Division of Plasma Physics 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
- Troy Carter
- John Canik
- Paul Cassak
- Chris Chen
- Christine Coverdale
- Luca Comisso
- Maria Gatu-Johnson
- Yuan Ping
- John Sarff
- Derek Schaeffer
- Earl Scime
- Steven Shannon
- David Donovan
Recent recipients
Adrianus C.C. Sips
2025 recipient
For groundbreaking contributions to tokamak scenario developments, having an extraordinary combination of research and technical knowledge together with outstanding leadership capabilities in coordinating international research, and managing operation of tokamak devices.
Laura Berzak Hopkins
2025 recipient
For pioneering the development of innovative low gas-filled hohlraums and diamond capsules to enable high-gain inertial confinement fusion experiments at the National Ignition Facility, and for exceptional leadership in controlled fusion and weapons science.
Oliver Schmitz
2025 recipient
For advancing the general understanding of 3D plasma boundary layers towards viable divertor solutions for stellarators, as well as divertor exhaust schemes in tokamaks with applied resonant magnetic perturbation fields.
Brian Wirth
2025 recipient
For seminal advances in understanding plasma-surface interactions involving helium in metallic plasma-facing components, and for extensive community leadership and service.
Mikhail Shneider
2025 recipient
For major contributions to the theory of low temperature plasmas, including radio frequency, spark discharges, laser-plasma and laser-gas interaction, atmospheric electricity phenomena, plasma-liquid interactions, and microwave scattering and laser plasma diagnostics.
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 Standards. Violations of these standards may disqualify people from consideration or lead to revocation of honors or removal from office.