At the end of December 2018, I will retire from The Journal of Chemical Physics after serving as Editor for the past 10 years. It has been an honor and privilege to lead this esteemed Journal, which began in 1933 and continues to publish outstanding papers on modern topics of chemical physics research some 85 years later. On a personal level, this Journal has a special place in my heart, as I published my first of many papers here in 1980. I will be succeeded by the next Editor, Tianquan (Tim) Lian.
In keeping with its long and distinguished history, The Journal of Chemical Physics continues to publish quantitative and rigorous science of long-lasting value in methods and applications of chemical physics. At the same time, we have worked very hard over the past 10 years to invigorate the Journal with numerous initiatives to attract more of the best papers in the broadly defined field of chemical physics. In 2009, we introduced Perspective articles to provide an overview of recent advances in the most exciting areas of chemical physics with an added twist of the author’s personal perspective on where the field is headed. To date, we have published more than 100 Perspective articles from leading authors, corresponding to about one per month, and many more Perspectives are in the pipeline to be published in the coming year. I sincerely thank the many authors who have contributed outstanding Perspective articles to the Journal.
In 2009, we also introduced our annual JCP Editors’ Choice Collection to showcase the most innovative and influential articles in the field of chemical physics each year. Very soon, we will announce the 10th collection of the most notable papers published in The Journal of Chemical Physics in the 2018 Editors’ Choice Collection. These annual collections of papers are selected by our team of editors and span all topical areas of modern chemical physics. In the past several years, the Journal has also partnered with the APS Division of Chemical Physics to feature a JCP Editors’ Choice session of invited authors at the APS March Meeting. In 2013, we assembled an 80th Anniversary Collection of 80 articles that highlighted seminal work published in the Journal. In 2016, the Journal organized a conference and published a related editorial on “The Future of Chemical Physics,”1 which provided an overview of exciting recent developments in chemical physics and explored where the field is headed in the next 10-20 years.
Another significant advance of the Journal has been publication of original research papers in Special Topic collections, which provide a snapshot of an exciting and/or emerging research area of chemical physics. It has been a joy to interact with the many Guest Editors, often pairing an experimentalist with a theorist, who have helped us put together these outstanding collections of papers. Starting with a Special Topic on Nonadiabatic Dynamics in 2012, we have published Special Topics on a wide range of themes, including the Glass Transition, Biological Systems, Density Functional Theory, Interfacial and Confined Water, Biological Water, Multidimensional Spectroscopy, Supramolecular Self-Assembly, Electronic Structure Methods, Coarse Graining, Nucleation, Force Fields, Reaction Pathways, Velocity Map Imaging, Polymer Dynamics, Atomic and Molecular Layer Processing, Molecular Scale Electronics, Single Molecule Biophysics, Nuclear Quantum Effects, Ionic Liquids, Ions in Water, Data-Enabled Theory, Enhanced Sampling, and Charged Macromolecules. In progress to be published in 2019 are forthcoming Special Topics on Electro- and Photocatalysis, Markov State Models, Nonlinear Spectroscopy and Interfacial Structure and Dynamics, Active Matter, Open System Quantum Dynamics, Supercooled Water, Ultrafast Spectroscopy and Diffraction, and Singlet Fission.
Starting in 2010, we also selected a subset of top reviewers each year and published an Announcement to give special thanks to these reviewers for their outstanding service and dedication to the Journal. We are indebted to the more than 7000 expert reviewers who we call upon each year to review submitted manuscripts. The editors truly appreciate our close working relationship with the chemical physics community.
Most importantly, I want to thank our exceptional team of editors for their dedicated service to the Journal and to the community. Over the past 10 years, we have built an outstanding international team of editors that spans the world: US, UK, Europe, and China. A highlight of my tenure has been the great teamwork among the editors with rapid and thoughtful consultation on scientific issues, editorial policies, and ethical issues. I want to thank the many current editors: Ed Castner, Dave Chandler, Mark Ediger, Peter Hamm, David Manolopoulos, Todd Martinez, Angelos Michaelides, Murugappan Muthukumar, David Reichman, David Sherrill, Qiang Shi, Jim Skinner, John Straub, Pat Thiel, and Carlos Vega. I also want to thank previous (retired) editors who served during my tenure: Ernest Davidson, Branka Ladanyi, Horia Metiu, and Cheuk-Yiu Ng. I owe special thanks to Deputy Editors Peter Hamm, David Manolopoulos, and Jim Skinner, who have provided helpful feedback and sage advice on many issues. We have enjoyed an excellent rapport with one another. Each year, I have met with members of the JCP Editorial Advisory Board to whom I am grateful for regular feedback. Similarly, I thank the many members of the community who have reached out to make suggestions to improve the Journal, including the members of the recent JCP review panel chaired by Fleming Crim.
I would like to thank our many Editorial Assistants, initially at the University of Pennsylvania and now through Origin Editorial, including Liz Zak who has supported the Journal for more than 10 years. I would like to give special thanks to Steve Cavanaugh and previously Sharon Martini, who have served as JCP Peer Review Managers.
I thank former AIP CEO Fred Dylla and Publisher Mark Cassar for their steadfast support of The Journal of Chemical Physics. I also want to give special thanks to AIP Publishing CEO John Haynes, who has supported our efforts to improve the Journal in many, many ways, including significant expansion of the editor team. I have had the pleasure of working with several outstanding Journal Managers at AIP Publishing on a weekly, if not daily, basis over the years, including Alison Waldron, Melissa Patterson, and Erinn Brigham. Each of them has cared passionately about the vitality and success of the Journal. I owe each one of them a special thanks for all we have achieved together in the past 10 years.
Most of all, I want to thank the authors, reviewers, and readers who make up the chemical physics community for their ongoing and unwavering support of The Journal of Chemical Physics. It has both a rich 85-year history and a remarkable future ahead with new discoveries still to be made. As I think about completing my 10 years as Editor, I know I will miss working closely with the people – editors, publisher, and community – who care passionately about advancing the field of chemical physics and The Journal of Chemical Physics.
Finally, I believe that both the Journal and chemical physics community are healthy and thriving. I am confident that the new editor, Tianquan (Tim) Lian, will continue to improve The Journal of Chemical Physics and lead it to a bright future.
