We spoke with Professor Erin Ratcliff, an electrochemist-turned-materials scientist, about her interdisciplinary career path, her research in printable electronics, and her role on the Materials Horizons Editorial Board. Erin also shares advice for early career researchers and reflects on the evolving ways we communicate science today.
Could you tell us a bit about your background and research interests?
I’ve had what you might call a non-traditional academic path. I started at a liberal arts college with no engineering or materials program, so I carved my own way—triple majoring in chemistry, maths, and statistics, and working on fundamental electrochemistry phenomena.
I’ve always loved working across disciplines and developing new techniques
My PhD at Iowa State University moved me deeper into physical chemistry and inorganic materials, especially fuel cell catalysis. Then during my postdoc at the University of Arizona, I joined Neal Armstrong’s (not the astronaut!) group, where I transitioned into organic semiconductors—just as printable electronics and organic photovoltaics were booming. That period really shaped my approach and perspective, where I picked up photoelectron spectroscopy and used my electrochemical knowledge to focus on molecular and nanometer length scales.
Now, my lab at Georgia Institute of Technology focuses on interface science and printable electronic materials—everything from conducting polymers to metal halide perovskites. We’re interested in surface science, spectroscopy, transport, charge transfer and how materials behave across different scales and applications.
Science is a puzzle. The joy is in pulling together data from different angles and seeing how the pieces connect.
How has collaboration shaped your career?
Hugely. I’ve always loved working across disciplines and developing new techniques. At one point I was coordinating research across 15 principal investigators as part of an Energy Frontier Research Center. That role gave me the chance to think about research from a broad, strategic perspective.
To me, science is a puzzle. The joy is in pulling together data from different angles and seeing how the pieces connect. That mindset is what I try to instill in my students, even if it feels overwhelming at first!
What challenges have you faced in your career, and how have you approached them?
One of the biggest challenges for me was learning how to lead. I’m a very collaborative person, and I believe in the value of listening, but when you’re supervising a team, people still look to you to make decisions. Finding the balance between collaboration and leadership has been an ongoing process.
More broadly, I’ve also had my share of setbacks. You don’t get through a career in science without some kind of failure, whether it’s an experiment, a proposal or even a relationship that doesn’t go as planned. But those moments are also where the growth happens. I’ve learned that the most important thing is to reflect, regroup and keep moving forward.
What drew you to join the Materials Horizons editorial board?
I’ve followed the journal since it launched, and I’ve always appreciated its bold editorial vision. Materials Horizons is about more than incremental improvements – it’s about inspiring new thinking and opening up entirely new and exciting research directions. I use early papers from the journal in my teaching to show what it looks like to push boundaries.
Materials Horizons inspires new ways of thinking.
The journal’s community is also remarkable. These are researchers who really understand how to bridge fundamental science with applied outcomes – and who know how to communicate that work with clarity and inspiration.