One hundred twenty-five years ago, 36 physicists gathered at Columbia University with a common goal: "to advance and diffuse the knowledge of physics," and today, we’ve certainly done that:
- With 50,000 members in more than 100 countries, APS helps physicists develop their professional networks, access career-building resources, honor outstanding work, and advocate for physics.
- Each year, nearly 30,000 physicists present and gain inspiration from APS scientific meetings and events — including the world’s largest physics conference.
- APS publishes three of the most prestigious journals in physics: Physical Review Letters ranks #1 among Letters Journals, Reviews in Modern Physics is #1 among review journals, and Physical Review X is #1 among fully Open Access journals.
- Physical Review journals publish the largest volume of Nobel Prize-winning physics research, cited annually by the Nobel Committees for Physics or Chemistry for the past 13 years.
But while the spirit of our mission remains the same, times have changed. In looking forward to the next 125 years, APS is adapting to meet the evolving needs of the physics community. For example, nearly a quarter of our members live and work outside the United States, and more than 70% of papers in our journals have at least one international co-author.
Over the course of the year, APS leaders are traveling around the world to strengthen our connections to the international physics community. International collaboration is essential for the advancement of science and to tackle some of the world’s most pressing challenges. We are proud to have recently led an effort with more than a dozen physical societies to proclaim a set of principles and policies for international scientific collaboration: integrity, transparency, and reciprocity.
APS strives to be a welcoming global hub for the physics community — cultivating an inclusive culture that fosters curiosity, champions collaboration, and thrives on innovation, while upholding values of ethics and respect. We aim to create an environment that welcomes individuals from all backgrounds who share our passion for physics.