips on how to submit and write, giving inside information on the article life cycle. Some slides supported the talk, but the audience got involved in a vivid discussion on publication motivation; Editors’ expectations; and the importance of showing novelty, comparing with the existing work and including backup citations.
Finally, at the end of the conference, RSC awarded two poster prizes, each consisting of £100 book voucher and certificate from Nanoscale and Environmental Science: Nano. We would like to congratulate the winners shown below receiving their prizes at the closing ceremony:
Poster prize winners with Prof Debora Frigi Rodrigues (Houston University), the winners Kayla Kurtz (University of Rhode Island) and Izaac Sit (University of California, San Diego), and also Profs Rebecca Klaper (University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee), Isabel C. Escobar (University of Kentucky) and Ademar Benevolo Lugão (IPEN/CNEN).
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A selection of the Royal Society of Chemistry’s North American Editorial Board Members that will be participating in events in 2019. Pictured from left to right, top row: Michael Krische, Andrei Yudin, Natalie Stingelin, Douglas Stephan. Middle row: Elena Shevchenko, Ryan Bailey, Alan Aspuru-Guzik, Sara Skrabalak. Bottom Row: Huw Davies, Emily Pentzer, Jim McCusker, Jonathan Sessler.
Do you want to know who is making the decisions behind the papers that we publish? We want you to get to know them too! While what happens behind-the-scenes after submitting a paper may seem mysterious sometimes, it’s no secret here at the Royal Society of Chemistry – our Editorial Boards are made up of international teams of globally-acclaimed researchers. As Editorial Board members, these folks work to stay up-to-date with the most exciting research and shape the field in which they have made significant contributions of their own. They are the world’s leading experts and they believe in the RSC’s mission.
To help our community get to know them, we have been bringing our Editors to events and institutions around the world, giving researchers a chance to learn not only about their science but also about the publishing process and what it’s like to handle manuscripts and be the deciding factor in a publication. Oftentimes, we include additional sessions and activities to help our communities grow stronger, stay connected to the bigger picture, and be in-the-know about the scholarly communication landscape and how it is affecting their research. We are very excited to showcase so many of our Editorial team members around the US and Canada this year. We hope you can join us in one of the cities we will be visiting this year!
Our first Meet the Editor event will be held in beautiful Ann Arbor at the University of Michigan, the home institution of Professor Ryan Bailey. Prof Bailey is an Associate Editor for Analyst, and the Bailey Lab focuses on biomolecular signatures of disease in individuals – single patients, in a clinical setting – and the development of tools for multiparameter biological analysis. Prof Bailey will be joined by Jenny Lee, PhD, from our Washington, DC office, and Professor James (Jim) McCusker from Michigan State University. Prof McCusker is an Associate Editor for Chemical Science, and is one of the most prominent researchers working in photochemistry. The McCusker Research Group focuses both on ultrafast spectroscopy of transition metal complexes, and on chemical dynamics related to electron exchange. Prof. McCusker will give a research presentation on “Deconstructing Reaction Coordinates for Ultrafast Excited-state Dynamics: Using Coherence to Inform Synthetic Design.” Afterwards, Jenny will join our two Associate Editors to give an interactive presentation on publishing in high-quality journals like Analyst and Chemical Science, and will cover components of a submission, the peer review process, and more. Attendees can ask the Editors and Jenny for specific advice or insights, and also share their own experiences. Lunch will be provided, while Jenny gives an informal talk on Careers in Publishing, and afterwards she will give an informative presentation on Open Access Publishing – an important topic for publishers that can otherwise be alien to researchers. The events are all free to attend, and you can register now at rsc.li/michigan!
For updates from the University of Michigan Department of Chemistry, you can follow @MichiganChem and for updates from Michigan State University Department of Chemistry, you can follow @msuchemistry
In September, Marika Wieliczko from our Washington, DC office will travel to Canada, where you can find many of our wonderful Board Members. Toronto is known as one of the most multicultural metropolitan areas in the world, with residents from all nations adding to the diversity of the city. Joining Marika in the provincial capital will be Professor Sara Skrabalak from Indiana University for a day of activities at the University of Toronto. Prof. Skrabalak is an Associate Editor for Nanoscale and our newly-launched Open Access journal, Nanoscale Advances. Her research is focused on developing synthetic methods for solid materials with defined shapes and architectures, and studying their properties for applications in energy, chemical sensing, and secure electronics. For updates from Prof. Skrabalak, you can follow her on Twitter @SaraSkrabalak and for news from the Department of Chemistry, you can follow @chemuoft.
In the Department of Chemistry, Prof. Skrabalak and Marika will join Professor Alán Aspuru-Guzik and Professor Andrei Yudin, both Associate Editors for Chemical Science, as well as Professor Douglas Stephan, Chair of the Editorial Board of ChemSocRev. Prof. Aspuru-Guzik’s research group is renowned as a leader in quantum computing and machine learning. Prof. Aspuru-Guzik is very active on Twitter and posts lots of updates from his group and much more – follow him @A_Aspuru_Guzik. The Stephan Research Group spans a wide range of inorganic main group chemistry and organometallic chemistry. They explore fundamental research on new reactivity and chemical transformations, with the aim of developing new catalysts, materials and processes. Prof. Andrei Yudin is a pioneer in the development of tools for chemical synthesis. The Yudin Group has developed entirely new synthetic process that have reached the commercial market, and they continue to explore intermediates that many would consider impossible to prepare. You can get more updates on their exciting work through Twitter by following @andrei_yudin.
Together with Marika and Prof. Skrabalak, Prof. Aspuru-Guzik, Prof. Yudin, and Prof. Stephan will help attendees learn about and understand the publishing and peer review process, and learn from the Editors first-hand how to craft their submissions to maximize their efficiency and improve their experience with publishing. If you can’t make it to the event, you can still ask your questions through Twitter! Send your questions to @ChemMarika with the hashtag #AskTheEditor and Marika will include your questions for Sara and the other Editors during the event and share their responses and advice with everyone!
Also in September, Jen Griffiths, PhD, will travel to Atlanta from our Washington, DC office. The city, whose emblem of a phoenix rising from the ashes, representing its transformation into a major center of the civil rights movement after its decimation in the civil war, has been flourishing with many diverse institutions of higher learning. While visiting Atlanta, Jen will host events at both Georgia Tech University and Emory University. At Georgia Tech, she will be joined by Elena Shevchenko, Scientist at Argonne National Laboratory and an Associate Editor for Nanoscale and our newly-launched Open Access journal, Nanoscale Advances.
Next, Jen will bring Professor Natalie Stingelin from Georgia Tech over to neighboring Emory University to introduce the Department of Chemistry to Prof. Stingelin, as a researcher and as an Associate Editor for Journal of Materials Chemistry C. The Stingelin Lab is interested in organic functional materials, including inorganic/organic hybrids, advanced optical systems, and bioelectronics. You can follow Prof. Stingelin @StingelinN and get updates from her lab through @StingelinGroup on Twitter.
Prof. Stingelin and Jen will be joined by Professor Huw Davies, Associate Editor for ChemSocRev. The Davies Group is renkowned for its work on dirhodium catalyts for C-H activation, and leads the nation-wide NSF Center for Selective C-H Functionalization. They will give insights into publishing, and Jen will participate in a career panel to introduce attendees to careers outside of academia.
The city of Austin is unlike the rest of Texas and is known for its lively music and arts scene. Towards the end of the year, Jen Griffiths will visit the great state of Texas, bringing Professor 
Emily Pentzer, who is moving to Texas A&M University over the summer of 2019, to the Department of Chemistry at the University of Texas at Austin. Prof. Pentzer is an Associate Editor for Polymer Chemistry, and she will present on her research, which focuses on synthetic organic and materials chemistry, and she will be part of an interactive presentation on publishing along with Jen. They will be joined by two of our Associate Editors for ChemComm from UT Austin, Professor Michael Krische, and Professor Jonathan Sessler. The Krische Research Group focuses on catalytic reaction development for natural product synthesis. You can get updates from the group by following @KrischeLab on Twitter. The Sessler Group explores various aspects of supramolecular chemistry and is highly interdisciplinary, combining inorganic and synthetic organic chemistry with biochemistry and spectroscopy. For updates from the Sessler Group, follow their Twitter account @JLsessler.
We are excited to highlight our high-quality journals, and we know that it’s the people behind them that make them so valuable and integral to the communities they serve. We hope that you have a chance to get to know our Board Members in person at one of our upcoming events, and that what you learn from them helps you in publishing your own research.
Do you want to host an event at your institution, or have suggestions for how we could better connect with your community? While we can’t accommodate all requests, we would love to hear from you and take your ideas into consideration! Email us at Americas-Editorial@rsc.org and we look forward to continuing to serve our community.
