One January 1, I started my term as Chair-Elect for the APS Forum for Early Career Scientists (FECS). This is a three-year position; I will serve as Chair-Elect, Chair and then Past Chair in 2021, 2022 and 2023 respectively. I have already served on the Executive Committee for the past two years as a Member-at-Large, and I am excited to continue serving this community. On behalf of FECS, I will also be serving as an Ex-Officio member of the APS Committee on Careers and Professional Development (CCPD) and I’m looking forward to shaping the crucial career programming that APS offers its members.

I want to thank everyone who voted in the FECS election, especially all the candidates who stepped up and volunteered to run! We’re so lucky to have so many active service-minded members of this community. Big congratulations to the new members of the Executive: our inaugural Communications Officer, Taylor Juran, our inaugural International Affairs officer, Mehmet Dogan, our new Secretary, Shreyashi Chakdar, and our new Members-at-Large, Nicole Benker and Eva Kostadinova. Welcome to FECS!

If you’re interested in learning more about FECS, you can add the forum to your APS membership for free. If you’re a physicist and you’re not an APS member, you should become one (whether or not you live in the US)! APS runs the largest physics conferences in the world and offers specialized professional development and career services for physicists looking to build a career in academia or industry.

• APS FECS on Engage (discussion board/website)
• APS FECS Facebook group
• A profile of FECS in APS News

If you have ideas or thoughts about issues affecting early career scientists or APS’s career programming, please don’t hesitate to contact me directly.