Interview with Founding Editor-in-Chief Prof. Zhifeng Ren
On August 28, 2023, the Editorial Office of Soft Science conducted an interview with its Founding Editor-in-Chief, Prof. Zhifeng Ren, from the Department of Physics and the Texas Center for Superconductivity at the University of Houston (TcSUH), Houston, Texas, USA. During the interview, Prof. Ren shared his perspectives on the field of soft science, emerging research trends in the area, key scientific challenges, and his vision for the journal's future development.
Defining Soft Science and the Rationale for Launching the Journal
At the outset of the interview, Prof. Ren introduced the concept of "soft science" and explained the motivation behind founding the journal Soft Science. He described soft science as a highly interdisciplinary research domain that bridges physics, chemistry, biology, mathematics, engineering, computer science, and materials science, as well as economics, with particular emphasis on soft materials and their functional applications.
Prof. Ren noted that the rapid development of soft science over the past decade has created an urgent need for a dedicated academic platform to disseminate high-quality research in this area. Soft Science was therefore established to support interdisciplinary research, promote original scientific ideas, and facilitate communication across traditional disciplinary boundaries.
Global Research Trends and Emerging Hot Topics
Addressing global development trends in soft science, Prof. Ren highlighted the growing interest in wearable, comfortable, and portable electronic devices designed to monitor human motion and physiological signals. He also underscored the increasing importance of flexible and stretchable electronics, especially their applications in soft robotics. Additionally, Prof. Ren noted that future flexible devices are expected to play an important role in assisting individuals with severe disabilities, potentially enabling functions comparable to those without disabilities.
Key Scientific Challenges and Advice for Young Researchers
When asked about the most urgent scientific problems in the field, Prof. Ren pointed to the development of soft active materials that simultaneously exhibit high stretchability, fatigue resistance, and self-healing capabilities, the fabrication of electronic soft skin, and the challenges associated with their practical implementation. He emphasized that addressing these complex problems requires rapid advancements in multiple disciplines.
Drawing from his own research experience, Prof. Ren encouraged young scholars to build a broad and solid knowledge base rather than focusing narrowly on a single discipline, as soft science is inherently multidisciplinary. He further emphasized the importance of learning from researchers with different backgrounds, as such interactions can stimulate innovative ideas.
Personal Interests and Vision for Soft Science
In addition to discussing research, Prof. Ren shared his personal interests outside of academic research, providing readers with a glimpse into how he balances his scholarly work and personal life.
Looking ahead, Prof. Ren outlined his expectations for Soft Science as Editor-in-Chief. He expressed his hope that the journal will serve as a trusted and valuable platform for researchers to share high-quality research, thereby fostering innovation, strengthening interdisciplinary collaboration, and contributing to the advancement of soft materials science and related fields.
Watch the full interview with Prof. Zhifeng Ren:
Interview Questions:
Q1. Could you briefly introduce the field of soft science? What motivated you to found the Soft Science journal?
Q2. What are the major global development trends and current hot topics in this field?
Q3. What are the most important scientific questions that need to be addressed?
Q4. What are the most difficult problems your research group has encountered? What advice would you offer to young scholars?
Q5. What are your hobbies and interests outside of scientific research?
Q6. As Editor-in-Chief, what are your expectations for the future of Soft Science?
About the Interviewee:
Prof. Zhifeng Ren
Department of Physics and Texas Center for Superconductivity at the University of Houston (TcSUH), Houston, Texas, USA
Research Interests
• High performance thermoelectric materials
• Catalysts for water splitting
• Nanosheet for enhanced oil recovery
• Thermal management
• Superconductivity
• Solar energy conversion
• Flexible transparent electrodes
• Carbon nanotubes and nanocomposites
Selected Honors and Awards
• Fellow of the American Physical Society (2004)
• Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (2005)
• Distinguished Senior Research Award of Boston College (2006)
• R&D 100 Award for the development of high performance thermoelectric materials (2008)
• Ranked 49th among the world's top 100 Materials Scientists of the decade 2000-2010 (2011)
• Fellow of the National Academy of Inventors (2013)
• The Edith and Peter O'Donnell Award in Science from The Academy of Medicine, Engineering & Science of Texas (TAMEST) (2014)
• Excellence in Research, Scholarship and Creative Activity of UH (Full Professor) (2018)
• Humboldt Research Award from the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation (2018)
• Highly Cited Researcher (Physics) (2018)
• Sigma Xi full membership (2019)
Editor: Mirra Du
Language Editor: Catherine Yang
Production Editor: Ting Xu
Respectfully Submitted by the Editorial Office of Soft Science
