Applications are now open for the intake of new Individual Members and Junior Members of the IAU. The timelines for application submission, review and admission run concurrently for Individual and Junior Members.

IAU Individual Membership

Eligible candidates for IAU Individual Membership are professional scientists conducting research that is directly related to astronomy. Those researchers admitted as IAU Members by the Executive Committee will be affiliated to at least one Division.

IAU Junior Membership

Eligible candidates for IAU Junior Membership are junior scientists in the initial phase of a research career with the prospect of becoming a professional researcher in astronomy. For this round of applications, candidates must have completed their PhD studies in any field of astronomy between 2017 and 2022. Admission by the Executive Committee as a Junior Member will be for a maximum period of six years.

Junior Members must indicate at least one Division they wish to join. They can join Commissions and Working Groups according to the same rules as Individual Members. Previously they could not hold office within the scientific bodies, except in Commissions or Working Groups specifically established for Junior Members. However, the Executive Committee has modified this Working Rule such that Junior Members can now take up any role in any Working Group and they can hold office in the Organising Committee of any Commission, but not as Commission President or Vice President, except in Commissions specifically established for Junior Members.

It is understood that, given the expected high mobility of Junior Members, their confirmation or the proposal to become a regular Individual Member may be submitted by a National Member who was not the first proposer.

We would like to note that after several requests to be more inclusive concerning how individuals identify their gender on membership application forms, we are adding more options. After consulting with the Astronomy for Equity and Inclusion Working Group, we have come up with a list of eight gender options that applicants may select from as well as an option for those who do not wish to disclose this information. All gender details will be strictly confidential including for the proposing countries and will only be used for statistical purposes.

The timeline for the 2022–2023 application review and admission of Individual and Junior Membership is as follows:

• 7 October 2022: invitation to the Presidents of the IAU National Committee for Astronomy (NCA) or Adhering Organisation (AO) (whichever applies) and Division Presidents (whenever there is no NCA or AO) to contact their national community or prospective candidates asking them to submit applications for IAU Membership.
• 15 December 2022: deadline to accept applications for IAU Membership. Late proposals will not be taken into consideration.
• 15 February 2023: deadline for the respective NCAs and Adhering Organisations to review applications and to send the General Secretary the lists of proposed candidate IAU Members together with the relevant referees’ assessments. These lists will subsequently be reviewed by the Membership Committee.
• 31 March 2023: deadline for the Membership Committee to review the lists of proposed candidate IAU Members and to send the General Secretary the final list of proposed IAU Members.
• April 2023: the final list of proposed IAU Members will be submitted to the Executive Committee for approval during its meeting in April 2023.
• May 2023: accepted IAU Individual and Junior Members announced.

More information

The IAU is the international astronomical organisation that brings together more than 12 000 active professional astronomers from more than 100 countries worldwide. Its mission is to promote and safeguard astronomy in all its aspects, including research, communication, education and development, through international cooperation. The IAU also serves as the internationally recognised authority for assigning designations to celestial bodies and the surface features on them. Founded in 1919, the IAU is the world's largest professional body for astronomers.

Links

• Qualification for Individual and Junior Membership and Application Procedure
• Working Rules on IAU Membership

Contacts

Madeleine Smith-Spanier
IAU Membership Coordinator & Database Manager
Paris, France
Tel: +33 1 43 25 83 58
Email: smith@iap.fr

José Miguel Rodriguez Espinosa
IAU General Secretary
Email: IAU-general.secretary@iap.fr

Lars Lindberg Christensen
IAU Director of Communications
Cell: +1 520 461 0433/+49 173 38 72 621
Email: lars.christensen@noirlab.edu