Anatole von Lilienfeld is a professor of physical chemistry at the University of Basel, Switzerland, and a project leader in the Swiss National Center for Computational Design and Discovery of Novel Materials (MARVEL). He is also the editor-in-chief of a new journal called Machine Learning: Science and Technology, which (like Physics World) is published by IOP Publishing. He spoke to Margaret Harris about the role that machine learning plays in science, the purpose of the journal and how he thinks the field will develop.