Seasons Greetings and a Happy New Year from all of us at the Institute of Physics 🎄🎇

New year, new role? We're recruiting for two positions! Email Marketing Executive (Part-time) 📅 Applications close 5 January. 🔗 https://bit.ly/3YaLU2l Project Coordinator 📅 Applications close 8 January. 🔗 https://bit.ly/45pGEM9

✨ PhD in gravitational physics? This one’s for you! The IOP Gravitational Physics Group Thesis Prize is open. 🏆 £500 + chance to publish in Classical and Quantum Gravity 🎤 Present at a UK BritGrav meeting Eligibility: viva btwn 30 Sept 2024 to 31 Dec 2025 Deadline: 16 Jan 🔗 https://bit.ly/45lQU86

@ukri.org has set out how it plans to invest its £38.6bn funding allocation over the next four years. Professor Paul Howarth, IOP President-elect, responds to the announcement: www.iop.org/about/news/i...

The IOP Student Community is hosting the 2025 Festive Quiz this Friday! Join solo or in a small team, answer some physic questions & compete for the trophy. ⏰ 2pm-3.15pm 💻 Online Open to IOP members, staff, Ambassadors, societies + anyone who wants a fun, festive afternoon. https://bit.ly/3L6W9ll

FUSE25, hosted by Durham Uni's Physics Society and Durham Uni's Physics Dept, was fantastic this year! 🌟 We welcomed 35 societies across physics, women in physics, astronomy, rocketry & more from the IOP Affiliated Society network to connect, share experiences & guidance, and prepare for 2026.

Can fast qubits also be robust ⚛️? These building blocks of quantum computers gain speed from being coupled to their environment and robustness from being isolated, so having both of these traits in a qubit seemed impossible - until now 🖥️. Explore this breakthrough: https://ow.ly/vw1150XGX1r #quantum

What a fantastic evening last night at House of Commons to celebrate our Business Award winners! It was a great opportunity for our winners to showcase their products & network. Thank you to Dave Robertson MP for sponsoring the event. 📰 Read more in @physicsworld.bsky.social: https://bit.ly/4aHBxuk

Do you teach 16-19 physics? Join us on Tuesday evenings for an hour of free online CPD. Find out more: spark.iop.org/teaching-16-19 #PhysicsTeaching #PhysicsTeachers #STEMEducation #CPDforTeachers #IOPPhysics

Congratulations to The Rt Hon Lord Alok Sharma KCMG who was awarded the President's Medal, as part of the #IOPAwards25. 👏 He was presented with the Medal at our Business Awards celebration at the House of Commons last night by former IOP President Sir Keith Burnett.

Congratulations to iFAST Diagnostics for winning the Lee Lucas Award, as part of the IOP Business Awards, for the development of a rapid antimicrobial susceptibility test that identifies the optimal antibiotic treatment in under three hours. 🎉 #IOPAwards25

Congratulations to the awardees of the IOP Business Start-Up Award! 🎉 This award recognises and celebrates young companies with a great business idea founded on a physics invention, with the potential for business growth and significant societal impact. This year’s awardees are 👇🧵

Congratulations to the awardees of the IOP Business Innovation Award! 🎉 This award recognises and celebrates large, medium and small companies that have excelled in innovation, delivering significant economic and/or societal impact through the application of physics. This year’s awardees are 👇🧵

We’re launching a new How to Code webinar series - three sessions to help you build solid coding skills for your studies and early-career physics roles. 🗓 Dec 12, 15, 19 (12pm-2pm GMT) 🔗 iop.eventsair.com/how-to-code Join us to level up your skills and feel more confident writing real, usable code.

An urgent task force is needed to manage, monitor and support international teacher recruits, says @iop.org, following a surge in trainees

Have questions about the Bell Burnell Graduate Scholarship Fund? Sign up to our interactive Q&A session with panel members - learn more about the fund's mission, and gain insight and guidance on the application process. More importantly, get your questions answered! 🔗 https://bit.ly/4oRNGRI

Yesterday, we hosted the Science Council’s annual Celebration of Science event at our London HQ. IOP CEO @tomgrinyer.bsky.social opened the evening with a welcome address, and awardees of the Recognition Awards, which honours the diverse talent across the UK science workforce, were celebrated.

Last week, the IOP Women in Physics Group held a Bell Burnell Prize & Networking Event at W5 Belfast. We were inspired by Kathy Lok Yiu Wu, this year’s Jocelyn Bell Burnell Prize winner. Great conversations followed on careers in physics and the research world today 🌟

We were delighted to welcome @emilythornberry.bsky.social MP to our London HQ today! Emily met with our CEO @tomgrinyer.bsky.social & colleagues to talk about physics education & #QuantumYear2025. She also helped us kick off the festive season by officially switching on our Xmas tree lights ✨🎄

Ready to advance your future in physics? Apply for the Bell Burnell Graduate Scholarship Fund! This Fund helps graduates from under-represented groups pursue a physics doctorate, whether full or part-time. 🎓 📆 Deadline: 19 January 2026 🔗 Learn more: iop.org/BellBurnellFund

Congrats to Prof Peter Norreys for winning the Fernand Holweck Medal & Prize for outstanding contributions to fundamental studies of high energy density plasmas using high-power and petawatt-class lasers, incl. fast ignition inertial fusion, particle beam acceleration, & ultra-bright X-ray sources 👏

We welcome the Chancellor's announcement of funding in areas that drive growth & jobs, many of which will be physics-powered. The govt must commit to a strategic plan for physical sciences, & minimise impact on new overseas study levy on universities. Read our full response: https://bit.ly/3XjGbXC

Ever wondered how we look at things way too small for our eyes? 👀 Dr Jessica Walker at @diamondlightsource.bsky.social uses x-rays thinner than a human hair 20 times over to explore everything from batteries to 17th-century art. Tiny beams, huge discoveries. ✨

📢 Membership Renewal for 2026 is open! ✅ Login to the IOP website and navigate to Pay Subscription to review your renewal details. 📧 Check your inbox for an email sent this week with full details and instructions. Thank you for being a valued member, we look forward to another great year together!

Thinking of applying for the Bell Burnell Graduate Scholarship Fund? Have questions? Come along to a live Q&A webinar with panel members to learn more about the fund’s mission, and gain insight and guidance on the application process. 📆 8 December 12pm-1pm 🔗 Register here: https://bit.ly/4oRNGRI

Are you or do you know a student in the UK or Ireland in their last two years of school that is interested in quantum science & tech? Enter Quantum on the Clock - an exciting video competition that challenges students to explain a quantum concept in just three minutes. 🔗 https://bit.ly/3M6XFUz

Want to work at the IOP? We're recruiting for three roles! Communications Officer 🗓️ 1 December 🔗 https://bit.ly/4nYGDoQ Accreditation Coordinator 🗓️ 24 November 🔗 https://bit.ly/4oA39G3 Scholarships Project Officer 🗓️ 19 November 🔗 https://bit.ly/43KAp55

Join Scientific Sue for a fast-paced, fun-filled online workshop packed with 11 hands-on physics activities that explore key concepts behind weather & climate change. Suitable for primary and secondary teachers. Teachers in Wales receive a free equipment pack. 📆 27 Nov 7-8pm 🔗 spark.iop.org/events

The IOP Atomic and Molecular Interactions Group is running a poster competition for 15 to 18-year-olds on atomic & molecular interactions. Top three entries win book vouchers! ✅ Digital A4 poster (PDF) ✅ Teacher/parent must register & submit for under-18s 📅 5pm, 30 Nov 🔗 https://bit.ly/485zKMJ

How thin can you make a coat of paint? At @warwickuni.bsky.social, Professor Gavin Bell’s lab skips the spray can - they use vacuum chambers to shoot individual atoms onto surfaces, forming the ultra-thin materials inside your phone and PlayStation. From art to atoms - this is physics in action.

Do you teach 16-19 physics? Join us on Tuesday evenings for an hour of free online CPD with IOP Education Officer David Farley. 📅 Sessions start from 18 November 🔗 Sign up here: https://bit.ly/47zNLDq #PhysicsTeaching #PhysicsTeachers #STEMEducation #CPDforTeachers #IOPPhysics

Want to work at the IOP? We're recruiting for two roles! Accreditation Coordinator 📅 Applications close 24 November. 🔗 Find out more and apply: https://bit.ly/4oA39G3 Scholarships Project Officer 📅 Applications close 19 November. 🔗 Find out more and apply: https://bit.ly/43KAp55

Last Friday, we had the final events for #QuantumWeek2025 with Innovate UK's Quantum Business Showcase and a Quantum Schools Event at @rigb.org with marketplaces featuring quantum businesses and universities. In the evening, Professor Jim Al-Khalili gave a Discourse lecture to a packed audience.

Join us on 14 November for an event, Tribology of Electric Systems, where we explore how tribology tackles challenges in electric systems and renewable power - from high-speed motors to lubrication solutions for a net-zero future. Open to all! 📅 Register by 10 Nov 🔗 iop.eventsair.com/tjnz2025/

A wonderful evening celebrating the annual IOP Award winners last night at the Kia Oval with entertainment from former England fast bowler, Devon Malcolm, and discussion with Sir Michael Berry, about his life in physics. Thank you to everyone who attended and congratulations to all the winners! 👏

Tomorrow, we'll have a stand at the Quantum Technologies Showcase hosted by Innovate UK which brings together industry, academia, investors and policymakers to highlight how quantum is accelerating commercial impact and adoption, and reshaping UK and global markets. 🔗 https://bit.ly/4hHU6Qw

Yesterday, we hosted our second event 'Our Quantum Future' at @rigb.org where we looked ahead to the next 100 years of quantum science and and its expanding role in technology and society. And we're not done yet 👇

In a letter published in @thetimes.com, IOP CEO @tomgrinyer.bsky.social supported the aim to offer all three sciences separately at GCSE in the Curriculum and Assessment Review but called for the government to help “retain, recruit and retrain a generation of physics teachers”. 🔗 bit.ly/4oVjPYa

Today we kicked off the week with our first event of #QuantumWeek2025, 'The First 100 Years', at the historic @rigb.org. Our speakers explored quantum's history, its impact, how its shaped society, and its strangeness. We’ll be back tomorrow with 'Our Quantum Future'. 👉 www.iop.org/events/quant...

Everyone’s talking about quantum computing - but how close are we to real impact? Join us for an online panel discussion with Deutsche Physikalische Gesellschaft on 20 Nov where we explore what's real, what's possible & what's still science fiction. 🔗 iop.org/events/quantum-computing-hope-or-hype

When Kim Kardashian questioned the Moon landings, we were happy to help with the facts about what did, and didn’t happen. 🌕 We’re all for curiosity - it’s what drives discovery - but when it comes to the Moon landings, the evidence really is out of this world. www.theguardian.com/science/2025...

Want to work at the IOP? We're hiring for two key roles: ➡️ People and Policy Partner (Maternity Cover) 📅 Applications close 9 November 🔗 https://bit.ly/4n4fO2c ➡️ Project Officer, Workforce Partnerships 📅 Applications close 10 November 🔗 https://bit.ly/4hFJnGu

Join leading voices in quantum science at two landmark IOP-hosted events at The Royal Institution next week! Explore the past, present & future of quantum tech, and connect with physicists, innovators, and science communicators shaping the next century. 🔗 https://iop.eventsair.com/qst2025

Dreaming of taking your physics journey further? 💭 The Bell Burnell Graduate Scholarship Fund is now open for applications. This Fund supports graduates from groups currently under-represented in physics to pursue a doctorate - full or part-time. 📅 Deadline: 19 Jan 2026 🔗 iop.org/bellburnellfund

Congrats to Dr Dimitra Darambara for being awarded Honorary Fellowship for leadership, significant contributions and continued advocacy of physics applied to medicine, attracting academic, industrial and clinical impact, and for the establishment of the IOP’s Medical Physics Group. 👏 #IOPAwards25

Congratulations to Carol Monaghan for being awarded Honorary Fellowship as part of the #IOPAwards25! 👏 Carol is a distinguished teacher of physics who served as a Member of Parliament for nine years, using her position to highlight the challenges facing STEM industry, technology and skills.

🧑‍🔬 Are you an early career researcher?🧑‍🔬 If so, we'd love for you to attend our early career event next month. It will feature a careers panel, networking opportunities and a discussion about the importance of effective communication for sharing research. Book your spot at: ras.ac.uk/early-career...

Congrats to Prof Francesca Di Lodovico for winning the Giuseppe Occhialini Medal & Prize for significant contributions to neutrino physics, study of oscillation parameters in the neutrino & quark sectors, and leadership of future long-baseline neutrino experiments. 👏 @kingscollegelondon.bsky.social

“The second quantum revolution may be coming faster than expected - and it will be transformative.” IOP’s Louis Barson talks to Silicon Republic on the UK’s quantum boom, the skills gap, and why physics education is key to powering the next-gen quantum economy. 🔗 Read more: https://bit.ly/4qiD5jL

Congratulations to Martin McLaren for winning the Business, Higher Education and National Research Facility Technician Award for spearheading the design and creation of multi-million-pound research infrastructure at the @uniofstandrews.bsky.social 👏