Exciting Changes for the New Year

2024 has been a tremendously successful year for Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research (I&ECR). Now officially 115 years old, the journal published 1793 articles, with 66 reviews and 103 articles being part of five special issues (SIs) organized by guest editors. In addition, we continued our tradition of gathering invited papers by leading early career researchers in our Class of Influential Researchers SI, and recognizing our top reviewers with the Excellence in Review Award. We launched the Celebrating Undergraduate Research SI series, which aims to highlight contributions made by promising researchers while completing their first degree. The work of the I&ECR Editor in Chief is supported (and made easier) by a terrific Editorial Board (EB). The EB worked together for another premiere, the “2023 in Retrospective: Trends in Chemical Engineering” Editorial, which aims to catalog the main research trends reflected in the articles published by I&ECR in the previous year and provide thematic guidance to authors seeking to publish in the journal. I am excited to announce several new appointments to the editorial team: Dr. Stefano Brandani, of the University of Edinburgh, will be starting as Associate Editor covering the Separations section. Stefano’s deep technical expertise in adsorption materials and processes will be a tremendous asset in an area that has seen considerable growth. Dr. Felix Llovell-Ferret, of Universidad Rovira i Virgili in Tarragona, Spain, will be leveraging his expertise in computational thermodynamics and process simulation as Associate Editor for the Thermodynamics, Transport, and Fluid Mechanics section. Dr. James J. Downs, of Eastman Chemical, joins as Topical Editor for the Process Systems Engineering section. Jim brings a huge wealth of experience gained in over 40 years of working across many areas of chemical processing and manufacturing, and will be concentrating mainly on handling manuscripts dealing with separation processes. Additional new members of the team will be announced in future Editorials. Associate Editors Drs. Aaron Scurto and Krista Walton stepped down in December 2024. I am thankful for their outstanding work and support for I&ECR over the past decade. I am also grateful for their willingness to continue to advise I&ECR as members of the Editorial Advisory Board (EAB). Former Editor-in-Chief Dr. Phil Savage will also be rejoining us in this capacity. Their experience and advice will be invaluable in making strategic decisions. The EAB, which plays a vital role in offering context and feedback, and its diversity reflects the breadth of the chemical engineering community. I am delighted to introduce the newest members joining our EAB team from academia, industry, and national laboratories: Dr. Jonathan Fan, Stanford University Dr. Kevin Leonard, The University of Kansas Dr. Paulami Majumder, Dow Chemical Dr. Jose Maria Ponce-Ortega, Universidad Michoacana de San Nicolas de Hidalgo Dr. Dorina Sava Gallis, Sandia National Laboratory Dr. Cara Schwarz, Stellenbosch University Dr. Calvin Tsay, Imperial College Dr. Michael Wong, Rice University Several members have left the EAB in December: Drs. Serena Cussen, Lauren Greenlee, Saif Khan, Yomaira Pagan-Torres, Natalia Shustova and Lourdes Vega. I am thankful for their contributions to the journal. For 2025, our goal remains unchanged: to be the publication venue of choice for cutting-edge developments in chemical engineering and applied chemistry. Our fundamental strategy remains centered on being responsive to our readers by providing highly relevant content, ensuring an excellent publication experience for our authors, and recognizing the essential role of our peer reviewers. Of course, the implementation of these tenets will evolve with feedback from these stakeholders and from the EB and EAB. My virtual door is always open; feel free to reach out at eic@iecr.acs.org. I wish you a happy, healthy, and productive New Year. This article has not yet been cited by other publications.