A hallmark of all the journals published by ACS Publications is the use of peers as editors. Every journal employs practicing scientists as editors: people who read, write, and referee papers on a daily basis. At JACS Au, we launched the journal with six prominent scientists and engineers as Associate Editors, each of whom works to ensure that authors and referees receive useful communication and feedback from the editorial office. Indeed, we view our roles as service to the global chemical community. As your peers, we do not want to be perceived as simply names that appear on an email or web page, but as your partners in the global chemical enterprise. To this end, in a series of editorials this year, we will present brief introductions of our editorial team, taken from short interviews between a pair of editors. To kick things off, we are pleased to share excerpts from an interview discussion between Prof. Carole Duboc and Prof. Hyunjoo Lee.
Carole Duboc
Current institution: Univ. Grenoble Alpes, Department of Molecular Chemistry
Current position: CNRS senior researcher
Homepage: https://dcm.univ-grenoble-alpes.fr/membre/carole-duboc
Education: Univ. Grenoble Alpes (PhD, in 1998)
Research interests: Activation of small molecules/Bio-Inorganic Chemistry/Mechanism/Molecular (electro)catalysis
Hobbies: Cooking, gardening, reading, skiing, hiking
Hometown: Grenoble, France
What would you be if you were not a chemist? I would be a neurosurgeon.
What are your top tips for writing a successful paper? First question: What is the principal take-home message?
What advice would you give to a female student? Stop wondering if you can. Just do it.
Which ESP would you like to have? Time travel.
Something you do not know how to do? Do nothing.
What are you most proud of? My three daughters.
How you destress? Sharing time with my family and friends.
What is the most important quality to be researcher? Curiosity.
Motto? Only those who try succeed.
What do you like most about being a researcher? Sharing my knowledge with the next generation, collaborating with great scientists, and never stopping learning.
Hyunjoo Lee
Current Institution: Korea Advanced Institute of Science Technology
Current position: Professor
Homepage: http://catmat.kaist.ac.kr
Education: Caltech (PhD, 2005), Seoul National University (MS 2000, BS 1998)
Research interests: Heterogeneous catalysis, electrocatalysts, nanomaterial synthesis
Hobbies: Reading novels
Hometown: Cheonan, South Korea
What would you be if you were not a chemist? I would be an astronomer.
What are your top tips for writing a successful paper? Logical storytelling.
What books have had an impact on your life or career? Many biographies.
If you were an element, what would you be? Carbon (most common, but most essential).
What “gadget” can you not live without? Smartphone ;)
Which ESP would you like to have? Teleportation.
Advice for young scientists? Understanding how society changes actually helps a lot for funding.
How do you celebrate lab successes? Having a nice dinner at fancy restaurant!
Do you wish to go back to sometime in your past? When? Maybe 20 years ago; I would buy Google stock.
Motto? Focus on the moment.
What advice would you give to the student who wants to quit? Usually persevering and staying the course is best. But if there is something different you really want to do instead, then go do it.
With these introductions, I hope when you see a member of our team at a future conference, you will feel comfortable saying hello or introducing yourself. Certainly, one day we will be able to travel again, though it may not feel like that now. We hope everyone perseveres, remains physically and mentally healthy, and outlasts this pandemic. Stay tuned for future introductions in upcoming editorials.
Views expressed in this editorial are those of the author and not necessarily the views of the ACS.