Prof. Dr. Michael Lyons Appointed Section Editor-in-Chief of Section “Electrochemistry and Photoredox Processes” in Chemistry
We are pleased to announce that Prof. Dr. Michael Lyons has been appointed the new Section Editor-in-Chief of the “Electrochemistry and Photoredox Processes” Section of Chemistry (ISSN: 2624-8549).
Prof. Dr. Michael Lyons is a professor of physical chemistry and one of the seven Senior Fellows of Trinity College Dublin, Ireland. He is an elected member of the Royal Irish Academy and a Fellow of the Institute of Chemistry of Ireland. He is a PI at the Centre for Research on Adaptive Nanostructures and Nanodevices (CRANN) and at the AMBER National Centre, TCD. Born in Cork (1956), he was educated at CBC Cork and is a graduate from University College Cork (1979) where he studied chemistry and mathematical physics. Prof. Dr. Lyons obtained his Ph.D. in 1983 in the physical electrochemistry of metal oxide materials from the same university under the supervision of the late Prof. Declan Burke, MRIA. He pursued post-doctoral studies with the late Prof. John Albery, FRS, at Imperial College London on metal oxide catalysts for oxygen reduction. He was appointed Lecturer of physical chemistry at Trinity College Dublin in 1984. Prof. Dr. Lyons was elected as a Fellow of Trinity College Dublin in 1992 on the basis of publication and research and was promoted to professor of physical chemistry in 2012. He has held many posts of responsibility in the School of Chemistry. He served two terms as Head of School (2017–2023). Prior to this, he has served as Head of Physical, Computational and Materials Chemistry, Director of Undergraduate Teaching & Learning, and Director Science of Materials.
His research interests encompass physical, materials, and analytical electrochemistry and nanomaterials synthesis. With a publication output of two books and more than 170 papers, he has made significant contributions to electrode kinetics, metal oxide electrocatalysis, electroactive polymer electrochemistry, the mathematical modeling of electrochemical systems, electrochemical biosensors, and carbon nanotube electrochemistry. His current research activity involves the development oxidized metal and metal oxide materials for electrochemical water splitting, fuel cell, advanced battery, and supercapacitor applications. The following numerical indicators testify to his high-impact research output: 8821 citations, h-index of 49, and i10-index of 111. Prof. Dr. Lyons has lectured extensively in the UK, Europe, the US, Latin America, Pakistan, India, Australia, and New Zealand. He has received significant research funding both from national sources, the EU, and multinational industries.
Prof. Dr. Lyons is a member of the International Editorial Boards of the Journal of Solid State Electrochemistry and Current Opinion in Electrochemistry and is a co-editor of the International Journal of Electrochemical Science. He is a member of the Editorial Boards of Chem, Phys Chem, and Electrochem, all published by MDPI.
The following is an interview with Prof. Dr. Michael Lyons:
Part I—Regarding the journal Chemistry:
1. What appealed to you about the journal Chemistry that made you want to take the role as its Section Editor-in-Chief?
I have always believed in the value of general chemistry journals that provide high-quality articles spanning the entire subject of this central science and are clearly written in a way which would be attractive to chemists of all types as well as to those scientists working in cognate fields such as physics, biology, and, indeed, engineering. My experience with MDPI since 2001, both as an author and an editor, has been very positive. I continue to be impressed with the high-quality peer review, the professionalism of the MDPI staff, and the attractive presentation of the final published papers. The wide range of subject areas offered in Chemistry, coupled with the possibility of collaborating with cognate Sections, is very appealing. The opportunities afforded to develop a new Section on electrochemistry and photoredox processes, which will provide broad content and variety of subject matter to the broadest audience possible, are quite frankly irresistible!
2. What are the expectations you have for this journal? What perspective do you think the journal will bring to the related fields?
My expectations for Chemistry are very high. I would like to see it develop to be one of the high-impact factor journals in the MDPI stable. The key to attaining this aim is to ensure that the published papers in all Sections are timely, informative, of high scientific quality, topical, comprehensive, and most of all readable. The journal will bring the unique perspective of chemical science advances to allied fields such as biology, physics, materials science, energy science, and engineering. I would like Chemistry to develop to be one of the go-to journals read by a wide scientific community.
3. What do you think of the development of open access in publishing?
I have been a supporter of open access publishing for many years. I published some important papers in Sensors way back in 2001–2003 and have continued to publish papers in MDPI journals. The fact that international funding bodies now require an open access publication venue for publicly supported science has made researchers much more aware of the open access model and its value in ensuring the optimum exposure of their work to a worldwide audience. The key to a more general acceptance of open access publication is journal and published paper quality and the demonstrated presence of rigorous and transparent peer review.
Part II—Regarding the main fields of interest:
1. Can you share with us your academic background? For example, what cases have influenced you the most during your career development?
I majored in chemistry with a minor in mathematical physics. My Ph.D. was in physical chemistry with a focus on physical electrochemistry. My postdoc was in electrochemical kinetics and electro-catalysis. I had excellent mentors, Declan Burke and John Albery. The first showed me how to conduct experiments and the second introduced me to mathematical modeling. Both skills have served me well. John Bockris helped me to examine electrochemical systems using simple physical concepts. My background has provided me with strengths in physics and applied mathematics as well as materials chemistry and chemical engineering. I was fortunate to be appointed to a permanent faculty position in Trinity College Dublin very early in my research career in 1984. Trinity is the oldest University in Ireland (founded in 1592) and is relatively small in international terms. The focus there is very much on teaching and world-quality research with an international and interdisciplinary perspective. Being engaged both in teaching and research was very useful. Teaching undergraduate and graduate courses really opens one up to a very wide knowledge base which adds significant value to your research activity. Working with a strong international faculty in a research-focused environment encourages collaboration. My research activities throughout my career were strongly affected by these collaborations. I have explored many aspects of electrochemistry since I started as a Ph.D. researcher in 1979. These include chemically modified electrodes, electroactive polymer electrochemistry, magneto-electrochemistry, electrochemical corrosion, nanomaterials electrochemistry, electrochemical enzyme biosensors, electrocatalysis, metal oxide electrochemistry, electrochemical capacitors and redox capacitance, electrochemical kinetics, and the mathematical modeling of mass transport and reaction kinetics in bounded electroactive films. I have been very fortunate to work with excellent mentors, a dedicated and talented research group (visiting interns, Ph.D. researchers, and post-doctoral fellows), colleagues, and international collaborators. I still enjoy doing good science and making new connections and sometimes generating some good productive ideas.
2. As a researcher in electro- and physico-chemistry, what are the latest developments in your field?
Electrochemistry has been around for a very long time and has also been strongly associated with technological innovation. This still holds today. Electrochemistry is central to sustainable energy conversion and storage. Electro-organic chemistry is experiencing a renaissance. The use of machine learning in electrochemistry is quickly developing. Photoelectrochemistry and biological electrochemistry are very topical areas. Nanoscale electrochemistry is now a part of surface science since techniques associated with the latter may be applied with much benefit to the electrode/solution interface. Materials electrochemistry is an area of huge research interest. Computational electrocatalysis is developing rapidly. I have seen one major change over the last ten years or so. Electrochemistry used to be the domain of ‘black belt’ electrochemists. This is no longer the case. It has now entered the mainstream. Engineers, physicists, and chemists of varied types now use electrochemistry as a tool in their research. This is a really good development because electrochemistry will be around and of value for many decades to come!
3. Do you have any valuable suggestions you would like to share with young students and early career researchers?
I have been privileged to be able to teach and conduct research in a scientific field which is so interesting and useful. I continue to learn and study every day. To students I say: Read broadly and master as much of basic science and mathematics as possible. Learn to ask questions if you do not understand a topic. To early career researchers I say: Choose your mentors wisely. Work hard. Know both the general and specialist literature well. Network extensively. Learn to communicate clearly. The key to success as an academic is to be adaptable and foster strong resilience and a strong mental attitude. Also be realistic about your abilities. The old dictum that a healthy mind is associated with a healthy body is still true. It is essential to establish a healthy work/life balance.
We wish Prof. Dr. Michael Lyons every success in his position as Section Editor-in-Chief, and we look forward to his future contributions to the journal.