Prof. Dr. Tsuyoshi Michinobu Appointed Editor-in-Chief of Physchem

We would like to extend a warm welcome to our new Editor-in-Chief, Prof. Dr. Tsuyoshi Michinobu, who, in December 2025, assumed editorial leadership over the Physchem (ISSN: 2673-7167).

Homepage: https://michinobu.mat.mac.titech.ac.jp/en/member/michinobu.html
Affiliation: Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Japan
Interests: organic semiconducting devices; thin-film transistors; luminescent conjugated polymer dots; pressure-sensitive sensors

Prof. Dr. Tsuyoshi Michinobu studied chemistry at Waseda University and received his PhD degree in 2003. After postdoctoral studies at ETH Zurich and the National Institute for Materials Science (NIMS), he joined Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology as a Research Associate in 2006. He moved to Tokyo Institute of Technology as an Assistant Professor in 2008 and was promoted to Associate Professor in 2012 and to Professor in 2023. He is currently a Professor in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at the Institute of Science Tokyo (previously Tokyo Institute of Technology).

His research focuses on the synthesis and electronic device applications of semiconducting polymers. He developed a series of high-electron-mobility organic semiconducting polymers and applied them to high-performance transistors and photovoltaic devices. Recently, the near-infrared light-emitting and photothermal properties of these polymers were also studied. Moreover, he recently started a new project on the development and degradation control of lignin-derived sustainable polymers and materials. He has published more than 220 papers with an h-index of 51 (Google Scholar). He has received the SPSJ Showa Denko Materials Award (2020) and the Award of the Society of Fiber Science and Technology, Japan (2024).

The following is a short Q&A with Prof. Dr. Tsuyoshi Michinobu, who shared his vision for the journal with us, as well as his views on the research area:

1. What appealed to you about the journal that made you want to take the role as its Editor-in-Chief

Since its establishment in 2021, Physchem has built a solid foundation in the field of physical chemistry. I was drawn to the opportunity to further increase its international visibility.

2. What is your vision for the journal?

My vision for Physchem is to further establish the journal as a trusted platform for high-quality research across the broad field of physical chemistry and related research.

3. What does the future of this field of research look like?

The future of physical chemistry will be reshaped as traditional boundaries between theoretical and experimental research continue to dissolve through the integration of data science. Physical chemistry has played a central role in many areas, such as sustainable energy conversion, environmentally benign materials, bio-inspired systems, and soft functional matter, and this will continue to be the case.

4. What do you think of the development of open access research in the publishing field?

Open access publishing promotes transparency, which is essential for reliable scientific research. In addition, open access supports interdisciplinary collaboration by making research findings visible to a broader audience. This is particularly important in the field of physical chemistry.

We wish our new Editor-in-Chief success and prosperity in both his research and the development of the journal. Further details regarding the Editorial Board can be found at the following link: https://www.mdpi.com/journal/physchem/editors.