IAU Membership and IAU PhD Prize Applications Open

The US National Committee for the International Astronomical Union (USNC/IAU) is accepting applications for IAU Regular and Junior Membership until 15 December 2019. The requirements for each category are as follows:

Individual Members are scientists with a PhD or equivalent, whose long-term research is directly relevant to some branch of astronomy. Please note: individuals who fall in the junior member category should not also apply as individual members until after six years as Junior members (as described below). Further, PhD scientists whose primary research is in other fields, but who make important contributions to astronomy, will be eligible to become Associate Members, and non-PhDs whose work is relevant to astronomy can occasionally become Associate Members through Divisions, Commissions, and Working Groups.

Individual Members Application

Junior Members are individuals who have completed their PhD (or equivalent) studies between 2014 and 2019 and are in the initial phase of the professional researcher career in some area of astronomy. Junior membership is limited to six years, and reapplication as an Individual Member is necessary at or before that time.

Junior Members Application

Please note: applications through the USNC-IAU refer to scientists who are working in the United States or are US citizens and they apply to both categories.

The qualifications for membership and the application procedures can be found on the IAU web page.

Visit the National Academies webpage for more information about the USNC-IAU.

I also want to alert recent PhDs to the opportunity to apply for one of the IAU Division PhD prizes. Each IAU Division awards one PhD prize each year, and applications are currently being accepted until 15 December 2019. Candidates must have defended their dissertation between 16 December 2018 and 15 December 2019. They should submit an abstract of their thesis, three letters of recommendation (including one from the PhD advisor), and a CV. More information on the IAU PhD prize, including the application form, can be found on the IAU web page.