Karsten Heeger recently began a three-year term on the American Physical Society (APS) Committee on International Scientific Affairs (CISA). The term runs from January 1, 2026 to December 31, 2028.
CISA “supports the APS with regard to issues related to international science” and serves “to strengthen interaction among scientists and engineers and institutions in different regions of the world and to further extend broad and worldwide access of physicists to scientific information and its exchange,” according to the APS website.
As part of CISA, Heeger will help develop a strategy for “The American Physical Society as a Welcoming Global Hub: A Roadmap for a New Era.”
Heeger previously served on CISA from 2009 to 2013 and served as its chair from 2011 to 2013. During this period, he helped develop APS’s international collaborations, in particular its engagement with China.
In 2012, Heeger led a delegation including APS leadership to China and organized a joint session between the APS and the Chinese Physical Society. According to Heeger, this was a period when there was strong interest in expanding the international engagement of the APS.
Heeger said, “Global collaboration and international partnerships remain important in science. I believe that working together is essential to advance the frontiers of discovery science.”
Heeger continued, “The US has been a leader and a destination for research and science for decades. The question is how the APS can continue to be a welcoming global hub for physicists around the world.”