Chirik named new editor-in-chief of Organometallics

Paul Chirik, the Edward Sanford Professor of Chemistry, has been appointed as the new editor-in-chief of the American Chemical Society journal Organometallics. He will be the third person to helm the journal since it was founded in 1982, succeeding current editor-in-chief John A. Gladysz, Distinguished Professor of Chemistry at Texas A&M University.

“Organometallic chemistry is a very diverse field,” Chirik said. The journal should reflect that diversity, he said, both in regards to scientific content and contributors. With valuable submissions coming from all around the world, it’s important that international research is represented, said Chirik.

At Princeton University, his research laboratory is engaged in the study and manipulation of first row transition metals as catalysts for sustainable chemistry. The Chirik group has developed efficient base metal catalysts for alkene hydrogenation, [2+2] cycloisomerization, hydrosilylation and polymerization. His lab is also interested in investigating new methods for nitrogen fixation, an important industrial process.

Organometallics offers a level of depth and rigor that may not be seen in a general interest journal, said Chirik. The journal is known for its detailed and reliable experimental procedures, high standards that Chirik is committed to upholding. He said it’s also important for the journal to be vibrant and modern, which he hopes to accomplish by embracing social media, new article formats and other supplementary multimedia material.

“The very first paper I published as a graduate student was in Organometallics and the first paper I ever published as an independent researcher was in Organometallics, so it has a special place for me in my career,” said Chirik.