Science has no borders, and neither should our scientific community. The Biophysical Society is an international organization. The biophysics questions we ask are universal, and our ability to answer them depends on bringing together ideas, expertise, and perspectives from around the world. We strive to make the Society a home for our international community as part and parcel of how we operate, and I’ll take the opportunity of my column this month to highlight all the ways we engage our international members.
First, although our Annual Meeting has traditionally been held in the United States, we seek to have a geographically diverse distribution of symposium speakers who reflect the international makeup of the membership. This is accomplished through the careful attention of the Program Co-Chairs, who are charged with finding the best science. Council is also geographically diverse, and they review and approve the Annual Meeting program each year, which offers another check on whether we are meeting our global inclusion goal.
We bring biophysics to you through smaller Thematic Meetings that are locally organized outside of the United States with the support of our Society staff professionals. In fact, one of the first meetings I ever organized was a BPS Thematic Meeting in South Korea back in 2013. The Thematic Meetings have grown since that inception, and from 2025 to 2027, the Society has hosted or will host meetings in Denmark, India, Greece, Romania, Switzerland, Latvia, Germany, and the Czech Republic. We also have Thematic Meetings preliminarily approved for 2028 in South Korea and Ghana. The call for 2029 Thematic Meeting proposals will open next June, giving you the opportunity to shape the scientific focus and location of future meetings. Hosting Thematic Meetings outside the United States creates opportunities for biophysicists to engage with Society activities closer to home, making participation more accessible and strengthening connections across our global scientific community.
A third pillar of bringing science to members worldwide includes our virtual and in-person programming designed to connect researchers across a wide variety of disciplines. The September 2026 Subgroup Emerging Science Week, for example, enjoyed the participation of nearly 1,000 members. Biophysics Week, which is scheduled in March or April each year and began as an effort to raise awareness of our uniquely interdisciplinary field, has evolved into a dynamic, worldwide initiative that brings together scientists, students, educators, policymakers, and the public. Biophysics Week 2026 included 65 Affiliate Events across 15 countries. In addition to cutting-edge science, Biophysics Week has programming related to career development, overcoming challenges, and networking.
Do you want to develop leadership skills? All elected and appointed committees welcome and benefit from international members. If you are just starting out, keep in mind that most Society committees welcome members at all career stages. I personally think that this kind of professional service work should feed your soul, so start with something you care about and then contact a committee chair to express your interest and find out whether activities and opportunities for that committee resonate with how you want to commit your efforts. The international networking and relationships you will create will last you a lifetime.
The BPS Student Chapter Program spans 5 continents with 26 international chapters. This program aims to bridge gaps between academic learning and professional careers and to promote biophysics across college campuses worldwide through activities organized by the Chapters. Student Chapters can apply for mini-grants to help support events in their local communities, and they are also invited to participate in the Annual Meeting of the Student Chapters during the BPS Annual Meeting and host events during Biophysics Week.
We also have the BPS Ambassador Program that connects the Society with biophysicists in countries around the globe. Our ambassadors help build local scientific communities, encourage participation in Society activities, and create connections between researchers who might otherwise never encounter one another. Current Ambassadors are from Australia, Cameroon, Canada, China, India, Japan, Lithuania, Mexico, The Netherlands, Türkiye, the United Arab Emirates, and Uruguay, and I am excited that the 2027 Ambassador cohort will be announced soon.
Of course, participation in an international scientific community is not equally accessible to everyone. Geography, travel costs, institutional resources, and differences in research funding can all limit a scientist’s opportunities to engage with colleagues abroad. The Society’s reduced membership dues for scientists in lower-income countries and its travel awards are additional important ways of reducing some of these barriers to participation. Supporting students and early-career scientists is especially important because the professional relationships established early in a career can have an impact that lasts for decades.
Finally, there is also a less visible side to our international activities. Our journals and professional networks create opportunities for international engagement throughout the year. You do not have to be physically present at a meeting to contribute to the scientific conversations taking place within the Society. Whether you are publishing a paper, reviewing a manuscript, organizing a symposium, mentoring a younger scientist, or serving on a committee, you are contributing to a community that extends well beyond your own institutions and countries.
And this ultimately brings me back to what I believe is the fundamental value of a professional society, which is something I wrote about in an earlier column entitled “Membership matters” (www.biophysics.org/bps-bulletin/membership-matters). Membership enables us to accomplish together what we cannot accomplish on our own. Through our collective efforts, we create a network of mutual support, we advance our discipline, we nurture the next generation, and we build a shared professional identity. All of our programs work toward these common goals and reach scientists wherever they are. In other words: We are biophysicists without borders.
—Karen G. Fleming, President