Division of Soft Matter Fellowship
Fellowship in the American Physical Society is a great honor. In accordance with the APS Constitution, "there shall be elected to Fellowship only such Members who have contributed to the advancement of physics by independent, original research or who have rendered some other special service to the cause of the sciences." All APS members are invited to nominate deserving colleagues as potential Fellows of APS.
Rules and eligibility
Nominating a colleague for APS Fellowship is a way to commend them for excellence in physics and their service to the physics community.
To nominate a colleague for APS Fellowship, you and the additional nominating co-sponsor must be active APS members. The colleague you nominate must also be an active APS member.
Process and selection
To nominate a colleague for APS Fellowship, please include the following:
- The nominee's name
- The co-sponsor's name, and email address
- A 300 character suggested citation that does not include the nominee's name, gendered pronouns, or symbols, and begins with, "For..."
- A 2,500 character paragraph expanding on the citation to indicate the originality and significance of the contributions
- A PDF sponsor's recommendation letter
- The co-sponsor's recommendation letter, which must be uploaded by the co-sponsor
- The nominee's curriculum vitae (CV), which must include academic and employment history, professional honors, a list of principal publications only, and other significant contributions to physics
- Optional: Up to two additional PDF letters of support, which must be uploaded by the letter writers
Selection Committee
- Devaraj Van Der Meer (Chair)
- Lynn Walker (Vice Chair)
- Paulo Arratia
- Petia Vlahovska
- Linda Hirst
- Eric Dufresne
Recent recipients
Aparna Baskaran
2024 recipient
For seminal contributions exploiting nonequilibrium statistical physics to elucidate the physics of active and granular matter.
Gijsje Koenderink
2024 recipient
For fundamental contributions to the understanding of the material properties of the active soft matter systems that support and shape biological cells and tissues.
Robert L. Leheny
2024 recipient
For elucidating dynamics of colloidal glasses, nanoparticles in polymer matrices, liquid crystals, and interfacial layers, employing XPCS and active microrheology.
Anthony Dinsmore
2024 recipient
For advancing understanding of colloidal assembly in bulk fluids and on fluid interfaces, through the measurement of structure and interactions driven by entropy, geometry, and interfacial tension.
Alberto Fernandez-Nieves
2023 recipient
For pioneering studies on the interplay between geometry, topology, and order in complex fluids, including geometrically frustrated liquid crystals, highly confined colloidal hydrogels, toroidal shaped drops and gels, drop formation in microfluidics, and mechanics and dynamics of fire ant collectives.
APS Honors recognizes and celebrates the accomplishments of the global physics community. Guided by our core values, APS Honors encourages nominations that reflect the full range of talent, distinction, and experience in our field, and supports broad canvassing for professional achievement across diverse backgrounds, perspectives, and expertise.
Nominees for and holders of APS Honors (prizes, awards, and fellowship) and official leadership positions are expected to meet standards of professional conduct and integrity as described in the APS Ethics Guidelines. Violations of these standards may disqualify people from consideration or lead to revocation of honors or removal from office.