APS Strategic Plan: 2019

Throughout 2018, APS members, leadership, and staff prepared a new Strategic Plan to guide the Society and lay out strategic priorities for APS in the years ahead. (Learn how the Plan was developed)

This Plan encompasses the whole organization, encourages innovation and experimentation, and positions APS to best confront today's significant challenges.

Download the Strategic Plan

Strategic Plan

Strategic Plan

In order for physics and the physics community to benefit from the greatest talent, and to strengthen APS as an organization, we will provide a welcoming and inclusive environment for all those engaged in physics.

Specific actions will include: EMBRACING DIVERSITY, INCLUSION, AND EQUITY at the highest levels of APS leadership; establishing best practices in the hiring and retention of staff, the population and education of committees, and the evaluation and selection of honorees.

In order to attract and retain members and to fully serve the current and next generation of physicists, we will grow and broaden the APS membership to include more physicists in industry and the private sector, and provide additional tangible member benefits.

Specific actions will include: RECRUITING MORE UNDERGRADUATE AND GRADUATE STUDENTS; PROVIDING MEMBERS WITH AN APS-CENTRIC MAGAZINE; forging new and closer ties with industry and the private sector; offering programs and workshops that address private-sector interest in emerging scientific topics; providing mentorship opportunities, career information, and leadership training for early-career scientists.

In order to promote the advancement of physics globally and to better serve APS’s international members, we will make connections and strengthen relationships throughout the international physics community.

Specific actions will include: ESTABLISHING GEOGRAPHICALLY SPECIFIC INTERNATIONAL SECTIONS in response to member demand; advocating for greater scientific mobility and more advantageous visa policies; hosting a recurring summit of presidents of other national physics societies.

In order to be the leading voice for physics in the U.S., we will support member engagement in effective science advocacy and public outreach, and in the shaping of science policy.

Specific actions will include: INCREASING THE NUMBER OF APS-SUPPORTED CONGRESSIONAL SCIENCE FELLOWS; leading and partnering in coalitions with other societies and organizations; helping members become effective and informed advocates for science.

In order for APS to continue to play a leadership role in innovative and impactful science education, outreach, and diversity programs, we will ensure that these programs align with and demonstrate the core values of APS, and that they are well-positioned to receive robust support and recognition.

Specific actions will include: exploring better ways to communicate; defining and implementing leading educational models; offering opportunities for members to participate in public engagement; implementing periodic programmatic assessments.

In order to further APS’s mission, we will strategically invest in new, emerging opportunities to benefit members, the broader physics community, and society.

Specific actions will include: SOLICITING PROPOSALS FROM MEMBERS AND STAFF FOR INNOVATIVE IDEAS for new programs and activities that APS will fund and help bring to fruition.

In order for the Physical Review journals to provide the preeminent venue for the curation and dissemination of physics and physics-related research internationally, we will be a leader in all aspects of journal publication.

Specific actions will include: being a trusted and authoritative source of high-quality, peer-reviewed research and reporting; maximizing the availability of journal content; providing authors, referees, and readers with outstanding service, education, and support.

In order to thrive in an evolving open access/open science environment, we will continue to inform the international dialogue and to develop our publishing portfolio and services to better address author and reader needs and respond to worldwide mandates.

Specific actions will include: EXPLORING NEW AND SUSTAINABLE EDITORIAL, PUBLISHING, AND BUSINESS MODELS; experimenting with new services and products; advocating for funding and other resources that allow researchers to publish in an open access environment without further constraining their research activities.

In order to be at the forefront of physics publishing and better serve the global scientific community, we will grow and diversify the APS publishing footprint to reflect the evolution of physics.

Specific actions will include: STARTING JOURNALS IN NEW AND EMERGING FIELDS AND IN INTERDISCIPLINARY AREAS; expanding outreach to international authors.

In order to convene must-attend physics-related meetings, from the big and global to the small and focused, we will improve APS meetings to better respond to the emerging needs of the various communities involved, especially students and early-career scientists, and to provide optimal experiences for all participants.

Specific actions will include: CREATING MORE SYNERGIES BETWEEN APS MEETINGS AND THE PHYSICAL REVIEW JOURNALS; embracing new technologies; exploring nontraditional ways of meeting.

In order for members and others to appreciate the exciting discoveries in physics, notable developments in the physics community, and the many successful APS programs, we will explore new and better ways to communicate and interact more effectively.

Specific actions will include: CREATING A NEW ANNUAL APS MEETING (in addition to the March and April Meetings); providing engaging, high-quality websites and social media channels.

In order to be a valued and respected organization, responsive to the needs of our members, and able to achieve our strategic initiatives, we will continually assess and improve internal organization and communication with members.

Specific actions will include: REDUCING INTERNAL BARRIERS AND ENCOURAGING CROSS-ORGANIZATIONAL COLLABORATION; providing professional development information and opportunities for APS staff; implementing periodic organizational assessments.

In order to assure member volunteers that their efforts, which are vital to the success of APS and its programs, are appreciated and worthwhile, we will improve the APS volunteer experience.

Specific actions will include: PROVIDING INCREASED STAFF SUPPORT TO MEMBER VOLUNTEERS; enhancing the orientation and training of member volunteers.

In order for APS to continue to pursue its mission and fulfill its vision for the future, we will ensure that APS activities are sustainable and capable of thriving in perpetuity.

Specific actions will include: implementing a strategic budgeting process, adopting appropriate investment and spending policies; optimizing APS’s editorial, publishing, and business models, and use of physical assets.

In order to mitigate future uncertainties relating to publishing, such as open access, we will seek to appropriately diversify APS’s revenue sources.

Specific actions will include: INCREASING PHILANTHROPIC EFFORTS in support of APS activities and programs; developing and monetizing products, services, and initiatives of value to the broader physics community.

Our Mission

To advance and diffuse the knowledge of physics for the benefit of humanity, promote physics, and serve the broader physics community, we:

  • Provide a welcoming and supportive professional home for an active, engaged, and diverse membership
  • Advance scientific discovery and research dissemination
  • Advocate for physics and physicists, and amplify the voice for science
  • Share the excitement of physics and communicate the essential role physics plays in the modern world
  • Promote effective physics education for all

Our Vision

To excel as a leading physics society, we will:

  • Be the authoritative advocate for physics
  • Publish world-leading journals in physics and related sciences
  • Convene vital meetings, conferences, and workshops
  • Engage and support the next generation of physicists
  • Foster equity and inclusion, and increase diversity in all its dimensions
  • Expand public appreciation of physics and its many contributions

Our Values

The core values that drive our mission are:

  • The Scientific Method
  • Truth and Integrity
  • Diversity, Inclusion, and Respect
  • Partnering, Cooperation, and Open Collaboration
  • Speaking Out
  • Education and Learning