Biophysical Society Announces the Results of its 2021 Elections

Newswise — ROCKVILLE, MD – Taekjip Ha has been elected President-elect of the Biophysical Society (BPS). He will assume the office of President-elect at the 2022 Annual Meeting in San Francisco, California and begin his term as President during the 2023 Annual Meeting in San Diego, California.

Taekjip Ha is a Bloomberg Distinguished Professor of Biophysics and Biophysical Chemistry, Biophysics, and Biomedical Engineering at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. He is also an investigator with the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. He received his undergraduate degree in Physics, from Seoul National University, Seoul, Republic of Korea in 1990.  He earned his Ph.D. In Physics from the University of California at Berkeley in 1996. After postdoctoral training at Stanford University, he was a Physics professor at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign until 2015.

“What makes the Biophysical Society great are its members; they define what biophysics is by their action, by unlocking fundamental answers in biology using quantitative methods. The value of rigorous science and scientific methods to the humanity has rarely been as self-evident,” said Ha. “Decades ago, the founders of the Society were prescient in not naming it the American Biophysical Society. Talents in biophysics come from every continent and scientific discoveries enabled by biophysical methods touch all of us regardless of nationality. We seek to improve human conditions for everyone, and the pandemic made it clear that diseases have no borders, talent is everywhere, immigrants are the engine of innovation, and effective communication of science is essential to gaining trust from the public. The Biophysical Society’s role is to help its members to become heroes of their own scientific endeavors and I intend to support those endeavors throughout my term as President.”

Four Society members were also elected to serve on Council.  They are:

Patricia Bassereau, Institut Curie, France

Martin Gruebele, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, USA

Syma Khalid, Oxford University, England

Valeria Vásquez, University of Tennessee, USA

Each will serve a three-year term, beginning on February 22, 2022.

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The Biophysical Society, founded in 1958, is a professional, scientific Society established to lead development and dissemination of knowledge in biophysics. The Society promotes growth in this expanding field through its annual meeting, publications, and committee and outreach activities. Its 7,500 members are located throughout the United States and the world, where they teach and conduct research in colleges, universities, laboratories, government agencies, and industry.