New Year Editorial

Abstract

As 2025 begins, this is a fitting time for ACS Photonics to celebrate its achievements in 2024 and outline some key updates for the year ahead. This past year has been a period of significant growth for the journal, marked by a substantial increase in submissions. The editorial team extends its sincere gratitude to all our contributors for their continued trust in ACS Photonics. This surge in submissions underscores the journal’s position at the forefront of photonics research, encompassing an ever-widening range of topics. Absorbing this substantial growth would not be possible without the dedication of our reviewer pool, who ensure timely and expert assessments. We warmly thank them for their unvaluable contribution. We would like to express our deepest appreciation to Professor Jelena Vuckovic from Stanford University for her invaluable editorial contributions to ACS Photonics over the past 7 years. It has been an absolute pleasure to collaborate with Jelena. We will deeply miss her exceptional professionalism and warm personality. We wholeheartedly wish her the very best in her new role as Lead Editor of Physical Review Applied at APS. Departures always present opportunities for new beginnings, and we are thrilled to warmly welcome Professor Arka Majumdar from the University of Washington as our newest Associate Editor. Professor Majumdar will be overseeing submissions in the critical areas of integrated optics, AI for photonics and photonics for AI, and quantum photonics. We are delighted to have him join our editorial team. The close of this year also coincides with the renewal of our Editorial Advisory Board (EAB). This distinguished panel, comprising leading experts from across the globe in diverse fields of photonics, provides invaluable guidance and support to the editorial team. We extend our sincere thanks to all outgoing EAB members and warmly welcome our new appointees. Recognizing the vital contributions of the next generation of researchers, ACS Photonics is proud to announce the establishment of an Early Career Advisory Board (ECAB). Composed of six exceptional early career researchers representing the United States, Spain, and China, this board boasts a 1:1 gender ratio and will play a crucial role in shaping the future direction of the journal. Following the recent launch of the new Photonics Roadmap manuscript type, we have published this year our first Roadmap for optical metasurfaces, which, not only highlights the field’s significant achievements but also outlines emerging and future directions that will steer future scientific and technological advancements. A second Roadmap, dedicated to 2D materials for photonics, is currently in preparation. Finally, Professor Letian Dou, Charles Davidson Associate Professor of Chemical Engineering and Chemistry at Purdue University, has been named the recipient of the 2025 ACS Photonics Young Investigator Award. This prestigious award honors the outstanding contributions of early career researchers in the fields covered by the journal. Professor Dou will receive the award and deliver his lecture at the upcoming SPIE Photonics West 2025 in San Francisco. We look forward to another year of impactful research and exciting advancements in photonics alongside the entire ACS Photonics community. This article has not yet been cited by other publications.