Book excerpt: The Frontiers in Materials Editorial Office team are delighted to present the second edition of the “Rising Stars” article collection, “Frontiers in Materials: Rising Stars 2020”, showcasing the high-quality work of internationally recognized researchers in the early stages of their independent careers. All Rising Star researchers featured within this collection were individually nominated by the Topic Editors in recognition of their potential to influence the future directions of their respective fields. The work presented here highlights the diversity of research performed across the entire breadth of the materials science and engineering field and presents advances in theory, experimentation, and methodology with applications for solving compelling problems. This Editorial features the corresponding author(s) of each paper published within this important collection, ordered by section alphabetically, highlighting them as the great researchers of the future. The Frontiers in Materials Editorial Office team would like to thank each researcher who contributed their work to this collection. We would also like to personally thank the Topic Editors for their exemplary leadership of this article collection; their strong support and passion for this important, community-driven collection has ensured its success and global impact. Emily Young Journal Development Manager