On 13 July, Kate Kirby, a physicist at the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory (SAO) and a senior research fellow and lecturer in Harvard University’s astronomy department, will succeed Judy Franz as executive officer of the American Physical Society. Franz is retiring after 15 years in the post.
“APS is an exciting and dynamic organization that both involves and serves the community very effectively,” says Kirby. “It does a lot of wonderful things for physics and the physics community.”
“I’ve been involved with the society for more than 25 years,” she adds, “and the more I heard about [the job], the more excited I became about being part of [APS].”
Kirby is a fellow of the society; among her APS roles, she has served on the executive committee (2005–06) and as chair of the division of atomic, molecular, and optical physics (1995-98). She earned her PhD in theoretical atomic and molecular physics...
