A Q&A with the Lead Editor of PRX Energy, David Scanlon

APS recently appointed David Scanlon, Professor of Computational Materials Design, University College London, United Kingdom as the inaugural Lead Editor of PRX Energy, a new, highly selective, open access journal covering energy science and technology.

We sat down, virtually, with Professor Scanlon to learn more about his vision for this exciting new journal, which began accepting submissions late last year.

What does it mean to you to be the inaugural lead editor of PRX Energy?

It’s a huge honor to be the inaugural lead editor of PRX Energy. It's incredibly exciting to be part of the birth of a new energy journal, and to guide its development and hopefully watch its growth.

At the same time I recognize the significant responsibility I have in serving the energy research community and the authors and referees who contribute to this journal. It is extremely important to me that we provide fair and high quality peer review and give authors feedback that serves to improve their papers.

What is your vision for the journal? What makes PRX Energy different from other journals?

My vision is to create a home for high impact energy research that bridges the Physics community with the multidisciplinary energy community in the Physical Review family. What marks PRX Energy as different from other energy journals is the focus on open access, rigorous multidisciplinary energy research with a physics slant. Another differentiating factor is the rigor and transparency that is ensured through the peer review process that Physical Review journals are famous for.

I also cannot focus enough on the international nature of this journal. The applications of energy research affect everyone, and this research is truly an international effort to meet the urgent challenges our society faces. I am excited to assemble an international editorial board that represents that community and that provides greater insight into the global research community.

David Scanlon

It is also the broader impacts of this research that indicate the need for an open access journal in this subject, so that we can move even more effectively toward the discoveries that can more efficiently harness energy and transform it, and develop innovative technologies. This motivates the editorial team to strive to deliver competitive publishing times, and ensure broader promotion and dissemination of published work to the broad, global, and diverse community.

What research are you working on right now?

My group uses ab initio calculations to predict the properties of new materials for a range of energy applications, including batteries, thermoelectrics, and photovoltaics. We are currently employing crystal structure prediction techniques to try to discover new lithium ion cathodes comprised of earth abundant, sustainable elements, which is a lot of fun!

Where do you see growth or emerging research in energy research? What do you think are the biggest problems for energy researchers to solve?

I think energy storage and generation will continue to grow steadily, especially as we attempt to deal with the current climate emergency. In my opinion, there is no more important problem to solve than this, and the health and wellbeing of future generations depends on how the energy community tackles these issues. I also think that due to this, climate policy research will be of the highest importance in the coming decades.

What advice would you give to someone submitting to PRX Energy?

As long as your paper comprises a significant advance in any area of energy research, then PRX Energy is the journal for you. I would advise interested authors to ensure that the importance of your findings is clearly highlighted in their submissions, to aid our editors in understanding why your work is right for PRX Energy. Send us a paper that you are proud of, that will be of great interest to the global interdisciplinary energy research community, and benefit from the reach and visibility that comes with open access—for which APS is covering the article publishing charges (APC) in 2022!—and our commitment to promoting the articles we publish in our inaugural year.

Learn more about and submit your manuscript to PRX Energy at journals.aps.org/prxenergy.

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