The American Physical Society is entering a new era of leadership for its flagship journal, Reviews of Modern Physics. Under newly appointed Editor-in-Chief Sujit Datta, the journal has named University of Chicago Professor Giulia Galli as an Associate Editor, handling the scientific oversight of the Computational Physics reviews.
This infusion of new leadership, which places a globally recognized authority in such a high-stakes editorial role, underscores a transformative evolution for the journal as it maintains its reputation as the ‘gold standard’ of physics literature.
Mapping the Frontier: The Role of RMP
Since its founding in 1929, Reviews of Modern Physics (RMP) has provided the essential scaffolding for the physical sciences. In an era of hyper-specialized research, the journal performs a critical function: while standard journals often focus on incremental discoveries, RMP publishes robust articles that authoritatively synthesize and map out entire subfields. These “reviews” are not broad summaries, but rigorous, evaluative frameworks that resolve theoretical conflicts, identify knowledge gaps, and set the global research agenda for decades.
RMP’s enduring influence is best captured by its impact factor—a measure of its global citation reach. In 2026, the journal reached a score of 54.49, the highest in the American Physical Society (APS) portfolio. To put that in perspective, while most journals average between 1 and 5, a score above 50 places RMP in the elite tier of Nature and The New England Journal of Medicine. As such, it remains the premiere venue for any researcher launching a new project.
The Rise of Predictive Physics
Prof. Galli’s appointment marks a pivotal shift in RMP’s century-long history: computational research is now as central to RMP’s mission as traditional theoretical and experimental physics. Galli is a pioneer in using first-principles simulations to power "predictive physics"—the ability to determine material properties before they are ever synthesized in a lab. Drawing on her leadership at UChicago, Argonne National Laboratory, and as Director of the Midwest Integrated Center for Computational Materials (MICCoM), she offers a vital perspective on how these simulations are accelerating discovery across the chemical and physical sciences.
A New Era for the Gold Standard of Physics
This appointment of Galli as editor is a victory for representation in senior scientific leadership. For the vast majority of its existence, RMP’s editorial leadership, including Computational Physics reviews, has been shaped by an unbroken succession of male editors. Prof. Galli is the first woman in the journal’s history to serve as an Associate Editor for the Reviews section, breaking the gender barrier for the computational wing of the board.
Ultimately, Prof. Galli brings a technical depth that will further strengthen RMP’s coverage of rapidly evolving subfields where her expertise is known to bridge the gap between traditional physics and the future of computation. The ensures the journal remains a vital resource for a new, technologically advanced generation of scientists, keeping Reviews of Modern Physics at the absolute forefront of modern discovery.
VIDEO: From the National Academy of Science, Dr. Galli discusses her research and career, providing excellent context for her new leadership role at RMP.