Prof. Dr. Craig D. Roberts Appointed Section Editor-in-Chief of Section “Quantum Field Theory and Quantum Gravity” in Particles

We are pleased to announce that Prof. Dr. Craig D. Roberts has been appointed Section Editor-in-Chief of the Section “Quantum Field Theory and Quantum Gravity” in Particles (ISSN: 2571-712X).

Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. Craig Roberts is an International Distinguished Professor and Head of the Institute for Nonperturbative Physics at NJU. For thirty years before that, he was a scientist in the Physics Division at Argonne National Laboratory, serving as Group-Leader/Theory from 2001-2017. Scientifically, Prof. Dr. Roberts conducts and oversees a broad-ranging research program, pursuing the development and refinement of novel theoretical approaches to strong-coupling quantum field theory, with impacts stretching from contemporary nuclear physics into high-energy physics and cosmology. He has authored 375 articles and published 285 in top-rank peer-reviewed journals. His publicly available contributions have received over 32,500 citations, and their h-index = 97 and m-index = 2.4. In addition, Prof. Dr. Roberts has delivered 220 invited presentations, been a featured lecturer at 28 international schools, and delivered 468 colloquia, seminars, etc., worldwide. He is listed in the Top 0.3% of the World’s Most Influential Scientists (all fields) by the Stanford University Survey of Academic Indicators. His recently published popular science article in Scientific American, describing the character of strong interactions, was the most read in the May 2024 issue of the journal. The article has been translated into many languages, including Chinese, French, German, and Italian, and was the cover story on the Chinese and German siblings of Scientific American. Amongst numerous awards, Prof. Dr. Roberts can list the Friedrich Wilhelm Bessel Research Prize from the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation; the Helmholtz International Fellow Award; and the University of Chicago – Argonne LLC Board of Governors Laboratory Distinguished Performance Award among his achievements. In 2022, he was appointed as an Envoy of Friendship to Jiangsu Province “… for contributions to higher education and science in the province”; and in January 2024, he was presented with the Jiangsu Friendship Award, which is the highest-level award that the Government of Jiangsu Province may bestow on a foreigner. The citation reads for “… his great contribution to higher education and talent training in Jiangsu Province”. In January 2025, the University of Huelva, Andalucia Province, Spain, invested Prof. Roberts with a Doctoratum Honoris Causa, with the citation for “… his prestigious and influential career as a leading and highly cited researcher in the field of high-energy nuclear and particle physics”.

The following is a short Q&A with Prof. Dr. Craig D. Roberts, who shared his vision for the journal with us, as well as his views of the research area and open access publishing:

1. What appealed to you about the journal that made you want to take on the role as its Section Editor-in-Chief?
Particles is a young journal with a burgeoning readership. I have been involved with it, almost since the beginning. With its coverage of nuclear and particle physics, it provides a valuable alternative to the array of long-established journals, marked by an open-minded and effective approach to peer review and publication. I share its views on academic excellence and diversity.

2. What is your vision for the journal?
I plan to work toward expanding and raising the international profile of Particles. A path toward this goal can be found in attracting high-quality submissions to the journal from scientists at all levels and from all regions worldwide. I see the encouragement of submissions from early-career researchers as a keystone in this effort.

3. What does the future of this field of research look like?
Basic research in nuclear and particle physics is the quest to understand the emergence of matter and life. To reach that goal, the community builds and operates high-technology facilities. History shows that the spin-offs from these intellectual investments are of immeasurable value to humanity. The field only has a future if the existing community fosters early-career researchers, very actively promotes open international collaboration, and properly educates the lay community about the benefits of basic research to the human condition.

4. Do you have any suggestions for young researchers in this field?
Einstein observed “Imagination is more important than knowledge. Knowledge is limited. Imagination encircles the world”. So, I encourage early-career researchers to think carefully about whether basic research is the path they most wish to follow. If the answer is “yes”, then they must leave fear behind and open their minds to all the real challenges and limitless opportunities that the career choice will deliver. A career in basic research is not just a job, it is a vocation. Early-career researchers must be aware of the commitment this will demand of them as they strive for success and promotion.

5. What do you think of the development of open access in the publishing field?
Open access promotes rapid publication and widespread access to recent and topical progress in science. To be effective, a high impact/cost ratio must be achieved. In the absence of foundation support, this requires streamlined and scrupulous article processing. The future of open access publishing relies on a commitment to these constraints and principles.

The editorial team warmly welcomes Prof. Dr. Craig D. Roberts as the Section Editor-in-Chief of the “Quantum Field Theory and Quantum Gravity” Section and looks forward to his contributions to the continued success of Particles. For further information on the journal Sections, please click here.