Meet the Editors | Interview with Prof. Dr. Craig Rice—Section Editor-in-Chief of Section “Supramolecular Chemistry” in Chemistry
We are pleased to announce that Prof. Dr. Craig Rice has been appointed Editor-in-Chief of the “Supramolecular Chemistry” Section in Chemistry (ISSN: 2624-8549).
Prof. Dr. Craig Rice obtained his chemistry degree from the University of Leicester and his Ph.D. in organic materials from the University of Kent at Canterbury. After several postdoctoral positions, he obtained an academic position at the University of Huddersfield in 2000. He remained at this institution and is now a professor of inorganic chemistry and Head of Department.
The following is a short Q&A with Prof. Dr. Craig Rice, who shared his vision for the journal with us, as well as his views of the research area and open access publishing:
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?
Chemistry is a new and exciting journal, and its cross-disciplinary remit allows new chemical research to be disseminated across the whole chemistry community. This particularly attracted me to this post, as this will give me a holistic view of the increase in chemical knowledge across the many areas of chemistry. It is also exciting to join at this moment in time as it is a relatively new journal, and I can watch it grow and prosper.
2. What are the expectations you have for this journal? What perspective do you think the journal will bring to the related fields?
As the field of chemistry develops in the 21st century, the boundaries between different fields will inevitably become less formalized. The journal can occupy a unique perspective, encouraging publications that bridge traditional fields of study within chemical science, as well as other scientific disciplines.
3. What do you think of the development of open access in publishing?
Publication of scientific advancements has changed dramatically in the time since I became an academic, and it is likely that change will continue. I suspect that in the very near future, open access publications will become the norm, enabling research to be accessed by all. This can only be a good thing, as it will allow scrutiny and dissemination by the widest possible readership.
Part II—Regarding the main fields of interest:
1. Can you share your career development story briefly? For example, what cases have influenced you the most?
To some extent, my career path has been non-traditional. I started my career as a synthetic organic chemist and ended up as a supramolecular coordination chemist, as well as a (very) amateur crystallographer, whilst teaching organic and inorganic chemistry as well as analytical science, and occasionally forensic science. Having such eclectic research and educator experience has proved highly valuable, and fits well into the ethos of this journal.
I was influenced most by two experiences in the chemistry career. The first was upon starting my Ph.D., which was the first time I became aware of metallosupramolecular chemistry. Seeing the beautiful and elegant transition metal helicates that self-assembled due to the interplay of ligand design and metal ion coordination geometry really sparked my interest. The other experience was my transition from synthetic chemistry to coordination chemistry under the excellent guidance of Professor Mike Ward. Whilst I was only under his tutelage briefly, that short time informed the rest of my scientific career.
2. As a researcher in supramolecular chemistry, what are the latest developments in your field？
Personally, I think one of the most exciting developments in supramolecular chemistry is the application of this field to other disciplines. Moving this area of science from academic curiosity to real-world applications will allow this subject to continue to grow into a mature area of scientific study. Recent advances in cancer treatment using Scott’s dinuclear double helicates and cystic fibrosis treatment using Gale’s anion transporters are particularly noteworthy examples.
3. Do you have any valuable suggestions you would like to share with young students and early career researchers?
Making an impact in chemical science in the 21st century is in some ways easier and harder than it was when I started my career. Access to powerful instrumentation such as X-ray crystallography and high-field NMR is much easier now that crystal structure determination is almost routine (in some cases!), as is obtaining an NMR in the many hundreds of megahertz. However, the increase in the volume of research data makes finding an area in which you can make an impact seem a daunting challenge. As a result, my advice would be to gain as much and as different experience as possible. Try to gain a breadth of knowledge and apply that to your own research. Bridging different fields will allow you to occupy a unique position and apply your research to a breadth of areas. Don’t hesitate to be bold and different!
Being willing to adapt to new areas and not being siloed in one area of scientific study can have a real impact on research. I was very lucky to have a chance discussion with an esteemed cancer pharmacologist, and that brief conversation pivoted my research almost instantaneously and led to a fruitful collaboration across supramolecular chemistry, cell biology and cancer pharmacology.
We wish Prof. Dr. Craig Rice every success in his new position, and we look forward to his contributions to the journal.