Welcome Prof. Jian Liu as the Editor-in-Chief of Synthetic Cells
OAE's newly launched international open access journal Synthetic Cells is delighted to announce the appointment of Prof. Jian Liu as its Editor-in-Chief. Prof. Liu is currently Chair Professor and Dean of the School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering at Inner Mongolia University (IMU), Hohhot, China.
About the Journal
Synthetic Cells is an interdisciplinary journal dedicated to publishing cutting-edge research on the design, construction, and application of artificial and biomimetic cellular systems. The journal serves as a platform for integrating advances in synthetic biology, nanotechnology, catalysis, and materials science to develop functional cell-like architectures with programmable behaviors.
About Prof. Jian Liu
Prof. Jian Liu earned his Ph.D. in physical chemistry at the State Key Laboratory of Catalysis, Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics (Chinese Academy of Sciences, CAS), Dalian, China. He expanded his international experience through postdoctoral work at the Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology (AIBN), University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia, followed by academic appointments abroad, before returning to IMU to lead high-impact research.
At IMU, Prof. Liu leads the Micro-Nano Reactor & Reaction Engineering Science Group, a leading laboratory specializing in the design and synthesis of micro-/nanoreactors, porous carbon materials, and advanced catalytic systems. The group is equipped with state-of-the-art instrumentation for materials synthesis, pore/structural characterization, and catalytic reaction analysis, enabling cutting-edge research in nanomaterials, catalysis, and reaction engineering.
Prof. Liu has a prolific and highly influential research record, with over 300 peer-reviewed articles in top-tier journals, including Nature Materials, Nature Communications, Angewandte Chemie International Edition, ACS Nano, Nano Letters, Advanced Materials, and Nature Reviews Chemistry. A recent bibliometric analysis ranked him among the top 2% of scientists worldwide (2022 lifetime achievement list).
Among Prof. Liu's recent landmark contributions, his group published a review in Nature Reviews Chemistry (2024) on the chemistry of mesostructured porous nanoreactors, summarizing design principles, synthetic strategies, and applications in energy conversion and heterogeneous catalysis. His group has also developed innovative catalytic platforms such as dual-compartment Janus nanoreactors for photocatalytic water splitting and nanoporous carbon-supported catalysts for selective carbon dioxide (CO₂) hydrogenation and other transformative chemical processes.
Prof. Liu's expertise in materials chemistry, reactor/nanoreactor engineering, and sustainable catalysis aligns seamlessly with Synthetic Cells' vision of bridging nanoscale materials design, confined-space chemistry, and life-inspired synthetic systems.
The Editorial Office extends its warmest congratulations to Prof. Jian Liu on his appointment. Under his stewardship, we look forward to Synthetic Cells advancing as a trusted and important journal for transformative research at the interface of synthetic biology, nanotechnology, materials science, and catalytic engineering.
Editor: Mehak Nawaz Khan
Language Editor: Catherine Yang
Production Editor: Ting Xu
Respectfully Submitted by the Editorial Office of Synthetic Cells
