The Royal Astronomical Society is delighted to announce Ian Russell as its next Executive Director.
Following an extensive recruitment process, Mr Russell will begin the role on 1 May 2025.
He will succeed the retiring Philip Diamond, who has led the RAS since 2018 and steered the Society through the Covid-19 pandemic, the move of its journals to open access and the signing of a 999-year lease at Burlington House, as well as overseeing its bicentenary in 2020.
Mr Russell was previously the Chief Executive of the Society for Endocrinology and Managing Director of its trading subsidiary Bioscientifica Ltd. He has also held senior positions at the Royal Society, Oxford University Press and the Institute of Physics during a career spanning more than 30 years.
He is a keen astrophotographer, a Fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society and has previously served on the Society's Finance Committee.
Mr Russell, who studied physics and astronomy at Southampton University, said: "I am extremely honoured to have the opportunity to lead the RAS into its next exciting phase, working with the passionate and committed team at Burlington House, Council and the membership at large to deliver the Society’s strategic objectives.
"The RAS and the astronomy and geophysics communities we serve face considerable challenges, not least due to straitened public finances in the UK and the geopolitical situation more widely.
"However, with these challenges come significant opportunities to support our members and advocate on behalf of our discipline, to continue to drive our publications and meetings forward, and to make full use of our resources, including our headquarters at Burlington House, to fulfil our mission."
Paying tribute to his predecessor, Mr Russell added: "I wish Phil well as he moves to his next chapter. Thanks to his efforts and many achievements over the past seven years, he leaves the Society in a strong position."
RAS President Professor Mike Lockwood said the appointment of Mr Russell as Executive Director was "wonderful and exciting for the Society".
"Not only has Ian got experience in heading up a learned society, he also has an affiliation with the Royal Astronomical Society through his membership, passion for astronomy and past sharing of expertise and acumen to help support the organisation," he added.
"He also has an extensive publishing background, which will be hugely valuable to us going forward because this is an area of vital importance to the Society that has changed rapidly in recent years and is set to change further."
Professor Lockwood said he was "really looking forward" to working with Mr Russell, whom he called a "genuine astronomy enthusiast".
He also thanked Mr Diamond for his "exceptional leadership, unwavering commitment and instrumental role in the Society's success over the past seven years."
Mr Diamond said: "I am delighted that Ian is succeeding me as Executive Director of the RAS. He is taking over at a really exciting time for the Society and will bring a wealth of experience to the role. I know that he will take the Society from strength to strength and I wish him every success."
ENDS
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Caption: Ian Russell has been appointed as the next Executive Director of the Royal Astronomical Society.
Credit: Royal Astronomical Society
Notes for editors
About the Royal Astronomical Society
The Royal Astronomical Society (RAS), founded in 1820, encourages and promotes the study of astronomy, solar-system science, geophysics and closely related branches of science.
The RAS organises scientific meetings, publishes international research and review journals, recognises outstanding achievements by the award of medals and prizes, maintains an extensive library, supports education through grants and outreach activities and represents UK astronomy nationally and internationally. Its more than 4,000 members (Fellows), a third based overseas, include scientific researchers in universities, observatories and laboratories as well as historians of astronomy and others.
The RAS accepts papers for its journals based on the principle of peer review, in which fellow experts on the editorial boards accept the paper as worth considering. The Society issues press releases based on a similar principle, but the organisations and scientists concerned have overall responsibility for their content.
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