Distinguished Lectureship Award on the Applications of Physics

APS’s Committee on Careers and Professional Development (CCPD) and the Forum on Industrial and Applied Physics (FIAP) seek to recognize and honor physicists in industrial and other non-academic careers for their significant contributions to the advancement of physics of a technical, industrial, or entrepreneurial nature and for their demonstrated ability to give interesting and engaging lectures to both experts and non-experts.  

This award will be given for a one year term. Recipients will be noted on the American Physical Society (APS) website, announced in APS News, and recognized at an annual meeting for their achievements in physics. The award recipients agree to give a minimum of three lectures over a term of one year delivered at a national APS conference, a sectional APS conference, and other venues, such as physics department colloquia, to be arranged by mutual agreement with the recipient and the Selection Committee Chair in consultation with the CCPD and with assistance from APS staff. The Distinguished Lectureship presentations should discuss key aspects of the recipient’s career and professional development in physics, they should be interactive and engaging, and they should be aimed especially at physicists early in their careers. The Distinguished Lectureship will include a $5,000 award and a plaque to be presented at an APS conference following the completion of the Distinguished Lectureship term. Travel costs will be reimbursed by APS up to $5,000.

Establishment & Support

This committee award, established in 2013 by the CCPD and FIAP, serves to stimulate interest and excitement in non-academic career paths in physics, and to expose students, faculty, and physics graduates to a variety of cutting-edge physics problems encountered throughout a successful industrial or other non-academic career. The award is endowed by FIAP.

Rules & Eligibility

This annual award will be given to an individual physicist, and more than one award may be made each year. Nominees need not be members of the APS or FIAP, and nominations will be considered for three review cycles provided the nominator re-certifies the nomination before the next deadline.

Nomination & Selection Process

Deadline: Wednesday, June 1, 2022

The awardee, selected in June, will begin their lectureship in September of the same year and will conclude in March of the following year. The nomination must include:

• A letter of not more than 2 pages evaluating the nominee’s most significant contributions that qualify the nominee for this award and other related accomplishments. Invited talks that the nominee has given on his/her research should be included.
• A one sentence description of the work being cited, and suggested title for the lecture series.
• The nominee’s curriculum vita of not more than three pages, and/or brief biographical sketch.

In addition, the nomination should include:

• A list of the nominee’s important publications or patents relating to the work cited or lecture series topic
• At least one, but not more than four, seconding letters.
• Up to four of the most important reprints, preprints, patents, or other written publications from the above list
• Provide a statement addressing the nominee's ability as an engaging public speaker. You may also add a link to a video presentation of the speaker delivering a talk (link must be in YouTube format, and set to publicly viewable)".  The intent is to give the Selection Committee a sense of the nominee's presentation style.

To start a new or update a continuing nomination, please see the Prize & Award Nomination Guidelines.

2022 Selection Committee Members: Ben Zhu, Christy Tyberg, Jeramy Hughes, John Rumble