Leicester research physicist re-elected to top international role

A research physicist who has been working in Leicester for nearly 30 years has been re-elected to one of the top positions at the only global organisation that covers all areas of physics.

Dr Gillian Butcher, who is a Research Associate in Space Projects and Instrumentation at the School of Physics and Astronomy at the University of Leicester and Space Park Leicester, will be Vice President of the International Union of Pure and Applied Physics (IUPAP) until 2027.

Dr Butcher has served as IUPAP’s Vice President with responsibility for Gender since 2020 but at its latest General Assembly in Hainan Province in China, when she was re-elected, the position’s remit was broadened to Equity, Diversity and Inclusion.

The General Assembly, along with the Chinese Physical Society, also hosted a special symposium to celebrate 25 years since the resolution that created the Working Group on Women in Physics (WG5).

Dr Butcher, who served as Chair of the WG5 from 2017 to 2021, said: “I was delighted to chair a session on the impact of WG5 on different regions of the world and to present the future of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion within IUPAP.

“It was special to meet up with old friends from the WG5 who had helped establish it and it was clear from the symposium just what an impact WG5 has made on women physicists around the world and on IUPAP itself.

“The evolution of the Vice President position to Equity, Diversity and Inclusion, is a natural progression and I hope I can continue to ensure that IUPAP is a truly inclusive Union and have a positive impact on the global physics community.”

IUPAP is an international, non-governmental organisation whose mission is to assist in the worldwide development of physics. It seeks to foster international cooperation in physics, and to help in the application of physics toward solving problems of concern to humanity.

To learn more about IUPAP, visit https://iupap.org

Main image: Dr Gillian Butcher (fourth from right) with her IUPAP colleagues