Chair of Study Group U.K. named President-elect of the Institute of Physics

Founded in 1874, the Institute of Physics is the professional body and learned society for physics in the UK and Ireland, focused on inspiring people to develop their knowledge, understanding and enjoyment of physics. With a worldwide membership of over 20,000, the Institute works with a wide range of partners to support and develop the teaching of physics in schools, and encourage innovation, growth and productivity in business, as well as providing evidence-based advice and support to governments.

Members of the Institute of Physics come from across the physics community whether in industry, academia, the classroom, technician roles or in training programmes as an apprentice or a student. The Institute is also a leading science publisher.

Offering her congratulations, the CEO of Study Group Emma Lancaster said:

“I am pleased to offer my warmest congratulations to Sir Keith Burnett on the news of this very special scientific honour. Keith is an eminent scientist but also internationally respected as a leader in higher education who has long championed the importance of international education. We are delighted that he is now sharing this experience with us in his role as Chair of Study Group U.K.”

Past Presidents of the Institute of Physics include the astronomer, physicist, and mathematician Sir Arthur Eddington, Nobel Laureate Sir William Bragg and the Institute’s first female President, Dame Jocelyn Bell Burnell, discovered the first radio pulsars. The Institute’s coat of arms features a shield bearing a representation of an atom, and the organisation's motto "Intellegite et explicate" ("Understand and explain").