APS Announces Dr. Kate Kirby as Chief Executive Officer

Kate Kirby, APS CEO

Kate Kirby, APS CEO

Dear APS Members,  
 

I have the pleasure to announce that the APS Board of Directors has voted to appoint Dr. Kate Kirby as the first Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of APS, effective February 2, 2015.  

The Board acted on the advice of the CEO Pre-Search Committee, chaired by 2014 APS Past President Michael Turner. The committee recommended that APS not delay in transitioning the organization to new leadership and governance structures. It was felt that someone who already has a deep understanding of APS and our physics culture would best accomplish a smooth and timely transition.  

As a long-standing member of APS, Dr. Kirby has served in many leadership roles in the Society, including as Secretary/Treasurer and Chair of the APS Division of Atomic, Molecular, and Atomic Physics (DAMOP), and on the APS Council and Board. The significant experience and valuable skills Dr. Kirby has developed over the past five years of service as APS Executive Officer make her uniquely qualified to lead the organization as it evolves to take on the challenges and opportunities facing both the Society and the global physics community.  

Before coming to APS, Dr. Kirby served as Senior Research Physicist and Associate Director of the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics (1988-2001), heading the Atomic and Molecular Physics Division. From 2001 to 2008, she served as Director of the NSF-funded Institute for Theoretical Atomic, Molecular and Optical Physics (ITAMP) at Harvard-Smithsonian. Dr. Kirby earned her bachelor’s degree in chemistry and physics from Harvard and her Ph.D. from the University of Chicago. Dr. Kirby is a Fellow of both APS and AAAS. 

I would also like to take this opportunity to thank the CEO Pre-Search Committee for their work on behalf of the Society. 

Please join me in congratulating Dr. Kirby on her appointment and in wishing her every success. 

Samuel AronsonSam Aronson
2015 APS President