UVic scientist leads new open-access chemistry journal

When the new international chemistry journal ACS Omega launches this summer, a longtime University of Victoria chemist will be steering its direction.

Cornelia Bohne has been named one of four global co-editors of the new publication, which is described by the American Chemical Society (ACS) as “an open access, multidisciplinary chemistry journal publishing peer-reviewed research of broad impact from around the world.”

Open-access journals are scholarly online publications that are available to anyone with access to the internet. They don’t require subscriptions and in most cases there are no copyright restrictions.

“ACS Omega will satisfy open access mandates from a range of funders and provide an authoritative home for original research articles of scientific value covering all areas of chemistry, chemical engineering and allied scientific fields,” says the ACS.

“This appointment represents global visibility for our university,” says Neil Burford, chair of UVic's chemistry department and president of the Canadian Society of Chemistry. “ACS is a major international publisher of cutting-edge science who appoints only world-leading scientists as editors. We're very proud of Cornelia's achievements and this recognition of her global scientific status.”

Bohne is a world expert in supramolecular chemistry—the study of large structures held together by forces other than chemical bonds. Since joining UVic in 1992, she’s developed specialized techniques to understand the dynamics of supramolecular systems, laying the groundwork for future advances in DNA, protein and drug research.

Bohne is a native of Brazil and still actively participates in the chemistry community in South America—giving her a unique perspective of scientific activities and issues spanning both continents.

“It’s a big honour to be chosen,” she says. “The concept of open access is the future. There are enormous challenges in the changing landscape of scientific publishing and I’m excited to have a leading role in this project.”