“This is a critical moment for physics. I look forward to working with the Board and Council to ensure that APS faithfully represents the interests of its members while continuing to build a broad and inclusive community to address the world’s most pressing challenges.”
COLLEGE PARK, Md. (PRWEB) August 15, 2020
Theoretical physicist Jonathan Bagger will become the next Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the American Physical Society (APS). The selection was unanimously approved by the APS Board of Directors.
Bagger has completed six years as Director of TRIUMF, Canada’s particle accelerator center, located in Vancouver, British Columbia. He was previously Krieger-Eisenhower Professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy at Johns Hopkins University, where he served as chair of the department and held several senior administrative positions. As its new CEO, Bagger will oversee all aspects of APS operations, including managing a staff of 250 people and a $68 million annual budget.
“I am deeply honored to have been selected as the next CEO of APS,” said Bagger. “This is a critical moment for physics. I look forward to working with the Board and Council to ensure that APS faithfully represents the interests of its members while continuing to build a broad and inclusive community to address the world’s most pressing challenges.”
APS President Phil Bucksbaum said: “Jon Bagger is a distinguished physicist and an exceptional leader. He has managed TRIUMF through years of transition and growth, and has had great success in positioning the laboratory for a bright and vibrant future.”
“His leadership and commitment to TRIUMF will be missed by us all,” said Digvir Jayas, Chair of the TRIUMF Board of Management. “We wish him great success in his role at APS.”
APS Past President David Gross, who chaired the CEO Search Committee, said: “I am delighted and excited that Jonathan Bagger has accepted our invitation to be the next CEO of APS. Jon’s extensive experience in scientific management and his deep commitment to APS and its mission will serve the Society well in these tumultuous times.”
Bagger has a long history of service to APS. He has held numerous leadership positions within APS committees and units, including the Task Force on Expanding International Engagement (2017-2018), the Division of Particles and Fields (2001-2004), and various prize committees. He has served on the APS Council (2001-2004) and the APS Executive Board (2003-2004), as well as on the editorial boards of Physical Review Letters (1990-1993) and Physical Review D (1998-2007). He was elected a Fellow of APS in 1997 for his contributions to the theory and phenomenology of supersymmetry, supergravity, and supercolliders.
At TRIUMF, Bagger led a multi-disciplinary laboratory with a $72 million annual budget and a staff of more than 500 people. As part of his deep commitment to building a diverse and inclusive workforce, he reshaped TRIUMF’s hiring practices and established the laboratory’s Committee on Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion. He stated that “an inclusive workforce is essential to the future of physics; it enriches our science and engages the broader community, to the benefit of all.”
Bagger also believes that APS and its members must continue to speak out in support of the US scientific enterprise. He said he is “proud to join an organization that stands up for science and the values we hold dear.”
“I am absolutely delighted with the appointment of Dr. Jonathan Bagger,” said APS CEO Kate Kirby, who will retire at the end of the year. “I think he will be a great leader of APS. Jon and I have already had some good conversations and together we are planning for a very smooth and seamless transition.”
About APS
The American Physical Society is a nonprofit membership organization working to advance and diffuse the knowledge of physics through its outstanding research journals, scientific meetings, and education, outreach, advocacy, and international activities. APS represents over 55,000 members, including physicists in academia, national laboratories, and industry in the United States and throughout the world. Society offices are located in College Park, Maryland (Headquarters), Ridge, New York, and Washington, DC
