The International Astronomical Union invites all its active Individual Members to consider standing in the forthcoming elections of the Division Steering Committees and Commission Organising Committees for 2021–2024. Whether standing for election or not, all members are encouraged to actively participate in the process, which is vital to the renewal of the IAU’s scientific structures.

These elections are due to take place in April, ahead of the IAU Business Meetings scheduled for August 2021, after which the newly elected committees will take up their positions. An overview of the various roles of Division and Commission elected officers can be found here.

In addition, the Division Presidents will soon propose to the Executive Committee the revision of the Working Groups which will otherwise automatically cease to exist by August 2021. Therefore, the identification of the chairs and co-chairs of the Working Groups for the next triennium are also due to take place in the coming months. This process is organised internally by the Divisions, Commissions and Working Groups, and must be completed by 1 June 2021. The Working Groups should contact their members soon regarding this if they have not done so already. 

It should be noted that the President of a Division cannot be President of another Division or of a Commission, or be chair of a Working Group, unless agreed otherwise by the Executive Committee on a case-by-case basis. Additionally, each individual may only hold one position on any given Steering Committee (Divisions) or Organising Committee (Commissions) at a given time. This does not apply to ex-officio cases (example, Commission Presidents are ex-officio members of their parent-Division’s SC). It should also be noted that Junior Members cannot hold office within scientific bodies, except in Commissions or Working Groups specifically established for Junior Members. However Junior Members are encouraged to vote in the elections. In April we encourage all members to vote, taking the time to review the candidates and keeping in mind that along with scientific expertise, we would like these committees to be as balanced by geography and gender as possible. Further information on the rules that apply to IAU elections can be found online in the IAU Statutes, Bye-Laws and Working Rules.

The timelines for the Division Steering Committee and the Commission Organising Committee elections are as follows:

Division elections:

• 26 January: e-mail to Division Presidents asking them to call on their membership for candidates for the various positions open for election, and encouraging members to step forward and run for office
• 10 February: deadline for Division Presidents to inform the Secretariat of the number and types of positions open for election in each Division
• 15 February: call to Division membership for at-large Organising Committee candidates 
• 8 March: closure of candidate application for Division elections
• 13 April: opening of electronic voting of Division elections
• 30 April: closing of electronic voting of Division elections

Commission elections:

• 26 January: e-mail to Commission Presidents asking them to call on their membership for candidates for the various positions open for election, and encouraging members to step forward and run for office
• 10 February: deadline for Commission Presidents to inform the Secretariat of the number and types of positions open for election in each Commission
• 15 February: call to Commission membership for at-large Organising Committee candidates 
• 8 March: closure of candidate applications for Commission elections 
• 14 April: opening of electronic voting of Commission elections
• 30 April: closing of electronic voting of Commission elections

The candidate application form for the Division elections is available here (please log in to your IAU account first) and for the Commission elections here (please log in to your IAU account first). Please contact the relevant Division President or Commission President for advice and instructions if needed before filling in the form.

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

• Candidate application form for the Division elections
• Candidate application form for the Commission elections

Contacts

Lars Lindberg Christensen
IAU Press Officer
Cell: +49 173 38 72 621
Email: lars@eso.org 

Madeleine Smith-Spanier
IAU Database Manager
Paris, France
Tel: +33 1 43 25 83 58
Email: smith@iap.fr