Institute of Physics

The Institute of Physics (IOP) is a UK-based not-for-profit learned society and professional body that works to advance physics education, research and application.

It was founded in 1874 and has a worldwide membership of over 20,000. The IOP is the Physical Society for the UK and Ireland and supports physics in education, research and industry. In addition to this, the IOP provides services to its members including careers advice and professional development and grants the professional qualification of Chartered Physicist (CPhys), as well as Chartered Engineer (CEng) as a nominated body of the Engineering Council; it also holds its own separate Royal Charter. The IOP's publishing company, IOP Publishing, publishes 85 academic titles.

History

thumb|[[Frederick Guthrie (scientist)|Frederick Guthrie founded the Physical Society of London.]]

thumb|[[John Hall Gladstone, the first President of the Physical Society of London.]]

thumb|[[John Cockcroft, the first president of the merged societies.]]

thumb|[[Jocelyn Bell Burnell, the first female president of the IOP, donated £2.3 million to the IOP to establish the Bell Burnell Graduate Scholarship Fund]]

The Institute of Physics was formed in 1960 from the merger of the Physical Society, founded as the Physical Society of London in 1874, and the Institute of Physics, founded in 1918.

The Physical Society of London had been officially formed on 14 February 1874 by Frederick Guthrie, following the canvassing of opinion of Fellows of the Royal Society by the physicist and parapsychologist Sir William Barrett at the British Association for the Advancement of Science meeting in Bradford in 1873, with John Hall Gladstone as its first president. and the inaugural meeting of the Institute took place in 1921. Upon being granted a royal charter in 1970, the organization was renamed as the Institute of Physics.

Membership

The IOP has 23,000 members split across four grades of membership: Associate Member (AMInstP), Member (entitled to use the postnominals MInstP), Fellow (entitled to use the postnominals FInstP) and Honorary Fellow (entitled to use the postnominals Hon.FInstP). Undergraduates, apprentices and trainees can become Associate Members, and qualification for MInstP is normally by completion of an undergraduate degree that is "recognised" by the institute – this covers almost all UK physics degrees. An MInstP can become an FInstP by making "an outstanding contribution to the profession" that is judged via double-blind and anonymous peer review.

These four grades of membership replaced the previous seven grades in January 2018; these changes introduced removed affiliate memberships for undergraduates (they are now Associate Members), removed the post-nominal letters AMInstP, and made Associate Members voting members. In 2015, the membership of the Institute of Physics was 86% male at MInstP and 91% male at FInstP. 85% of Honorary Fellows were male.

The institute grants academic dress to the various grades of membership. Those who have passed the institute's graduateeship examination (offered 1952–1984) are entitled to a violet damask Oxford burgon-shaped hood. Corporate members (MInstP) are entitled to wear a hood of Toronto full shape in violet damask, lined in violet and faced on the cowl with 2"/5 cm shot crimson silk.

Professional qualifications

The institute grants the professional title of Chartered Physicist (CPhys) under its own charter, Chartered Engineer (CEng), Engineering Technician (EngTech), and Incorporated Engineer (IEng) as a nominated body of the Engineering Council, and Registered Scientist (RSci) and Registered Science Technician (RSciTech) as a licensed body of the Science Council. Until 2001, CPhys was granted automatically with MInstP, however since then it has become a separate qualification that is equal in stature to Chartered Engineer. People awarded CPhys since 2012 require re-validation every three years to retain the qualification. In order to gain the CPhys qualification, a physicist must be appropriately qualified (an accredited MSci or MPhys integrated master's degree is standard, although experience leading to an equivalent level can be counted), have had a minimum of two years of structured training and a minimum of two years responsible work experience, have demonstrated a commitment to continuing professional development, and have gained a number of competencies. From 2020, all CPhys holders are required to be professionally active and to submit an annual continuing professional development record.

Education

The IOP accredits undergraduate degrees (BSc/BA and MSci/MPhys) in physics in British and Irish universities. The IOP also developed the Integrated Sciences degree, which is run at four universities in England. The IOP provides an important educational service for secondary schools in the UK. This is the Lab in a Lorry, a mobile laboratory in a large articulated truck. This has three small laboratories where schoolchildren can try out various hands-on experiments, using physics equipment not usually available in the average school laboratory. Sponsorship is provided by EDF Energy and support from the British Science Association. IOP runs the Stimulating Physics Network, aimed at increasing the uptake of physics at A-level, and administers teacher-training scholarships funded by the Department for Education.

In March 2019, the Institute of Physics launched the Bell Burnell Graduate Scholarship Fund with the goal of helping female and black students to become physics researchers. The program is funded by Jocelyn Bell Burnell and provides aid to low-income students as well as those who qualify for refugee status. Bell won the Special Breakthrough Prize in Fundamental Physics in 2018 and donated the entire £2.3 million prize money to launch the fund.

The institute is also interested in the ethical impact of physics, as is witnessed though the Physics and Ethics Education Project.

Policy

The IOP uses its membership as a unique source of impartial scientific expertise and aims to provide evidence-based advice and in-depth analyses of policy questions relating to physics, society and government, either at the invitation of the UK government or through other agencies. It regularly responds to government consultations relating to scientific funding (broadly interpreted), climate change, energy security, education, issues of equity, diversity and inclusion, and research and innovation, among others. It, like other learned societies, is frequently asked to comment on technical policy documents, and provide expert advice where required.

Publishing

IOP Publishing is a wholly owned subsidiary of the IOP that publishes 85 academic titles. The council meets four times a year and has up to 21 members, of whom 18 are elected by members of the institute.

The president is elected by the membership of the institute and serves a term of two years. The current president is Michele Dougherty (2025-2027). The history of the institute, from its founding as the Physical Society of London through to today's institute, has meant that the name of the post held has varied. The CEO since 2022 has been Tom Grinyer.

Coat of arms

thumb|Blue Plaque commemorating the work of [[William Henry Bragg, featuring the IOP coat of arms]]

The IOP has its own coat of arms, granted in 1994. The arms feature a shield bearing a representation of an atom, and the organisation's motto "Intellegite et explicate" ("Understand and explain"). Presidents of the IOP wear a medal featuring the coat of arms at formal occasions.

Headquarters

thumb|The Institute of Physics building in [[Islington, London]]

Since its formation, the institute has had its headquarters in London. The early meetings of the Physical Society of London were hosted in South Kensington, until a permanent base was found in Burlington House in 1894. In 1927, the Institute of Physics acquired, rent-free, 1 Lowther Gardens; it was joined there by the Physical Society in 1939. During the Second World War, the institute moved temporarily to the University of Reading. After the war, the institute returned to London, first to 19 Albemarle Street, where it stayed for little over a year, before moving to 47 Belgrave Square in December 1946.

In 2013, the IOP bought a property in Kings Cross for use as its new headquarters. This was the source of some controversy, as local residents objected to the design and size of the new building. After an initial approval in February 2015, it took almost ten months of additional negotiation before planning permission was ultimately granted by the Islington Council in December 2015. The IOP moved into this new building 29 October 2018.

References

External links

IOP Science journal articles
IOP Publishing
Physics World
Explore Physics online guide