Election of Dijkgraaf and Lu as IAC Co-Chairs

AMSTERDAM, 23 March 2009 - The governing board of the InterAcademy Council (IAC) has elected Robbert Dijkgraaf, president of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences, and Lu Yongxiang, president of the Chinese Academy of Sciences as its co-chairs for the next four years. The IAC also elected a new board for 2009 - 2013.

The world's science academies created the IAC in 2000. The IAC mobilizes the best scientists and engineers across the globe to advise international bodies such as the United Nations and the World Bank, and other institutions. Recently the IAC released reports entitled 'Women for Science' and 'Lighting the way: Toward a sustainable energy future'. This year, important issues for the IAC are emerging infectious diseases and water supply and quality.

"The newly elected IAC board has an urgent agenda for the next four years, focused on the current economic and environmental crises facing all nations, and rising innovation capacity for sustainability", said Lu, re-elected to a second term as IAC co-chair. "The IAC Board discussions today show how urgent these global challenges are", agrees Dijkgraaf. "The IAC, representing scientists from all regions of the world, plays an important role in addressing these issues."

Headquartered at the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences in Amsterdam, the IAC's governing board comprises the presidents of the Academy of Sciences for the Developing World (TWAS); African Academy of Sciences; Argentina National Academy of Exact, Physical and Natural Sciences; Australian Academy of Science; Brazilian Academy of Sciences; Chinese Academy of Sciences; Académie des Sciences, France; German Academy of Sciences Leopoldina; Indian National Science Academy; Indonesian Academy of Sciences; Science Council of Japan; Academy of Science of South Africa; Turkish Academy of Sciences; The Royal Society, United Kingdom; and the United States National Academy of Sciences. Ex officio voting representation is from the InterAcademy Panel (IAP), the InterAcademy Medical Panel (IAMP), and the International Council of Academies of Engineering and Technological Sciences (CAETS). Official observers include representatives of the International Council for Science (ICSU) and the IAC host academy, the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences (KNAW).

The following are members of the newly elected IAC board for 2009 - 2013:
Robbert Dijkgraaf, Co-Chair, President, Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences
Lu Yongxiang, Co-Chair, President, Chinese Academy of Sciences
Howard Alper, Ex Officio Member, Co-Chair, InterAcademy Panel on International Issues
Eduardo Charreau, Member, President, National Academy of Exact, Physical and Natural Sciences of Argentina
Robin Crewe, Member, President, Academy of Science of South Africa
Ralph Cicerone, Member, President, U.S. National Academy of Sciences
Mohamed H.A. Hassan, Member, President, African Academy of Sciences
Ichiro Kanazawa, Member, President, Science Council of Japan
Yücel Kanpolat, Member, President, Turkish Academy of Sciences
Eduardo Moacyr Krieger, Member, Former President, Brazilian Academy of Sciences
Kurt Lambeck, Member, President, Australian Academy of Science
Sangkot Marzuki, Member, President, Indonesian Academy of Sciences
Volker ter Meulen, Member, President, German National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina
Jacob Palis, Member, President, Academy of Sciences for the Developing World (TWAS)
Martin Rees, Member, President, Royal Society of London
Jean Salençon, Member, President, Académie des Sciences, France
Achiel Van Cauwenberghe, Ex Officio Member, Former President, International Council of Academies of Engineering and Technological Sciences
M. Vijayan, Member, President, Indian National Science Academy
Goverdhan Mehta, Observer, Former President, International Council for Science, (ICSU)
Ed Noort, Observer, Foreign Secretary, Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences (KNAW)

More information:
Please see www.interacademycouncil.net for more information or contact John Campbell, executive director of the InterAcademy Council, Amsterdam, +31 (0)20 551 08 07, secretariat@iac.knaw.nl.
 

(Click image for a high resolution photo)

Both new co-chairs: Lu Yongxiang and Robbert Dijkgraaf.
Photo: Henk Thomas