We are pleased to announce that Prof. Dr. Huaili Zheng has been appointed Editor-in-Chief of the new Section “Applications of Magnetism and Magnetic Materials” in Magnetochemistry (ISSN: 2312-7481).

Prof. Dr. Huaili Zheng is a Professor at Chongqing University, studying magnetic materials (magnetic catalysts, coagulants/flocculants, absorbers, etc.) in environmental applications and water-purification mechanisms. His specific research interests include controlled synthesis of functional magnetic solid materials, kinetics and mechanisms of magnetism-enhanced catalysis/adsorption/coagulation, transport of porous catalysts/coagulants/flocculants/absorbers, and process intensification with magnetism. His expertise and practical experience in the application of magnetism and magnetic materials include advanced wastewater treatment processes, resource recovery, minimization of wastes, and net-zero emissions.

The following is a short Q&A with Prof. Dr. Huaili Zheng, who shared his vision for the journal with us, as well as his views of the research area and open access publishing:

1. What appealed to you about the journal that made you want to take the role as its Editor-in-Chief?

Magnetochemistry aims to publish papers of high quality on various aspects of magnetism, from fundamental research on magnetism to applications of magnetic materials, devices, and technologies in all branches of chemistry, which appeals to me. Besides, the Section is open to all researchers around the world, and the editing work of the Section allows me to access the frontier knowledge that I have not studied. As the Editor-in-Chief, I can experience the research journey, including germination and development of research ideas, presentation in the form of manuscripts, and the final submission and publication.

2. What is your vision for the journal?

My vision for the Section is to create a platform that crosses disciplines and brings together people with different backgrounds to discuss the same thing—applications of magnetism and magnetic materials. The high-quality research results will continually assist the scientists to conduct new research and services that ultimately improve society, the environment, and the quality of life.

3. What does the future of this field of research look like?

Magnetism has penetrated many aspects of our lives and is closely related to many research fields (e.g., medicine, materials, environics, etc.). So, the future of this research field is endless. In addition, based on the continuous progress and application of magnetism research, some cutting-edge science or future technologies of human progress will eventually be realized.

4. What do you think of the development of Open Access in the publishing field?

Open Access (OA) is a model for publishing scholarly peer reviewed journals, made possible by the Internet. Many countries around the world also require their funded research to be disseminated on the Internet. It is clear that the continuous improvement of the Internet in the future will have a positive impact on the development of OA. I believe that this model will provide all researchers with equal opportunities in the future to disseminate their research results and help them fully realize their potential as researchers. As we all know, the rapid development of the Internet provides the possibility of Open Access publishing model.

We wish Prof. Dr. Huaili Zheng every success in his new position, and we look forward to his contributions to the journal.