Meet the Editors | Prof. Dr. Paul F. McMillan, Section Editor-in-Chief of “Nanophotonics Materials and Devices”

1. Could you please talk about your feelings as the (Section) EiC of Nanomaterials? What do you think is the most important role of the Editorial Office?

I became co-opted into this role almost by accident. I had begun by reviewing extensively for the journal and had served as Guest Editor for one or possibly two targeted issues. As I have done with my reviews for all other journals, online or otherwise, I had attempted to respond quickly and as accurately as possible in relation to my knowledge of the field. I believe that this was appreciated by the Editorial Office. I seem to have been named a Section EiC without too much understanding of the role or discussion beforehand. However, I have happily accepted the duties and am applying myself to them to the best of my knowledge and abilities. I am beginning to truly believe in the journal as a positive force for helping disseminate and advance nanomaterials science and technology. My goal is to continue to apply basic editorial principles to the process of (a) engaging with the Editorial Office in selecting the best set of reviewers (the Editorial Office usually supplies a comprehensive list from their detailed database, which is combined with some suggested by the authors and others proposed from my own experience of the field), (b) considering and examining the referee comments in detail (and these are usually quite rapid, which is very helpful to the overall process) and providing some feedback to the authors on how they should improve their manuscript or provide a detailed rebuttal of or responses to the referee comments, and then (c) deciding if the revised manuscript has adequately responded to all criticisms and comments, before a recommendation to publish. I often find this whole process quite stressful, and definitely not paid, but also very satisfying in terms of the scientific and technological results presented by authors around the world. This journal is definitely proving useful to students and academic and industry researchers worldwide, and the Editorial Office plays a key role in directing submissions to appropriate Section Editors, proposing potential reviewers from their extensive database, and handling responses to and from authors before possible publication. The system appears to work very well with a dedicated team of Editorial Office staff.

2. What do you think are the frontier fields of nanomaterials and nanotechnology?

This is a very difficult question to answer because the opportunities and possibilities for fundamental research and technology development are enormous and expanding almost daily. I can simply cite a few favourites based on my own knowledge and experience as well as from reading or speaking with colleagues. Obviously, graphene and graphene-related materials as well as other low-dimensional forms of carbon and other substances continue to represent important frontiers. Applying nanomaterials for energy, biomedicine, and sustainability applications, as well as in communications and data storage devices, are all fast-growing and important fields of research and technology development. To expand slightly on the title of Richard Feynman's talk to the APS meeting at Caltech in December 1960, "there is (still) plenty of room at the bottom".

3. How did you enter your current field?

Throughout my career, I have become interested in many fields, from spectroscopy applied to glasses, mineralogy, and materials science to high-pressure research including forays into high-pressure biology and biophysics, and now fundamental and applied studies as part of the EU Graphene Flagship project. Although formally a chemist, where you are constantly required to think in terms of the nanoworld, I deal with the physics of interactions of light with matter and its structures at a nanoscale. I have a few elementary notions of biology but am keen to keep on learning, and I am equally keen to understand how fundamental science translates into useful technology, all through interactions with students and colleagues. I suppose that I am a perpetual student.

4. What challenges do you think your field is facing?

I think that all fields of scientific endeavour are facing similar challenges as they interact more closely with the public sphere and political influence. As science has grown in terms of the numbers of people involved and the funding required to achieve ever more ambitious goals, it is no longer a solitary pursuit carried out by individuals out of personal interest, but often a multi-investigator project requiring significant funds from the public purse to achieve large-scale outcomes with high impact for society as a whole. That requires that the goals and needs are clearly transmitted in understandable terms to a wide audience—that is why we need to sponsor the best students and communicators to enter the world of "popular science" communication, to deliver the messaging to large numbers of people who ultimately fund all of the work that we do.

5. What is your expectation of the journal (your section)? What do you think we should pay attention to in the following several months or years?

Quite frankly, I'm not sure exactly what my "section" of the journal is, or how it was designated. In fact, I have interests that extend across all the areas of nanomaterials research and technology that seem to be represented, and I also seem to find myself reviewing or acting as editor for many different submissions that do not always fall within my designated range of experience or expertise. It would be extremely helpful if the group of Section Editors could be gathered to have a meeting (in fact, perhaps one of several, conducted on a regular timescale) to get to know each other and be able to discuss submissions among different sections and with the Editorial Office. I think that this would help the journal grow in its stature and appreciation within the international nanomaterials community.

6. Why would you like to recommend Nanomaterials to your colleagues?

The journal is incredibly diverse in its scope, while remaining true to its principle of selecting and respecting the views of expert reviewers spanning the many fields covered across all different areas of nanomaterials and nanotechnology research. That is why it gaining in respect according to its current and growing impact factor: the rigorously reviewed papers by our contributors are being cited by an increasing number of readers. This should give confidence in seeking publication of new and innovative research in the online journal, which is readily accessible to students and researchers worldwide.

7. Would you like to send a message to young investigators and give them some advice?

I would suggest that all young scientists be alert to the place of the work that they do in terms of its societal implications, which can fundamentally affect the lives of people it is delivered to in applications ranging from medical healthcare to environmental/sustainability issues, and in terms of the transport, storage, and use of their personal data. At the same time, they must also follow their dream of carrying our fundamental or applied research at the frontier of their field, with the conviction that their work might make a difference to the understanding of matter at the nanoscale and how it interacts with our macroscopic world. They should be prepared to learn about the fundamental sciences relevant to their discipline, and be prepared to learn even more as they interact with other areas, but always remain open to thinking about new ideas and possibly new ways of interpreting existing data. Then they might find themselves making a major discovery, which might come from a completely unexpected direction.