Contributing to the future of chemistry and making the journal and papers more attractive

化学の将来に貢献し、論文誌と論文をもっと魅力的に

Read exclusive interviews with our board member in Japan and learn about his research and experience as a Communications Chemistry board member.

―― What is your current research focused on?

Satoshi Honda: My research interests lie in the synthesis of topologically unique polymers, construction of functional nanostructures, and development of stimuli-responsive soft materials. In my group, we exploit our materials for a wide range of applications including energy and environment, health care, and electronics. Inspired by masterfully designed brilliant biofunctions, a part of our researches artificially imitates structurally unique biomolecules and their assemblies to elaborate unprecedented material functions.

―― What has been your biggest challenge and your greatest achievement in your career so far?

Satoshi Honda: When I conceive of a research project, I impose various restrictions in the process to realize a final target. For example, the development of materials that do not require solvents for end use in order to be environmentally friendly, or the development of stimuli-responsive materials that are readily available to anyone without the need for expensive specialized equipments. The more restrictions I impose, the more difficult the challenge becomes. My own memorable challenge and achievement is the paper in Nat. Commun., 8, 502 (2017). Incidentally, when one challenge is accomplished, another one appears one after another. When I think of the next challenges, the previous ones that has already been accomplished become not so tough. So, in my case, the biggest challenge is always the ongoing researches.

―― Why did you decide to become a board member?

Satoshi Honda: When we work as researchers, we have opportunities not only to publish our own researches, but also to be reviewers of other researchers' papers. If either of these is missing, such researchers would be abandoning one of our responsibilities to contribute to academia, but there is one more entity that we should not forget: editors of journals. In the narrow sense of the term, the key players in the process of publishing papers are the authors, the reviewers, and the editorial board. The editorial board members should have the responsibility to look at the future development of the research field from a more bird's eye view and to contribute to the development of the entire research field by making the journal more attractive. In other words, editors contribute to scientific researches in ways different from authors or reviewers with a great deal of responsibility. In this context, I felt that becoming one of the editorial board members (EBMs) of Communications Chemistry, which covers all aspects of chemistry, would be a unique opportunity to contribute to the development of chemistry. The main motivator for this was the offer of the EMB position on directly from the chief editor, but the primary motivation in my heart was the one mentioned above. Therefore, the moment I received the offer, I immediately decided to accept it.

―― What do you like most about being a board member for Communications Chemistry?

Satoshi Honda: Once becoming EBM, we get to see a variety of matters that we cannot see as authors or reviewers of papers. I am convinced that this experience will be a great plus for my own research. I joined the editorial board in January 2021, so I am still a newcomer. I feel that I will be able to absorb a lot as I accumulate experience, and I am very much looking forward to it.

―― What do you think benefits of reading articles in Communications Chemistry or submit a paper to this journal?

Satoshi Honda: Many journals do not have full-time editorial board members and are generally managed by faculty members at universities and research institutes. On the other hand, decisions at Communications Chemistry are made through rigorous communication between the EBMs and full-time editorial board members. This not only ensures fairness in the decision-making process, but also ensures that Communications Chemistry publishes highly valuable papers with little inconsistency in quality. In my opinion, fairness and quality assurance are major advantages for both authors and readers.

Profile

Satoshi Honda, Dr.

2015–present: Assistant Professor, Department of Basic Science, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
2018–present: Excellent Young Researcher, The University of Tokyo, Japan

Academic career:
2013: D. Eng., Department of Organic and Polymeric Materials, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Tokyo, Japan
2013-2015: Assistant Professor, Department of Industrial Chemistry, Tokyo University of Science, Tokyo, Japan
2018-2019: Visiting Scholar, Department of Chemistry, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA

Motto:
Entirely engross myself in whatever I enjoy.

Communications Chemistry

Communications Chemistry 日本語サイト