Applications are now open for the intake of new Individual Members, Junior Members and Honorary Members of the IAU. The timelines for application submission, review and admission run concurrently for Individual and Junior Members. There is a separate timeline for the intake of Honorary 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 2015 and 2020. 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, but they cannot hold office within the scientific bodies, except in Commissions or Working Groups 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.

IAU Honorary Membership

Honorary Membership gives official recognition to individuals who have made significant contributions to the progress of astronomical research and culture in their country, but who do not qualify to be Individual Members. 

Honorary Membership was first introduced at the XXX IAU General Assembly, during which the first Honorary Members were announced. The next IAU Honorary Members to be admitted will be announced at the XXXI IAU General Assembly which will be held in Busan, Republic of Korea in August 2021.

The timeline for the 2020 application reviewal and admission of Individual and Junior Membership is as follows:

• 1 October 2020: 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 to submit applications for IAU Membership.
• 15 December 2020: deadline to accept applications for IAU Membership. Late proposals will not be taken into consideration.
• 15 February 2021: 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 2021: 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 2021: the final list of proposed IAU Members will be submitted to the Executive Committee for approval during the EC Meeting in April 2021.
• May 2021: accepted 2020 IAU Individual and Junior Members announced.

The timeline for this round of Honorary Membership applications is as follows:

• 15 March 2021: deadline for submission by the National Members of Honorary Member candidates.
• August 2021: accepted new IAU Honorary Members announced at the XXXI IAU General Assembly in Busan, Republic of Korea.

More information

The IAU is the international astronomical organisation that brings together almost 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 Database Manager
Paris, France
Tel: +33 1 43 25 83 58
Email: smith@iap.fr   

Maria Teresa Lago (for Honorary Members)
General Secretary
Paris, France
Tel: +33 1 43 25 83 58
Email: IAU_GS_2018@iap.fr   

Lars Lindberg Christensen
IAU Press Officer
Garching bei München, Germany
Tel: +49 89 320 06 761
Cell: +49 173 38 72 621
Email: lars@eso.org