We are pleased to announce that Prof. Dr. Miguel Ladero has been appointed Associate Editor of the “Fermentation Process Design” Section in Fermentation (ISSN: 2311-5637). With his extensive background in scientific research and publishing, he will bring a wealth of knowledge and expertise to this prestigious role.

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

1. Could you share some information about the main lines of research of your group with us?
I am currently the co-director of the group “Physicochemistry of Industrial and Environmental Processes” (FQPIMA) at the Complutense University of Madrid, Spain. This group was founded by Professors Félix García-Ochoa Soria and Arturo Romero Salvador in the early 2000s. The group is currently working on the development and optimization of sustainable chemical processes and enzymatic and microbial bioprocesses within the field of first, second and third generation biorefineries (food, lignocellulosic and algal biomass). Our approach is the detailed study of dynamic and thermodynamic phenomena at the micro and mesoscopic level as a mathematical basis for model fitting, simulation and optimization of the mentioned processes.

2. What appealed to you about the journal that made you want to become its Associate Editor?
For me, scientific journals that try to explain, inform and spread the idea of how relevant bioprocesses are, are essential elements to create, share, dream and understand the systems that have always excited me the most, living beings. Currently, it is critical to understand that biomass, as matter created by living beings, is the starting point for the future of humanity, hence the importance of the “biorefinery” concept. In addition, the ability of living beings to transform matter (biocatalysis) under mild conditions is also key in a world that requires an increasingly efficient use of available resources. In this sense, Fermentation is a journal of exceptional quality and with the right vision to help create a community of scientists, politicians, economists, technologists and, in general, people involved in understanding life, living beings and using their transformative capacity to create a better world, a sustainable world.

3. What are your plans and vision for the Section “Fermentation Process Design” and the journal?
Fermentation process design has been and will be an area of great development in the coming years. To consider all the complexity of the challenges ahead, this Section could be the home to a wide diversity of Special Issues and topics ranging from the optimal biocatalysts and bioprocesses from the scientific perspective to the best technical bioprocessing solution from a more inclusive perspective that considers techno-economic analysis, life cycle and life cost analyses, green metrics, and more. Thus, considering all scales of the bioprocess is an excellent strategy that could be considered by this Section in Special Issues, regular papers, webinars and online symposia. Moreover, further interaction with other Sections of the journal and with other MDPI journals via diverse Topics would be a welcome venue to enlarge bioprocess development.

4. As an expert in the field of fermentation, which research topics do you think are popular at present, and what does the future of this field of research look like?
The need to tackle complex non-linear biological systems and processes and optimize their outcomes: productivity, product quality, effect on resources, effect on the environment and more is an evident path for humanity to go through in the next few decades. On the one hand, understanding the structure of biomass of any origin, how it is created by the vital action of various unicellular and multicellular beings, how it is transformed into various ecosystems and processes designed by humans is critical to develop processes in the biorefinery field, including processes that, from the beginning, are environmentally friendly, as well as beneficial to society and the economy. On the other hand, understanding the catalytic capacity of living beings and their enzymes will be key to developing these and other processes with eco-design applied from the outset to biocatalysts that are increasingly efficient and capable of transforming matter, biomass in particular, into the wide range of products needed today. In addition, the application of increasingly powerful mathematical and computer tools will make it possible to understand biological systems in all their complexity and to practically apply this knowledge in a structured way through tools such as artificial intelligence. Finally, coupled with these and other mathematical tools for envisioning trends, the analysis of the subtleties of the interplay between society’s needs, economic results and resources and environmental impacts is a must nowadays that should be considered in any up-to-date editorial policy.

5. Do you have any valuable suggestions you would like to share with students and young researchers?
With my students, I always comment on the need to pursue one’s dreams. In science, dreaming of knowing and creating novel solutions to real-world problems is a must. It is difficult to become a scientist without motivation. Even though reality usually works against our hopes, we need to transform it, and science and engineering are excellent methods to achieve this, hand in hand with honesty, to create a finer world, to progress towards a better life. My counsel to any young people is to work for such a world without forgetting about the people and the world that surrounds them. Therefore, we need to put humanity and, consequently, our planet at the center of our efforts.

6. What do you think of the development of open access in the publishing field?
Open access publishing is a direct consequence of the open science concept. It is a fine strategy to broaden the distribution of knowledge, avoiding some of the constraints of previous editorial models. However, if this distribution is open, there is always a need for funds, of any origin, that would support scientific publications. In my view, one of the dangers of open access publishing is the potential creation of further stresses in the scientific community to look for funds that now will be not only devoted to the creation of knowledge but also to its diffusion. Therefore, a subtle balance between economic editorial targets, social needs for knowledge acquisition and support to the community for knowledge diffusion should be achieved. To this end, public and private institutions, politicians, publishers, scientists, and other stakeholders should be aware of the needs, the dangers and the opportunities and work together for the best results in terms of science creation and diffusion, economic results and societal benefits.

We wish Prof. Dr. Miguel Ladero every success in his new position, and we look forward to his contributions to the journal.