35 Years and 35 Voices from Chemistry of Materials

What is your current position, and how did you get there?

Although I am an inorganic chemist by training, I became intrigued by nanoparticle chemistry in the mid-1990s. Hence, since the launch of my independent career in 1998, my expertise has evolved from the shape control of nanoparticles over the past quarter century to nanoparticle bioimaging and, now, nanomedicine. To elaborate further on that development, the understanding of the synthetic approaches of shape-controlled nanoparticles and associated phenomena was a key project of my research lab in the late '90s and early 2000s. One of the most significant catalytic moments came upon conversing with biologists; my interest shifted and became much more concentrated on molecular-level interfacing of nanomaterials for imaging and actuation of biological systems. Since nanomaterials and devices are in similar sizes in the functional units of biological systems, such as genes and proteins, it was obvious that the roles and impacts of nanomaterials and devices would be significant. However, we have yet to utilize those advantages, which comprise the potential for powerful field advances. With the spatiotemporally seamless integration and communicative feedback systems between the nanomaterials based on physical world and the counterparts of biological world, we could envision enormous advances in resolving some of the biggest challenges of human health.

What is your research specialty and what inspired you to study and conduct research in this area?

I see innovative nanomaterials systems as key to success for future medicine. It's clear that our understanding of biological systems lags behind our desired level of knowledge, and the need for precise nanoscale tools and methodologies is critical to interrogating complex biological systems. The use of molecular-level interfacing and utilization of nanomaterials and devices for biological systems is on the horizon. However, spatiotemporally precise and holistic measurement and actuation of complex biological systems such as brain circuits and deep tissue organs are still in the premature stages, and the delivery of desired cargo to the targeted areas has yet to be effective. My main focus lies in nanomaterials and their potential to facilitate molecular imaging and actuation of targets located deep inside the body, otherwise inaccessible by optical systems. Magnetic and sonic modalities could be attractive, but there are significant challenges in developing new concepts and innovative nanomaterials and tools that are effective. In such endeavors, we are slowly making exciting advances by collaborating with bioengineers, neuroscientists, and immunologists to achieve promising outcomes that will be vital for the nanomedicine of the future.

What do you see as a grand challenge in the field of materials and what would help the community address this challenge?

JC: Chemistry has come a long way, expanding its scope from molecular chemistry to materials chemistry, nanoscience, and beyond. It is now playing significant roles in energy, environment, and health. However, our challenges in these areas are becoming increasingly difficult to bear. As such, continued scientific breakthroughs are essential, and the public should be well-informed about the current issues to gain a better understanding of the science behind them. Teaching in classrooms and outreach programs designed to educate young and adult generations are essential.

What words of inspiration do you have to share with the readers of Chemistry of Materials?

"If you want to go quickly, go alone. If you want to go far, then go together (African Proverb)." In the realm of science, working as a cohesive team not only leads to the resolution of complex issues that our society confronts but also provides a platform for individuals to gain insight into their capabilities and the collective values they can create. By working in unison and cross-collaboration, you will also unlock a more significant potential to understanding life's meaning and solutions.

What is your current position, and how did you get there?

UNAM is considered one of Mexico's most important public universities and holds an excellent reputation throughout Latin America. I obtained this position through a competition that assessed my academic trajectory in the field of Nanotoxicology, as well as the novelty of my research line. However, reaching this point was not straightforward. Before this position, I was a Researcher at the National Council for Science and Technology (CONACYT) of Mexico, and I worked as an outsourced researcher for CONACYT at the Center for Nanosciences and Nanotechnology of UNAM in Ensenada, Baja California, Mexico. I can say that my current job is a great satisfaction, as from the early stages of my academic formation, I set the goal of becoming a researcher at my Alma Mater, UNAM. Now that I have achieved it, I consider myself extremely fortunate that my work is also my greatest passion.

What is your research specialty, and what inspired you to study and conduct research in this area?

My research focuses on Nanotoxicology. It wasn't intentional for me to venture into this field. Twelve years ago (2011), I didn't even know what a nanomaterial was! However, my involvement in teaching led me to instruct Cell Biology classes in the Nanotechnology undergraduate program. That was my first encounter with Nanoscience! I noticed there was a need to assess the impact of nanomaterials on various biological systems and the lack of standardized tests to validate them. While pursuing my second postdoc in this area, I gradually honed my expertise in nanomaterial toxicology. Most importantly, I focused on understanding their physicochemical properties and relationship with biological activities. The need to evaluate the effects of nanomaterials produced by my colleagues at the Center for Nanosciences made me realize this window of opportunity to explore a new research area: Nanotoxicology.

Additionally, I leveraged my experience in implementing bioassays and cellular and molecular biology tools. Gradually, my research focus began to center on Nanotoxicology. Over time, I discovered that handling nanomaterials differed significantly from what I used to evaluate: bioactive molecules. Each nanomaterial is essentially unique, and even though they have characteristic physicochemical properties, their synthesis methods and the variability in their sizes and shapes give them distinct identities, even when they may be made from the same element. I found the nanoworld to be highly intriguing, and at that time (2013), there were few groups in Mexico dedicated to Nanotoxicology research. So, I decided to seize that opportunity and explore this field!

What do you see as a grand challenge in the field of materials, and what would help the community address this challenge?

The synthesis of nanomaterials and their industrial applications and use in commercial products is steadily increasing, surpassing our understanding of their biological properties and their effects on health and the environment. For this reason, Nanotoxicology has emerged as a science responsible for evaluating the effects of nanomaterials on various biological systems. However, in my opinion, Nanotoxicology currently faces the following challenges:

1. Lack of standardization in protocols for assessing the effects of nanomaterials.
2. Absence of a "gold standard" for making universal comparisons of their effects on various biological systems.
3. Insufficient evidence regarding nanomaterials' medium and long-term effects on health and the environment.
4. Limitations in experimental scenarios that more accurately reflect the everyday conditions to which living beings are exposed, such as low doses of nanomaterials in commercial products but prolonged use of the same.
5. Lack of stringent regulations, like Official Mexican Standards, to rule the use, commercialization, and disposal of nanomaterials and to oblige manufacturers to clearly state that their products are based on nanotechnology, providing consumers with the right to decide on their use.

Therefore, it is essential to gather multiple physicochemical parameters to correlate them with biological activities and classify nanomaterials not only by their size and physicochemical properties but also by their toxicity and potential risks. This allows for controlled synthesis, use, and disposal without adversely affecting short-term and long-term health and the environment. Also, to design complex cellular models to assess the effects of nanomaterials that mimic more accurately what may happen in a natural scenario. Certainly, Nanotoxicology faces these limitations, but novel cellular biology and toxicology tools are emerging as innovations to implement new tools for nanomaterials evaluations.

What words of inspiration do you have to share with the readers of Chemistry of Materials?

Setting deadlines for dreams transforms them into goals. Therefore, I recommend getting involved in laboratory activities and science outreach early for students pursuing a scientific career. This will allow them to establish short-term objectives and shape a focused scientific career. It is also essential to balance personal and academic life since it's common to lose sight of the importance of leisure and rest to be productive and to maintain inspiration and motivation in academia. I always tell my students, "We are people doing science!" and as such, we have many facets to nurture and encourage.

Being a woman and a Latina who has developed at the intersection of engineering and biological sciences, where female colleagues are limited, has been challenging at times. But it is not impossible, and one can also pave the way for others! Being clear about the goals I pursue as a researcher, knowing that I can conduct cutting-edge science in a country like Mexico, and especially recognizing that there are few research groups dedicated entirely to Nanotoxicology, motivates me to continue my scientific career and help the Center for Applied Physics and Advanced Technology become a national and international reference, not only for the synthesis and novel applications of nanomaterials but also for their toxicological assessment.

A significant contribution that is also part of my hobbies is science communication through social media. Through this, I aim to convey the day-to-day activities of a Nanotoxicology research laboratory, provide advice on graduate life, emphasize the importance of balancing scientific and personal life, and promote the development of STEM careers for girls and women. I invite you to follow us on social media at @NanotoxL.

How did you get started in research and what motivated your project?

I got involved in research because of the outreach efforts of Iowa State University and the NSF. In high school, I had the opportunity to participate in the Young Engineers and Scientists research internship program in the Iowa State Chemical Engineering Department. I studied the fluidity of phospholipid vesicles (which serve to mimic the biological membrane) subjected to several chemical environments and varied phospholipid compositions. I was motivated to do so because the membrane structural integrity of microorganisms can dramatically impact their production of valuable biorenewable chemicals. This experience left me with an enduring interest in the link between a structure and its properties, which eventually shifted my research interests from biological organisms to inorganic materials.

As an undergraduate student, I sought research experience in the Department of Chemistry, under the advising of Professor Kirill Kovnir. The Kovnir group synthesizes and studies intermetallic materials for thermoelectric, superconducting, catalysis, and nonlinear optical applications. My first and longest-term project is a study of the structure and properties of a layered pnictide material. Originally, I wanted to push the structure to become a superconductor or at least a decent thermoelectric material, but instead I got wrapped up in some structural quirks about the structure and its fascinating impact on the material’s transport properties.

What is next for your project? Do you plan to continue with research?

I am in the manuscript-writing step for my project in the Kovnir Group, while wrapping up some last-minute structure-property analyses. Hopefully, publishing is not too far in the future. I plan to continue with research in the same group and wrap up another project before graduating and pursuing a Materials Science Ph.D.

What do you see as a grand challenge in the field of materials (or science broadly) and what would help the community address this challenge?

I believe circumventing supply-chain obstructions will continue to be a big challenge in many disciplines, including materials science. Many clean-energy technologies like batteries, photovoltaics, and catalysts rely on critically endangered elements which may only be found in select areas around the globe. Consistent access to these elements is often at the whims of geopolitics. The solution moving forward will be to develop materials that meet our exorbitant energy demands, but do not involve critical precursor materials that are expensive and difficult to obtain.

What words of inspiration do you have to share with the readers of Chemistry of Materials?

I will offer advice to the undergraduate readers who are just starting out in research and beginning to shape their technical interests. Have not only selfless motivations for research, but selfish as well. It is of course motivating to know that your work could improve a process or solve a problem, but ultimately you must enjoy the day-to-day work. Accordingly, be driven by the desire to understand or by a frustration with not understanding.

What is your research interest and what inspired you to work in this area?

My current research focuses on developing nanocarriers made from synthetic biomaterials (e.g. biodegradable polymers, polypeptides), lipid-functionalized polypeptides/polymers, or ionizable amphiphilic polypeptides or lipids for the targeted delivery of RNA, siRNA, ASOs, plasmid DNA, and small molecular drugs. These nanocarriers are used in vaccine formulations as well as in therapeutics for the treatment of infections, cancer and other diseases. This is a highly interdisciplinary area, which requires knowledge and skills in chemistry, biology, engineering and medicine. It inspires me to work with scientists in different areas such as advanced polymer chemistry, RNA structure biology, oncology and medicinal immunology to develop solutions that solve complex issues in medicine and improve the quality of life for patients. We developed biodegradable self-assembling antimicrobial and anticancer polymers in collaboration with Dr. James L. Hedrick at the IBM Almaden Research Center, which showed promising preclinical results and have been published in various ACS journals.

My lab has recently developed PEG-free functional nanocarriers that can transport mRNA to immune cells preferentially to elicit strong immune response against viral infections and cancer, whilst mitigating the issues caused by PEG. In addition, we have developed ionizable polypeptides, which deliver mRNA and siRNA effectively. We are currently developing nanocarriers for the targeted delivery of mRNA to T-cells to enhance the anticancer function of T-cells in vivo, and nanocarriers that deliver RNA to cancer cells. We are working towards bringing some of these technologies to clinic to benefit healthcare systems.

What do you see as a grand challenge in the field of materials and what would help the community address this challenge?

It is challenging to make biocompatible delivery materials with biological function, especially in the area of mRNA vaccines and nucleic acid therapeutics. It requires effort from biologists to discover targeting signals such as antibodies and peptides that can recognize specific cell types, effort from chemists to develop facile and efficient synthetic chemistry and conjugation methods, and effort from bioengineers to assemble and optimize the materials and cargo into nanoparticles with properties desirable for medical applications, including size, surface chemistry, morphology and ability to dissociate in a spatial and temporal manner to release the cargo, so that it can perform its medicinal function in the right place at the right time.

What words of inspiration do you have to share with the readers of Chemistry of Materials?

When working on multidisciplinary projects, it is important to collaborate with scientists with complementary skills. This requires long-term commitments and dedication to research, knowledge sharing mindset, learning knowledge in new fields, and developing communication skills so that we can effectively communicate our ideas with our colleagues in different research areas. Be bold, and use disruptive technologies to aid and advance our research.

How did you get started in research and what motivated your project?

I have had opportunities to dabble in research projects where I learnt the basics of materials synthesis and characterization. I found that the lab environment and the rigor of research provided a good challenge, keeping me fully engaged and drawing out my natural curiosity. I gradually took a strong interest in renewable energy because I think climate change is the most urgent world issue now.

Growing up in Singapore, I was surrounded by many natural reserves containing a wide range of biodiversity. One of my favorite hobbies is bird-watching and compared to five years ago, I have noticed changes in bird migratory patterns due to the erratic temperature fluctuations. Being in nature is when I feel most content, and that is why I care very deeply about issues of sustainability.

Over the most recent summer, I worked on the synthesis of cation homogeneous AgBiS₂ based solar cells, exploring both top-down and bottom-up approaches. AgBiS₂ tends to crystallize in a disordered cubic phase, where Ag and Bi cations randomly occupy equivalent lattice sites due to their similar cation radii. This leads to the formation of Ag and Bi rich clusters which suppresses light absorption. My goal was to improve device efficiency by dispersing clusters of Ag and Bi in the disordered cubic compound, or even capturing the elusive hexagonal phase which precludes cation disorder. This was achieved by fine-tuning the composition and heat treatment parameters. This project solidified my resolve to pursue research as a career and was also a self-confirmation that I had found a field I wanted to spend more time in.

What is next for your project? Do you plan to continue with research?

My project was carried out during a short internship over the summer break between my second and third year of my undergraduate studies, and now I am heading into the start of the new academic year. Although I will not be able to continue with the lab work, I grasped the crucial role that simulations and computational methods played in predicting material properties and providing insight into experimental results. Density functional theory (DFT) in particular is highly relevant to carrier dynamics and crystal structure. Although it came up many times in passing and in literature I read, I never fully understood the intricacies of it. I plan to strengthen my skills in this area, not to pivot from the world of experiments to simulations, but so that I may approach this field in a more holistic manner.

What do you see as a grand challenge in the field of materials (or science broadly) and what would help the community address this challenge?

One challenge that I see in the research industry is our impact on the environment. Whether it be the use of toxic chemicals such as cadmium or lead containing perovskite solar cells, or the excessive use of plastic containers and disposable gloves in the lab, it was evident to me that lab work is highly resource intensive and creates a lot of waste. Waste collection costs aside, I hope that more people can be mindful of keeping such waste to a minimum while still holding paramount their health and safety. It is good that finding nontoxic alternatives and adopting the circular economy approach are gaining traction, but I think even small actions─swapping plastic Petri-dishes for glass ones─can make a positive impact too.

What words of inspiration do you have to share with the readers of Chemistry of Materials?

Doing my internships as a young and inexperienced student, the most memorable and impactful moments were my interactions with people around the lab. I learnt a lot from talking to them about their research and life, and I always looked up to them after such encounters─even more so if I had learnt of their past struggles and difficulties. So, I think it is safe to say that even if your experiments are not going as smoothly or as quickly as you planned, you still are a role model and an inspiration to someone else!

What is your research specialty and what inspired you to study and/or conduct research in this area?

My original research area is heterogeneous catalysis, and I started working on heterogeneous particulate photocatalysts for water splitting during my doctoral studies. However, I have not only studied photocatalysis but also other solid catalysts in parallel.

ACS Catalysis recently highlighted your career in catalysis.

These studies have also been very useful for my photocatalysis research. When I was thinking about my Ph.D. topic in Professor Kenji Tamaru’s laboratory at University of Tokyo, Assistant Professor Mitsuyuki Soma, who was then in the same laboratory, told me that there was a research field called “artificial photosynthesis”, which further involves water splitting using particulate solid photocatalysts. This theme immediately melted into my thoughts, and I thought how magnificent it would be if this could be achieved. It should be mentioned here that, in fact, when I decided on this Ph.D. topic, I was unaware of the photoelectrochemical water splitting research, the so-called Honda–Fujishima effect, which was already famous at the time. In other words, most researchers around the world trying to use light energy to split water at the time had an electrochemical background. But my background was in solid catalysts. What difference this makes, in my opinion, is that researchers in electrochemistry use relatively well-known semiconductor materials to create electrodes, whereas researchers in solid catalysis are less hesitant to synthesize and experiment with new materials themselves, using most elements in the periodic table. I suspect this is why I and my colleagues have a slightly different approach to many researchers around the world in this field. I also believe that this approach has allowed us to identify many novel materials that can split water in visible light.

What do you see as a grand challenge in the field of materials and what would help the community address this challenge?

If humanity is to continue to develop sustainably in the future and the gap between rich and poor around the world is to disappear, it is very important that new functional materials and technologies are realized in the real world, for example, materials with the ability to produce large amounts of green energies at low cost. Perhaps the most efficient way to achieve this is to create a policy environment in which many researchers can work hard on their own ideas. At present, when an epoch-making material is discovered, a large amount of research funds is invested in it, and I feel that too many researchers gather there.

What words of inspiration do you have to share with the readers of Chemistry of Materials?

Speaking from the perspective of an experimental researcher, it is important to always think of some new idea, even if it is a small one, and plan your research based on it, if your research is not going well. Your own experiments based on your new idea will lead to breakthroughs if you are lucky, because no one else has done it yet.

What is your current position and your path to it?

I completed my bachelor’s and master’s degrees in chemistry from Calicut University, Kerala, located in southern India. Subsequently, I moved to Ghent University, Belgium, for my doctoral research. I finished my Ph.D. in chemistry in 2022 in the framework of Marie Curie Innovative Training Network advised by Prof. Jolien Dendooven and Prof. Christophe Detavernier. Currently, I am working as a postdoctoral researcher in the same group.

What is your research specialty and what inspired you to study and/or conduct research in this area?

My research focuses on the development, optimization, and comprehensive understanding of thin films. My core expertise lies mainly in utilizing an advanced thin film deposition technique, ALD. The atomic level control offered by this technique allows for the tailored synthesis of a vast library of materials. The emergence of ALD has propelled it to become one of the most rapidly growing techniques for thin film deposition. Its remarkable capabilities have already proven invaluable in the semiconductor industry, and ongoing research endeavors are now exploring its potential in diverse fields, such as energy, catalysis, and biomedical applications, to name a few.

During my Ph.D., I extensively used this technique to obtain different nanostructured materials with precise control over thickness, morphology, and composition. This research field resides at the intersection of multiple disciplines, encompassing materials chemistry, physics, material science, and engineering. Engaging in this multidisciplinary research environment has enriched my experience, providing opportunities to broaden my knowledge beyond my core expertise as a chemist. I find myself immersed not only in the intricacies of material synthesis but also in practical aspects, for instance, troubleshooting issues like fixing a leaky valve attached to the reactor.

Currently, I am interested in area-selective atomic layer deposition, wherein atoms are used as building blocks for selectively depositing materials in predefined regions. This research will significantly reduce the number of lithographic processing steps compared to the state-of-the-art top-down approaches, making it a time and cost-effective method. As a researcher, I find great satisfaction in contributing to a field that has already demonstrated its societal impact and is poised to yield continued advancements in the foreseeable future.

What do you see as a grand challenge in the field of materials and what would help the community address this challenge?

Addressing society’s current and future challenges necessitates smart design and innovation in material systems. Advancements in various industries, particularly in the semiconductor sector, are driving toward the “Angstrom era”, marked by the miniaturization of components. To meet these evolving demands, tailored material designs with multiple functionalities and properties are indispensable for specific applications and optimal performance.

As devices scale down to ever-smaller dimensions, the limitations of conventional materials become apparent. While 2D materials, for instance, transition metal dichalcogenides, hold great promise, significant research and development efforts are still required to address critical issues. These include the large-scale synthesis of these materials, ensuring their stability under different conditions, achieving uniformity in their properties, and minimizing defects that could impact device performance.

In this context, gaining a comprehensive understanding of the unique properties exhibited by novel materials at the nanoscale is inevitable. Fundamental studies combined with artificial intelligence and machine learning will be vital to speed up the discovery, design, and synthesis of advanced materials with desired properties and applications.

What words of inspiration do you have to share with the readers of Chemistry of Materials?

To the younger researchers out there: In any field of research, encountering setbacks or experiencing failed experiments is inevitable. During such challenging times, it is common to be self-critical. Nevertheless, it is essential to approach ourselves with kindness and compassion. It is vital to remember that these setbacks are not the end but rather opportunities for learning and personal growth. Celebrating small victories, such as a successful experiment, submission of a manuscript etc. can serve as motivation and encouragement.

Furthermore, fostering a supportive network is crucial. This network can consist of friends, colleagues, or mentors both within and outside academia. Maintaining open communication with trusted individuals helps in effectively addressing and resolving issues that may arise.

What is your research specialty and what inspired you to study and conduct research in this area?

My research has been mainly focused on ALD for thin film materials, with an emphasis on the development of new ALD processes and their applications for energy and microelectronic devices.

Your recent research has been published in the journal.

I came to the ALD research area when I entered the graduate school 15 years ago. At that time, there was a huge demand from the microelectronics industry to use ALD to fabricate conformal thin films, and at the same time, many newly emerged green energy technologies (e.g., solar cells, batteries, and electrocatalysis) began to use ALD for better (precise) surface and interface engineering. Motivated by the extreme importance of the microelectronics and energy technologies in our daily life and the potential of ALD that can significantly advance these technologies, I decided to dive into this area to develop better ALD technologies for these applications. This decision was absolutely right, as we now see ALD become more and more used across many different industries.

What do you see as a grand challenge in the field of materials and what would help the community address this challenge?

I think one of the grand challenges is the high-volume precise material synthesis in general. It has long been a dream that an arbitrary material can be built from individual atoms just like building Lego bricks. Indeed, numerous research laboratories have aimed to address this issue and developed many atomic-precision synthesis methods, but whether these methods can be scaled up for high-volume manufacturing is often a question. In fact, for almost any synthesis technology, there is always a huge gap from lab to fab. I think in the future this gap may be bridged by extensively utilizing artificial intelligence (AI) and autonomous robotics in the materials field. Over the past few years, we have all witnessed the power of AI in many areas, and its influence in the materials science and technology just begins.

What words of inspiration do you have to share with the readers of Chemistry of Materials?

My words would be always open-minded. Materials is a highly interdisciplinary subject that covers both science and engineering aspects, and also the materials research topics are highly dynamic and often evolve with the time. Being open-minded, one would be highly benefited from the continual discovery of fundamental sciences from various subjects to create novel essential technologies that can significantly promote our society.

What is your research specialty and what inspired you to study and conduct research in this area?

My research path has taken me through various topics, starting with Phytochemical and proximate analyses of Tetrapleura tetraptera during my undergraduate studies and materials research in my postgraduate studies. During the first year of my M.Phil., we were introduced to nanotechnology, and the fact that nanomaterials’ properties are superior to their bulk counterparts was interesting. We were fortunate as a class to have Prof. Paul O’Brien (of blessed memory) interact and teach us for a week.

During my second year, with sponsorship by Leverhulme Royal Society Africa Award grant, I visited his laboratory at University of Manchester where my research into materials chemistry began. During that period, my home country, Ghana, struggled with energy crises. Therefore, my research was tailored to the search for nanomaterials that can be used as absorbers in polymer-based solar cells. The research used lead-based single-source precursors for synthesizing PbS, PbSe, and PbS_xSe_(1–x) thin films and nanoparticles. Using electron microscopes to view the particles was very fascinating.

Some of this research has appeared in Chemistry of Materials.

Although the PbS, PbSe, and PbS_xSe_(1–x) thin films and nanoparticles had band gaps which were blue-shifted from the bulk values, the toxicity around the use of lead-based materials shifted my research to bismuth as the metal of choice for my PhD with funding from the DFID African Capacity Building Initiative. My current research is on the use of nanomaterials for environmental remediation. This research interest came from Sunyani (my current location) being the food basket in Ghana. Therefore, there is a need to identify the pollution level and possible remediation for the waterbodies.

What do you see as a grand challenge in the field of materials, and what would help the community address this challenge?

The greatest challenge for early career research in Ghana is the access to instruments such as XRD, SEM, TEM, and AFM for characterization. Even the few instruments around are on commercial bases. This makes the entire research time-consuming and expensive.

What words of inspiration do you have to share with the readers of Chemistry of Materials?

As a researcher, the path forward has not consistently been without obstacles. There are instances when you might spend months in the laboratory without yielding the desired results. However, these moments should serve as a source of determination to stay fixed on your objective, rather than allowing them to bring about devastation. It is important to remember that life does not grant us everything we yearn for.

Instead, invest your time in reading research papers, participating in lectures, and exchanging knowledge with your fellow researchers and mentors. It is crucial to understand that what may seem like an unfavorable outcome could potentially lead to a significant discovery. Remember, your efforts in persisting and channeling your ideas and enthusiasm into shaping a more promising future will be acknowledged by your future self. There will come a day when you’ll be grateful for your decision to persevere, rather than giving in, and for your contributions that added vigor to the pursuit of a brighter tomorrow.

What is your research specialty and what inspired you to study and/or conduct research in this area?

I am a material science researcher. My passion for chemistry of materials started while undertaking my undergraduate degree program. To pursue my interests, I ventured into studying properties of new materials for lithium-ion batteries in my master’s program. The varied structures of materials, magnetic properties and redox reactions increased my desire to know more. Exploring challenging materials with amazing properties is my driving force. This explains my interest in studying nanocomposite materials for wastewater treatment in my PhD.

What do you see as a grand challenge in the field of materials and what would help the community address this challenge?

National developmental progress is strongly connected with the types of materials used. Nanotechnology, thus, is an active research area (in Kenya) due to the useful applications of nanomaterials in agriculture and food security, energy conversion and storage, the textile sector, waste management, and construction, among others. In Africa, realization of new materials through research faces a number of challenges which include low demand for research by policymakers, scarcity of mentors, and lack of funding as well as lack of motivation among the researchers. These challenges hinder the realization of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030 and economic development of most African countries.

Collaborative research between the developed and developing communities is a critical way to keep up with current research and curb the struggling research institutes. Funding of research is also a key aspect in encouraging African researchers. By availing funds and motivating scholars, research doors will open both in public and private sectors of the nation’s economy. Through proper funding of research, university scholars will be encouraged to help make research a way forward to address numerous challenges in the contemporary African world. Self-archiving and preprints servers as well as postprints of research papers in open access formats or institutional vaults will assist in addressing the scarcity of research materials faced by upcoming researchers. Moreover, if African countries can come together and pool resources so that they come up with centralized research facilities and centers, it will reduce the curb between the developed and developing nations in terms of materials research.

What words of inspiration do you have to share with the readers of Chemistry of Materials?

The future is science and chemistry of materials is the center. Coming up with new ideas and materials with fascinating properties and applications is fun. We should, therefore, be focused and not give up irrespective of the situation. Making the best of the worst situations should be our driving force.

What is your research specialty and what inspired you to study and/or conduct research in this area?

My area of research focuses on nanoscience and soft matter, with a particular interest in understanding the relationship between structure and dynamics in nanostructured soft matter material systems. Our lab employs bottom-up synthetic approaches to fabricate plasmonic metal oxide nanocrystals, which exhibit unique optoelectronic properties. Exploring the assembly of these nanomaterials into mesoscale structures and studying the accompanying structural and dynamic changes provides exciting opportunities to engineer tunable characteristics and functionalities in nanoassemblies.

My journey into this research field was serendipitous, as I discovered nanoscience during recruitment weekend at UT Austin. The world of nanotechnology was entirely new to me, but conversations with Prof. Delia Milliron ignited my fascination with its potential for breakthroughs across various fields, from energy research to drug discovery. This introduction to nanoscience sparked a profound curiosity and excitement within me.

As an African, my ultimate goal is to leverage the outcomes of my research to contribute to the development of my home continent, either through education or industry. The realm of nanomaterials research appears to hold immense potential, waiting to be fully tapped. It struck me that Africa, as a whole, has yet to maximize the benefits of nanomaterials research, presenting a unique opportunity for me to be part of a wave of African scientists and engineers utilizing versatile nanoscience approaches to address Africa’s challenges, particularly in the field of energy research.

What do you see as a grand challenge in the field of materials and what would help the community address this challenge?

The global materials science and engineering community bears the responsibility and privilege of developing materials that address current and future world problems, encompassing basic human needs, climate, and the environment. Advocating for these issues beyond the lab through science policy work presents a significant challenge for the materials field. Scientists and engineers must find ways to amplify their voices and draw attention to the potential of fundamental and applied materials research in solving global challenges. Equipping future researchers with science policy and communication courses can enhance their effectiveness as advocates.

Another crucial challenge in materials research is being mindful of inclusivity and ensuring that new developments benefit diverse populations worldwide, rather than just a fraction of the world’s population concentrated in certain regions. Despite the global reach and diversity of materials researchers, the outcomes of research often favor economically developed countries due to funding sources. Addressing this disparity will be a grand challenge for the global materials community, especially given the increasing inequality and market-driven nature of new material developments.

What words of inspiration do you have to share with the readers of Chemistry of Materials?

As you advance in materials research, you will encounter unparalleled interdisciplinary richness and diversity. Embrace this environment and recognize that you truly belong here; live and conduct your research with confidence. Extend a welcoming hand to others, making them feel at home within this community. Your voice is essential, so speak your truth boldly, as your fresh and unique perspective adds tremendous value to the table!

What is your research specialty and what inspired you to study and/or conduct research in this area?

I was trained as a theoretical physical chemist at UC Berkeley. I was originally inspired to work in chemistry due to my participation in the International Chemistry Olympiad (Oslo, Norway, 1994) representing Mexico. I then was interested in theoretical chemistry by the great work of my former advisor at UNAM in Mexico, Professor Carlos Amador-Bedolla. I became interested in renewable energy materials when I heard a great talk by Sir David King, then scientific advisor to Tony Blair about the effects of climate change. When I started my independent career at Harvard University in 2006, I led a dual-pronged research program. First, I focused on advancing the simulation capabilities for chemicals and materials by developing quantum computer algorithms for their simulation. Second, I began exploring the use of high-throughput chemistry and AI for accelerated materials design. Upon my move to the University of Toronto, five years ago, I also became an experimentalist by pushing the field of self-driving laboratories, which integrate automated synthesis, characterization, and AI to create new materials and molecules for a fraction of the time and cost across a wide variety of applications and industries.

What do you see as a grand challenge in the field of materials and what would help the community address this challenge?

The time span of an initial discovery to the subsequent research, optimization, and commercialization of a technology is usually of a quarter century. This is almost a third of a human lifetime. If we want to unleash innovation in the materials space, we need to accelerate this process by a factor of 10. A potential solution to this problem is the use of self-driving laboratories (SDLs). Alongside a very active global community, I have been working on the challenge of developing and democratizing the access to SDLs. By employing artificial intelligence and chemical simulations to guide experiments, and robotic synthesis and characterization systems, SDLs accelerate the pace of innovation. We recently received a $200 million research grant from the Canadian government’s Canada First Research Excellent Fund (CFREF) to support a large initiative we have called the Acceleration Consortium. The Consortium will build a series of these SDLs to tackle problems in different areas of materials science, ranging from the development of novel alloys to biological organoids, as well as polymers, molecular materials, and drug discovery.

What words of inspiration do you have to share with the readers of Chemistry of Materials?

What I usually tell young researchers is that they should not be afraid of exploring new areas at the interface of fields. When I started in quantum computing for chemistry, there was pretty much no one else working in the field. The same happened when my group joined the nascent set of groups doing AI for chemistry, and now self-driving laboratories. I think it is better to be at the beginning of a field than at the end of it. Finding and shaping these new opportunities is very exciting.

What is your research/work specialty and what inspired you to study and/or conduct research/work in this area?

As a materials scientist at the core of my profession, I have chosen to specialize in thin film technology and hybrid materials. I have recently developed expertise in polymer circularity, including biodegradation, mechanical and chemical recycling.

My passion for becoming a materials scientist was sparked at a young age due to my fascination for understanding how materials function. Moreover, the diverse and extensive applications of polymers greatly enthused me. As a dedicated professional, I primarily aim to innovate and deliver novel materials to realize other individuals’ dream applications, whether in microelectronics or developing more sustainable home and personal care products.

What do you see as a grand challenge in the field of materials and what would help the community address this challenge?

The present era offers an enthralling prospect for materials scientists. After decades of dedicated research in nanotechnologies, our comprehension of human capabilities, particularly the human brain, has experienced a remarkable expansion. However, the paramount challenge confronting us is ensuring our planet’s sustainability for future generations’ well-being. We find ourselves fortunate that the sun bestows upon Earth an abundance of energy, even as we continuously transform materials, giving rise to various challenges. Effectively harnessing photons to convert CO₂ into materials presents a momentous opportunity akin to the pivotal role of photosynthesis in sustaining life on our planet.

The scientific community must collaborate fervently and conceive a sustainable material industry by focusing on novel energy technologies, circular design principles, and materials that positively impact the environment regarding greenhouse gas emissions, land utilization, water conservation, and biodiversity preservation.

What words of inspiration do you have to share with the readers of Chemistry of Materials?

In light of the advent of artificial intelligence, the maturation of nanotechnology, and the pressing sustainability challenge, the present juncture proves exceedingly opportune for engaging in materials science and exploring novel materials. Indeed, the potential to address and mitigate challenges in our world resides within materials.

What is your research specialty and what inspired you to study and/or conduct research in this area?

My research goal was to invite people to think and rethink about waste. Do we need to produce materials that will be thrown away? Where do all our society’s waste materials end up? What are the environmental impacts of managing and dealing with this waste generated? With my Ph.D. and then postdoctoral work, the idea was to show that it is possible to change the concept and definition of waste. Our processes and products should be designed in a circular manner, so that the waste produced is now a feedstock for other materials. To achieve a truly sustainable future, the impact of our processes and products on human health and the environment, which is the basis of the green chemistry field, should always be considered. However, chemists can only think and act more sustainably if they obtain the required tools and skills through green chemistry education.

The idea of teaching, practicing, and implementing green chemistry is wholly tied to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs), a universal call to protect our planet, end poverty, and promote peace by 2030. Green chemistry can work at the molecular level to tackle those objectives, thus enabling and providing quality education, good health and well-being, responsible consumption and production, as well as affordable and clean energy to all members of our society.

What do you see as a grand challenge in the field of materials and what would help the community address this challenge?

In my opinion, learning with nature is a grand challenge in the materials field and our scientific field as a whole. Understanding how nature operates and using biomimetic processes as the basis of our manufacturing can completely change how our society operates. However, we need everyone on board: The successful achievement of a sustainable future through the comprehension and mimicry of nature-based processes is highly dependent on interdisciplinary strategies. This holistic approach is also embedded in the principles and practices of green chemistry, where all sciences and fields are interconnected and broadly reached to design more benign processes and products to human health and the environment. Understanding that we all need each other, learning from each other, and further moving together toward the same goal is key to addressing the challenge herein and any other challenge currently faced by the field of materials.

What words of inspiration do you have to share with the readers of Chemistry of Materials?

I am not the most inspiring person ever, but I try to surround myself with people who inspire me as much as possible. In that sense, I have always been privileged to have a strong network of family and friends who will support me no matter what. Having those fascinating people backing me up gives me the confidence I need to do things I love and feel right about (even if they sound crazy)! I believe that in research and life, taking risks to follow things that matter to you is critical to personal growth. Embracing the learning process, trusting my friends and family, looking up to my heroes, and doing what I love are some of the things that give me the energy to keep going!

What is your research specialty and what inspired you to study and/or conduct research in this area?

I work on multifunctional porous materials development for energy and environmental applications. My group especially focuses on porous materials for water purification and renewable energy. The significant change in water scarcity and environmental global warming impact even in my hometown, a small village in the countryside of India, inspire and motivate me to think about solutions to overcome these challenges. I realized that material science could help to develop efficient advanced materials for water reuse and renewable energy applications by fine-tuning them at molecular levels.

What do you see as a grand challenge in the field of materials and what would help the community address this challenge?

The greatest challenge in academic research is to translate potential materials into real-life applications. We see the majority of exciting materials that fail to reach a conclusive end. Such real-life transfer of research findings is much needed to address grand challenges including achieving net zero carbon to reduce global warming, scalable materials to make the economical production of hydrogen to achieve the hydrogen economy, and practical materials to recover valuable ions/molecules from desalination waste in large scale to realize the concept of circular economy and to protect the environment.

The community should work together (material scientists and engineers) and consider the problem in large volume instead of limiting research for publication and keep moving around applications. Also, the community should convince the government, funding agencies, or financial sources to persist in their support for lab-to-product research before changing their minds so often.

What words of inspiration do you have to share with the readers of Chemistry of Materials?

Curiosity leads to observations and new findings. Serendipity is part of many new findings and we have to learn to build on such observations. Instead of always looking for new materials we should realize the potential of many existing materials to tackle burning challenges. As a scientist, relooking at materials then and again is the key to getting surprised. Perseverance in research can be hard to practice but it is worth it in the end. If you like material science, the findings communicated in Chemistry of Materials are enough to inspire and motivate you to take up a new challenge!

What is your research specialty and what inspired you to study and/or conduct research in this area?

In a nutshell, I am a Materials Chemist. My playground is the periodic table, and I like teaching materials new tricks. My group's research mission is best captured by the words of Richard Feynman: What I cannot create, I do not understand. Creating new materials and developing new concepts to help solving the big challenges of our time, like mitigating climate change and transitioning into a clean energy future: this is what inspires me.

Given the maturity of established energy technologies, we are now at a crossroad where new materials concepts are more important than ever. I am convinced that by cross-fertilizing different areas of energy research, new research directions will emerge, exemplified by the field of solar batteries and opto-ionics where solar energy conversion and
electrochemical energy storage meet. In my group, we embrace this huge untapped potential off the beaten tracks of established energy technologies and at their intersection, aiming to create new "hybrid" energy concepts for a smarter, more sustainable energy future.

What do you see as a grand challenge in the field of materials and what would help the community address this challenge?

The need for new materials has been growing exponentially in all sectors, from quantum materials to energy materials, and so has their complexity. To meet the increasing demand for new material solutions in all parts of our daily life, we need to speed up their discovery and translation from lab to market, and this can be done, for example, if artificial intelligence and automated, robotic materials synthesis join forces in a tight feedback loop.

In moving forward on this trajectory, however, the community should not lose track of the value of original non-robotic, i.e., "human" science.

Only if creative thinking orchestrates and guides AI and automation, we will be able to find non-intuitive solutions and to achieve truly value-added, accelerated materials discovery.

What words of inspiration do you have to share with the readers of Chemistry of Materials?

Over the past 35 years, the chemistry of materials has rapidly evolved from a fundamental into an application-driven science, coming along with tremendous progress in essentially all aspects of materials design, characterization, and utilization. However, I am convinced that today's achievements are firmly rooted in yesterday's curiosity-driven, fundamental research. It is the value of fundamental science that we need to treasure and preserve. Put in the words of Max Planck: Insight must precede application.

What is your research specialty and what inspired you to study and/or conduct research in this area?

My fascination with coordination chemistry started early in my career with the incredible colours of the compounds we made in undergraduate labs. When I learned about the variety of geometries, electronic, redox and magnetic properties of coordination complexes, this only deepened my desire to know more. It is therefore no surprise that my research focuses on coordination compounds with an interest in systems that display switchable magnetic properties.

Our current research focus came about after a period of self-reflection and the desire to pursue more challenging and interesting ideas in an area where we felt we could make a contribution. Luckily, at about this time I received a Royal Society of Chemistry JWT Jones Fellowship which gave me the opportunity to undertake research for 3 months back at the University of Bristol. While there, I read voraciously and finally selected a new area of study: iron(III) spin crossover materials. At the time, these were little explored and the literature suggested they’d be more robust than many of the more common iron(II) complexes, an important consideration when you live in a tropical country.

Spin crossover involves switching between two magnetic states, termed high sin and low spin. It is this bistability that makes these materials potentially useful for high-density data storage and sensing applications. While there is a significant technical challenge in making these applications a reality, there are also environmental benefits too, as molecular data storage systems are expected to improve data storage capacity, reduce energy usage and have the potential to be more easily recycled.

The magnetic hysteresis necessary for these applications requires that the individual spin centres act cooperatively. To achieve this, we use a crystal engineering approach exploiting p-p interactions, halogen bonding and a host of weaker interactions in the design of our materials. As so often happens in research, the complexes exhibit unexpectedly complex magnetic behaviour and understanding the structure-function relationships that drive this are at the heart of our work.

What do you see as a grand challenge in the field of materials and what would help the community address this challenge?

I think one of the grand challenges in materials research is the development of functional molecular devices. Molecules are the building blocks of nature, but they remain poorly utilized in current technologies, despite the potential environmental benefits. The reason lies in the complexity of these systems where we need to consider not only preserving the functionality of the molecule, but the supramolecular chemistry between the molecules and the molecule-substrate interfaces, all in a dynamic environment. This is an immense challenge that requires the expertise of scientists and engineers if such devices are to become more widespread.

A key feature in tackling this challenge will be embracing new ideas and new ways of doing things. It follows that broad collaboration across disciplines and countries, with the community working together, will be essential to addressing this challenge. Coming from an underrepresented part of the community, it would be nice to see the research powerhouses including more of us in these discussions.

What words of inspiration do you have to share with the readers of Chemistry of Materials?

Don’t be afraid to explore new avenues of research. Do the research that excites you and remember that incremental steps each day add up to substantial progress in the long term.

What is your research specialty?

I create biomimetic assemblies of chiral organic–inorganic materials with an emphasis on atomic-scale characterization.

A portion of this research was recently highlighted as a cover article in Nature.

What inspired you to study and/or conduct research in this area?

Nature and photography inspire me to create materials with an eye for atomic scale arrangement. Growing up at the foothills of the Himalayas in India, I was fascinated with photographing the early morning transition from darkness to the explosion of colors in the sky. As a materials scientist, I learned that Rayleigh scattering of different wavelengths of light depends on the angle of incidence between sunlight and the atmosphere (acting as a lens). Moreover, the principles of scattering, absorption, and diffraction taught me that not only can I engineer vibrant colors by controlling the arrangement of atoms in nanocrystals, but I can also see beyond the capabilities of our eyes using electron microscopes. My fascination to see the atomic world drove me to pursue a PhD in analytical transmission electron microscopy at the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities.

What do you see as a grand challenge in the field of materials and what would help the community address this challenge?

We need to understand materials’ growth and self-assembly across different lengths and time scales to create well-defined blueprints for materials design. There is a need for generalists who can integrate knowledge in different subdomains to make customizable materials that make human life better. We have specialists who excel in synthesizing materials, instrumentation experts who excel in characterizing materials, and theorists who excel in understanding the quantum-mechanical behavior of materials. AI and ML are great tools that simplify the knowledge of specialists into a black box and provide generalists with the freedom to navigate different research domains. Without being overly optimistic, caution is needed in using tools like a black box, to prevent erroneous data flooding the community.

What words of inspiration do you have to share?

I have found that being on the edge of your comfort zone pushes you to learn and adapt while navigating different environments. As an immigrant from India, I moved to the US to learn about electron microscopy. Once I felt comfortable, I decided that I needed to synthesize materials and tune what I see at the atomic scale. I moved to another University and adapted to a different style of doing research. As an experimentalist, the pandemic turned out to be a deterrent to academic progress. During that time, I pivoted toward computations and took inspiration from my fascination with colors in the sky to simulate the optical behavior of materials that I synthesize.

For early career researchers, we need to identify our strengths, focus on expanding our skill sets, and remind ourselves what excites us the most. Whenever I feel overwhelmed by a research question, I go back to my core strength of understanding the atomic structure of a material. I draw both creative relaxation and scientific inspiration from the presence or absence of symmetry at the atomic scale.

What is your research specialty and what inspired you to study and/or conduct research in this area?

My general area of research is nanoscience and soft matter. I am interested in the nanoscale dynamics that exist in nanostructured soft material systems (colloids, polymers, biomaterials) and how you can use the dynamic to engineer new functionalities. We have a microscopy technique (liquid phase transmission electron microscopy) that allows us to probe the dynamics of different material systems with nanoscale resolution and in real-time.

As an undergrad, my favorite topic in chemical engineering was fluid mechanics. When I started my PhD, I chose soft matter because that was where fluid mechanics were used to process solutions of small particles and chains into useful materials. Then I started to realize that as you zoom into the solution, all that beautiful deterministic mathematics explaining fluid mechanics starts to be replaced with randomness at the molecular scale. To me, that was even more beautiful. How can one use this stochasticity and randomness to bring together these nanoscale building blocks and form larger scale materials? and that is how it all started.

What do you see as a grand challenge in the field of materials and what would help the community address this challenge?

I think we have come a long way in developing materials, but if you think of how nature does such a wonderful job in developing adaptive and smart materials, we are still behind. I am always amazed by the material science of biological systems, and I think this is the holy grail for us. Examples of that are fluorescent proteins as optical materials, muscle fibers as mechanically actuated materials, nacre as high-strength composite materials, or camouflage skin as metamaterials. Now if you ask me what the challenge is to get there, I would say we need first to understand how biology does this and learn from it to develop new materials with desired functionalities and for that you need to just look at it! Similar to how our ancestors were inspired by watching the birds fly and designed aircraft. I think super-resolution microscopy and cryo transmission electron microscopy were tremendously big steps for us to open this secret box and see things at the nanoscale. Now is the turn to see these biological materials in motion with molecular-scale resolution.

What words of inspiration do you have to share with the readers of Chemistry of Materials?

Be persistent and do not give up. Try to make the best out of the worst situations. You never know what opportunities are waiting for you, hiding behind the unlucky moments that seem to be dead ends at the moment.

What is your research specialty and what inspired you to study and/or conduct research in this area?

Developing novel semiconductors for optoelectronic properties is the main focus of our research. The correlation between chemical composition, structure, and optoelectronic property drives our work.

I studied Chemistry during my Bachelor of Science and Master of Science programs. With interest in Physical Chemistry, it was fascinating to see how quantum chemistry and spectroscopy together can explain the amazing electronic and optical properties of atoms and molecules. Then, for my PhD, my destiny took me to a rather unique department named “Solid State and Structural Chemistry Unit” at the Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru. Soon after, I came to know that the properties of materials change drastically based on the arrangement of atoms and molecules in a crystal. For example, the same chemical composition “carbon” behaves so differently in graphite, diamond, graphene, carbon nanotube, fullerene, and so on. Furthermore, during my PhD (supervisor: Prof. D. D. Sarma) and postdoctoral (mentors: Prof. C. N. R. Rao and Prof. Dmitri V. Talapin) works, I came to know that lattice doping, crystal size and surface/interfaces also play a huge role in controlling the electronic and optical properties of semiconductor nanocrystals. In this process, I realized that four parameters, namely, structure, crystal size, doping and surface/interface engineering, make the playground of material design infinitely big and interesting. Therefore, I decided to be a part of this game for my remaining life.

At present, we are working on molecular design of hybrid perovskite quantum wells, like A2PbI4 (A: organic ammonium cations). A thoughtful design of A-site organic cation introduces non-covalent interactions like (i) halogen bonding, (ii) hydrogen bonding and (iii) cation-p interactions that influence the fundamental properties of the inorganic units, controlling their chirality, non-centrosymmetry, stability, and optoelectronic properties. Non-centrosymmetric and chiral semiconductor crystals are highly sought after materials for future technologies like, spin-LED, circularly polarized photodetector and LED, bulk photovoltaic, spin-selective catalysis, and nonlinear optical activity. Another related area that we are currently working on is to design phosphors and LEDs that emit short-wave-infrared (SWIR) radiation typically in the range of 900 to 1700 nm. For this purpose, we rely on doping metal halide perovskites that are environmentally benign and stable.

What do you see as a grand challenge in the field of materials and what would help the community address this challenge?

In my opinion, the decade of 1981-1990 was a special one for materials chemists, working in the field of optoelectronics and energy materials. During this period, chemists learned how to synthesize semiconductors, and fabricate their devices, relying on solution-based chemistry approaches at relatively low temperatures. This solution processability enabled large number of chemists to synthesize new materials and devices, like colloidal quantum dots, organic electronics, sensitized solar cell, and hybrid metal halide perovskites. Not surprisingly, the journal Chemistry of Materials also started during that decade. The new materials and devices are now rapidly finding applications in consumer electronics, the Internet of Things, and energy appliances. In this situation, a grand challenge remains on how to dispose or recycle or repurpose those materials and devices in an efficient and environment-friendly way.

I believe that novel material chemistry approaches need to be developed for clean disposal and recyclability of optoelectronic materials and devices. Even more challenging will be to develop biodegradable semiconductor and devices, without compromising their optoelectronic performances for a well-defined duration.

Also, journals like Chemistry of Materials might sensitize the authors by asking them to add a brief discussion (in manuscript or supporting information) on possible ways to dispose/recycle their material/device.

What words of inspiration do you have to share with the readers of Chemistry of Materials?

I myself am a reader of Chemistry of Materials and am always looking for inspiration. I get inspired when I can think of, or observe, a new material or structure in my lab. The inspiration reaches to the next level if I can sense that the novel material/structure might exhibit significant properties compared to the previously reported benchmark material/device of that particular category. While I find it extremely difficult to think of such a new material/structure, I am absolutely confident that there is no dearth of such new material/structure. So we need to think smart and work more to figure out the potential new material/structure.

What is your research specialty and what inspired you to study and/or conduct research in this area?

Inorganic-Organic-Bioinorganic materials and systems. 19 years growing up experience as a farmer (wheat, corn, dairy cattle, pigs, chickens, vegetables) in Kansas and learning about the bio-, geo- and climatic synergism of living systems; graduate study at ISU with Bob Rundle, a Linus Pauling protege as mentor; postdoctoral study with Cliff Shull; learning about industrial system technology and deployment at DuPont Central Research when it was one of the top industrial research laboratories in the world; and the great interdisciplinary environment that I have had to work in at UCSB.

What do you see as a grand challenge in the field of materials and what would help the community address this challenge?

A grand challenge for the existence of life on this planet is to understand and prioritize this planet's geosystem-biosystem-ecosystem dynamic relationships on all time and length scales. The materials challenge is to enable doing this within the limitations of the planet’s resources, with respect for the both the short term and geologic time scale roles of components in the above systems.

What words of inspiration do you have to share with the readers of Chemistry of Materials?

In choosing how you use your life, and your commitment to research and commitment to study and teaching, take seriously the words of Edward Teller (and Albert Bartlett) “The extinction of the human race will come from its inability to emotionally comprehend the exponential function.” Glacial melting, the extinction of living species, greenhouse gas concentrations and global warming are currently on an exponential trajectory. Focus on resolving the cause of this and not these associated symptoms. Quantum and Astro physicists, as well as ecologists such as E. O. Wilson, have confirmed the spatial and temporal unity of all.

What is your research specialty and what inspired you to study and/or conduct research in this area?

My research interests include a wide range of modern problems in organic and heterocyclic chemistry. The main research areas are diversity-oriented synthesis, the study of multicomponent reactions, the development of methods to control their direction and selective switching between multiple directions using traditional and non-classical activation methods (microwave and ultrasonic radiation), the search for patterns and mechanisms of chemical reactions, and the creation and study of new functional materials. For example, we [the research group] have developed the condition-based divergence strategy for chemo-controlled multicomponent reactions and the concept of multicomponent-switched reactions. Using the first one, we can control the direction of multicomponent reactions by simple tuning of the reaction parameters, which allows to intentionally switch them between several directions.

In the field of functional materials, our main efforts are focused on the development of inorganic and hybrid organic-inorganic extractants and sorbent materials for the selective extraction of heavy metals and radionuclides. Today, we are also intensively involved in the [development of] complex agrochemicals based on supramolecular assembles for the preservation of fruits or control of fruit ripening, plant treatment agents and many other applications. Another important area is the development of substances and materials for pharmaceutical and biomedical applications. Until recently the research of new photo- and radio-sensitive organic compounds for the further development of visual indicators of radioactivity was among our areas of interest.

The main inspiration for us is the development of important things for the future of Ukraine. For example, our sorbent materials for the extraction of radionuclides are very important to overcome the consequences of the Chornobyl accident and to increase the safety of nuclear energy. Ukraine is also known for its agriculture products and fruit growing and this drives our research in the field of agrochemistry. In addition, we always try to use innovative approaches such as supramolecular chemistry, microwave and ultrasonic synthesis, and flow chemistry.

What do you see as a grand challenge in the field of materials and what would help the community address this challenge?

The development of smart and adaptive functional materials that can change their properties depending on the environmental conditions remains one of the main challenges for research and development in general and in the field of materials. There is also a need for further intensive research in nanotechnology and especially in the field of energy storage.

On the other hand, the newly developed innovative materials with beneficial properties have sufficiently larger raw material consumption value. This includes the constantly increasing number of reagents involved in the research, including gases, so it’s likely the research will produce much more wastes compared to 40-50 years ago. This trend conflicts with ecology initiatives for energy efficiency and natural resource savings around the globe, thus demanding researchers to search for more environmentally friendly approaches to do their study and, obviously, that’s how Green Chemistry was born and Computational Chemistry with various data analytic techniques has arisen.

Nowadays, one demands that the new materials should be sustainable and environmentally friendly, with improved performance and durability, while reducing waste and resource consumption during their production.

To meet modern sustainability agenda the materials community would benefit from increased interdisciplinary collaboration among materials scientists, engineers, and researchers from other fields of science such as Biology, Physics, and Chemistry, especially Green Chemistry. However, this approach requires significant investment in the areas of computational modeling and big data analysis to improve our understanding of how to focus our efforts on the development of novel materials with the target properties without being sunk in the excessive experimental work.

What words of inspiration do you have to share with the readers of Chemistry of Materials?

Despite the war of Russia against Ukraine with its constant bombardment and shelling of our cities, including schools, universities, and R&D institutes, despite the destruction and death, science in Ukraine continues to be active and many chemists are still working in their labs in Ukraine. We are currently working under extremely difficult conditions, being often without access to grants and other necessary funding and unable to purchase the reagents and materials we need or to repair equipment damaged by war. But the support we receive from the civilized world, both collectively and personally, is very important for all of us to believe in victory and return to normal life and scientific work. We continue to work and will not give up.

What is your research specialty and what inspired you to study and/or conduct research in this area?

My research focuses on creating advanced protein materials by synthetic biology approaches, which is an emerging interdisciplinary field. The main inspiration is spider dragline silk, an amazingly strong and lightweight protein fiber. Due to the limited natural resources, replicating spider silk by synthetic biological approaches has been an obsession among materials scientists for decades.

After over 10 years’ intensive study in our laboratory, we cannot only recapitulate the physicochemical properties of natural spider silk, but also create new functional materials, such as intracellular membraneless organelles for cellular and metabolic engineering, and three-dimensional nanorobots for controlled drug delivery, by genetically engineering spider silk proteins and combing novel fabrication technologies.

What do you see as a grand challenge in the field of materials and what would help the community address this challenge?

It remains a challenge to design proteins with predictable structures and properties of the ultimate protein materials, albeit their bright future for diverse applications. The recent development of artificial intelligence has greatly promoted the sequence, structure, and function prediction of many catalytic or therapeutical proteins, yet rare breakthroughs have been made on the material proteins due to their rarely available structural information. I believe that the rapid creation of protein libraries and high-throughput evaluation of material properties will generate big data for deep learning, which will spur predictive design of protein materials in the discovery pipeline.

What words of inspiration do you have to share with the readers of Chemistry of Materials?

As a synthetic biologist, I would like to say it is fascinating to learn from nature, and it is even more exciting to create new material forms with improved properties and/or non-native functions. Interdisciplinary inputs of all of us might be the only way to achieve this goal.

What is your research specialty and what inspired you to study and/or conduct research in this area?

I am a solid-state chemist and my research lab currently studies structure-properties relationships in cool pigments and controllable/negative thermal expansion materials. I came across both areas of research somewhat accidentally during my postdoc, but I was particularly inspired by their social relevance. Combating climate change and creating more robust, sustainable materials are some of the most urgent challenges society currently faces – these are a great motivator to get students involved in this research. Furthermore, the scientific concepts underpinning these areas are directly based on what students are taught in general chemistry. While undergraduate research is required of our majors toward the end of their degrees at CSUF, I always hope to motivate students to get involved in research early. So, when the research can be directly related to the curriculum they see in class, it inspires them to get involved earlier in their college degree.

What do you see as a grand challenge in the field of materials and what would help the community address this challenge?

An important challenge I see is embracing the multidisciplinary nature of the research we do, including outside the physical sciences. For example, my research on cool pigments could greatly be enhanced by knowledge from Public Health or social sciences disciplines on where cool pigment paints can do the most to alleviate the disproportionate burden on marginalized communities. It is very rewarding to explore all ways that my research can improve the human condition, and I think the greater materials field could benefit from bridging the gap between the physical sciences and social sciences/humanities toward the greater good. While this could be addressed with collaboration, that is often easier said than done. I have found success in involving myself in inter-college (i.e. outside physical sciences) research networks locally at CSUF, and I can see the materials community benefiting from such a network that is even more widespread.

What words of inspiration do you have to share with the readers of Chemistry of Materials?

There is a place for every interested person in the materials chemistry community. The more I go to conferences and meet people and hear about what excites them about their work, the more I understand how it really takes all kinds of folks to reach the goals of furthering scientific knowledge and improving the world. While the research is the crux of what we do, if your strengths lie elsewhere, you are needed. We need the data analysts, the educators, the communicators – everyone! The beauty of being in such an interdisciplinary field is that it already highlights the importance of collaboration and building the best team for the job.

Tell us about your background and your motivation for the journal?

I was fortunate to receive a classical education, which focused on the principles of free thought as the foundation of human progress. From a young age, I was encouraged to think critically, to question authority, and to seek out the truth through logic, independent study and research.

The path to my current position has been a journey with its ups and downs. It all started with humble beginnings, but I've always been driven and determined to succeed. Along the way, I've experienced a lot of fun, excitement, and struggles. There have been times when things have gone well and I've had a lot of fun, but there have also been moments of disappointment and struggle. Despite these challenges, I've always persevered and kept moving forward. Throughout it all, I've learned a lot and grown as a person. I've learned to embrace the highs and the lows and to see each experience as a learning opportunity. In many ways, it's been a cycle of fun, struggles, excitement, and disappointments, but I wouldn't have it any other way. I'm grateful for all the experiences that have brought me to where I am today and I'm excited to see what the future holds. So, I can say that my journey has been accompanied with a lot of fun, struggles, excitement, disappointments, and fun all over again. Through it all, I have been fortunate to have the support of my own academic mentors, family, and colleagues who have encouraged and inspired me. And I am grateful for every step of the journey that has brought me to where I am today.

What is your research specialty and what inspired you to study and/or conduct research in this area?

I have always been excited and interested how to create new compounds and materials using the principles of chemistry and discovering new principles. I have always felt a delight in seeing and admiring the molecular structure or crystal structure of a new chemical compound. I've always thought that a new material, a new composition, and crystal structure has an expression and speaks by trying to tell you what it could do in terms of chemical and physical properties. This is what I always tell new students who come to my lab.

So, I started as a synthetic chemist trying to figure out how to stabilize a new molecular structure and evolved into someone who has a passion for creating materials with superior properties such as energy conversion, radiation detection and environmental cleanup. My research interests are diverse and start from the science of chemical synthesis and go to the development of new concepts of how to design materials that can convert thermal energy into electrical energy, or solar energy into electrical energy.

My research team and I, in collaboration with brilliant colleagues, have contributed significantly to the development of a new research field centered on halide perovskites. In 2012, we published the first research paper describing the use of perovskites in the creation of high-efficiency solar cells. Our work has the potential to revolutionize the development of solar cells and the production of low-cost electricity. Since then, we have also discovered new perovskites that are now used in the most efficient solar cells. The perovskites finally turned out to be a new class of unorthodox semiconductors that work very well in electronic devices while according to classical theories of semiconductors they shouldn't work at all. This has opened exciting science opportunities and new possibilities for the use of these materials in a variety of applications.

Our contributions to the development of advanced thermoelectric materials have not only set new records for efficiency in converting thermal energy into electrical energy but have also paved the way for new designs of such materials. The innovative concepts and theories, such as the nanostructuring concept, that we have employed have been key in enabling these advances.

What do you see as a grand challenge in the field of materials and what would help the community address this challenge?

There are many grand challenges, and everyone is looking at this issue from their own perspective and expertise. So, I will do the same.In the last 35 years, that is since the discovery of high-temperature superconductors, materials science, solid-state chemistry, and solid-state physics have seen an unprecedented burst of creativity and productivity. The positive impact has been enormous. We are at a turning point that perhaps foreshadows the next phase of this process. It is very important that the funding of research into the creation of new materials continues and includes new possibilities such as artificial intelligence.

Despite the enormous synergies that can be achieved by the interdisciplinary collaborations of scientists, we should not forget the creative power of the individual investigator. While collaborations can bring together diverse perspectives and expertise, they can also be time-consuming and may not always allow for the individual investigator to pursue their own research interests and ideas. Individual investigators have the freedom to follow their curiosity and to explore new ideas, even if they may be considered unconventional or risky. This freedom is essential for the advancement of science, as it allows for new theories and discoveries to emerge. It is important to recognize the value of both interdisciplinary collaborations and the creative power of individual investigators. By fostering a culture that supports both approaches, we can ensure that science continues to make progress and advance our understanding of the world.

What words of inspiration do you have to share with the readers of Chemistry of Materials?

I have been very fortunate to have mentored many Ph.D. students and postdoctoral fellows from nearly all backgrounds, helping to train the next generation of scientists and researchers. Over 200 altogether.One of my great hopes has always been to be an inspiration to those who have worked with me.

I believe that meritocracy has played a significant role in my journey. In this country, we can work hard and earn our way to success, regardless of our background or circumstances. I am grateful to have lived in a society where merit is valued and rewarded, and I am proud of all that I have accomplished through hard work and determination. But no matter what comes your way, always try to stay positive and keep moving forward, knowing that each challenge is an opportunity to learn and grow. I understand that the path to success in science can be challenging and at times, overwhelming. However, I want to encourage you to stay focused and determined and to remember that as long as meritocracy is maintained, your morale will remain high, and your motivation and determination to do the best science will get you to your destination.So stay focused, stay determined, and don't let setbacks or challenges hold you back. With hard work and perseverance, you can achieve great things and make meaningful contributions to your personal growth, the scientific community and society.

What is your research specialty and what inspired you to study and/or conduct research in this area?

My research interest focuses on mechanistic understanding and materials design for clean energy storage and conversion. Energy storage is the key to unlock the tremendous potential of clean and renewable energies. I want to contribute to this important cause.

What do you see as a grand challenge in the field of materials and what would help the community address this challenge?

As a community, we should encourage more fundamental studies on understanding why/how things work or don’t work (e.g., reaction and degradation mechanisms). This is important not only for the advancement of science, but also for training the next generation young scientists.

What words of inspiration do you have to share with the readers of Chemistry of Materials?

I want to share a quote that empowers me through many challenges in life.

“When your determination changes, everything will begin to move in the direction you desire. The moment you resolve to be victorious, every nerve and fiber in your being will immediately orient itself toward your success.” — Daisaku Ikeda.