General Structure


As a Federation of National Vacuum Societies, IUVSTA has evolved a structure that meeds the needs of these Societies.

The Governing Body is the General Meeting which meets every three years at the time of the International Vacuum Congress. This body elects the Officers of the Union and determines the budget and policy for the forthcoming Triennium.

Each Member Society nominates a Councillor and an Alternate Councillor to represent it on the Executive Council, which meets twice a year. The names of the Councillor and Alternate are endorsed by the General Meeting and cannot be changed until the next General Meeting.

The Executive Council sets up a number of Committees to ensure the ongoing work of the Union during the Triennium. One of the most important Committees is the Scientific and Technical Directorate, which sets up the scientific, technical and educational work of the Union through a series of Scientific Workshops, Schools, Technical Training Courses and educational material.

Further details of the work of the Union can be found throughout this web site.

 

What is IUVSTA?

IUVSTA is a Union of national member societies whose role is to stimulate international collaboration in the fields of vacuum science, techniques and applications and related multi-disciplinary topics including solid-vacuum and other interfaces.

Examples of activities reflecting these objectives are:

1. The creation of relevant international meetings, conferences and workshops – these may be large-scale and relatively general meetings, or specialist workshops. They might also be ‘regional’ (e.g. European) or fully international in concept. These include:

  1. A triennial International Vacuum Congress incorporating the International Conference on Solid Surfaces
  2. A series of scientific and technical specialist ‘Gordon-style’ workshops in topics falling within the broad multi-disciplinary area covered by the Union
  3. An annual series of European Conferences on Surface Science (ECOSS) co-sponsored with the European Physical Society
  4. A regular series of European Vacuum Conferences (EVC)
  5. A regular series of International Conferences on Thin Films (ICTF)

2. The coordination of existing international meetings within relevant scientific areas.

3. Assisting national societies to host such international meetings, or to increase the international participation in regional meetings, with attendant advantages of local scientists to attend such meetings at low travel costs.

4. Providing educational opportunities for transfer of expertise from the international community into a local community or into scientifically less-developed countries. Specific activities in this field include:

  1. Organization of educational workshops in the areas of activity of the Union in collaboration with the International Centre for Theoretical Physics (ICTP), Trieste, Italy
  2. Organization of educational short courses (half-day to a few days duration)
  3. Preparation and distribution of sets of visual aids for instruction in the range of topics covered by the Union.
  4. Sponsoring a series of Technical Training Courses to be organised by National Vacuum Societies. These courses are delivered in local languages and are aimed mainly at engineers and technicians who have little opportunity to travel to short courses offered in conjunction with international meetings.

5. Administration and organization of international awards and prizes in the scientific and technical areas covered by the Union including:

  1. The Welch Scholarship which provides partial funding for a young scientist to spend one year working in an institution in a country other than the scholar’s own to gain relevant experience
  2. IUVSTA prizes awarded to senior scientists and technologists for outstanding sustained achievements.

6. Giving national societies the opportunity to influence decisions on any of these matters which might impinge directly or indirectly on a national society – e.g. to avoid clashes or negative effects on national meetings.

7. Providing an opportunity for national societies to discuss common problems of organization and infrastructure with other societies with common problems through both full executive council meetings and through the coordination of regional forums.

8. To represent the community covered by IUVSTA at an international level, for example by being an active participant in ICSU, by serving on appropriate committees such as ISO, UNESCO and non-governmental organizations, and to act as a conduit for interaction with other national and international organizations, such as ICTP.

9. Organization, in coordination with the major international and regional conferences, exhibitions of manufacturers goods and related services for the benefit of both users and providers with the scientific and technical interests covered by the Union.

10. To assist and advise in the creation of new national and regional societies and encourage them, at the appropriate time, to apply to become members of IUVSTA.

 

Organizational Documents

The following documents give details of the way in which the Union is organised and in which it operates from day to day. Adopted 2013.

IUVSTA Structure and Organization

The IUVSTA is structured and organized as follows. The member nation National Vacuum Societies or Committees on Vacuum send delegates to a General Meeting which assembles every third year. As the highest authority of the Union, it is responsible for all basic decisions, especially changes in statutes, questions of membership, and the financial budget. It elects a Vice President, who shall be the next president (i.e., President Elect) and, on the proposal of the President, four officers consisting of a Secretary General, a Treasurer, a Scientific and Technical Director, and a Scientific Secretary (see organizational chart). The General Meeting then elects, on proposal by each country’s National Vacuum Society or Committee on Vacuum, the national councilors. The President, along with the two Vice Presidents (the second being the President of the past triennium), the four officers and the national representatives then make up the Executive Council. Elections are held every three years at a General Meeting and the business of the IUVSTA is conducted at Executive Council meetings typically held twice a year at different locations usually associated with a technical meeting or vacuum symposium.

IUVSTA Structure and Organization

The Scientific and Technical Directorate (STD) coordinates the work of the divisions, working groups and steering committees. The divisions focus on the following multidisciplinary areas:

The President appoints the chairs of standing committees that perform various IUVSTA activities. The longer serving of these include the Congress Planning Committee; the Education Committee; the Finance Committee; and the Publications Committee.

Each triennium sees a reappraisal of the committee structure with the formation of new committees and the termination of other committees to provide IUVSTA with the best administration to deal with its increasing international scientific and technical activity. Committee chairs then appoint members to their committees from the Executive Council or National Vacuum Societies or Committees on Vacuum. Chairs and members of standing committees who are not EC members participate at Executive Council sessions as observers with the right to speak but not to vote.

 

Current Primary Officers

President: François Reniers
President Elect: Jay Hendricks
Past President: Anouk Galtayries
Secretary General: Christoph Eisenmenger-Sittner
Scientific Director: Katsuyuki Fukutani
Scientific Secretary: Anton Stampfl
Treasurer: Arnaud Delcorte

Current Non-voting Officers

Recording Secretary: Ana Gomes Silva

 

List of Presidents

The President under the early federation was:

  • 1958-1962 — Prof. Dr. Emil Thomas (BE)

Past and present Presidents of IUVSTA:

  • 2022-2025 — Prof.François Reniers (BE)
  • 2019-2022 — Prof. Anouk Galtayries (F)
  • 2016-2019 — Prof. Lars Montelius (SWE)
  • 2013-2016 — Prof. Mariano Anderle (I)
  • 2010-2013 — Prof. Jean Jacques Pireaux (BE)
  • 2007-2010 — Dr. J.W. Rogers, Jr. (USA)
  • 2004-2007 — Prof. Ugo Valbusa (I)
  • 2001-2004 — Dr. M.-G. Barthes-Labrousse (F)
  • 1998-2001 — Prof. D. Phillip Woodruff (GB)
  • 1995-1998 — Prof. John L. Robins (AUS)
  • 1992-1995 — Prof. Theodore E. Madey (USA)
  • 1989-1992 — Prof. Jose L. de Segovia (E)
  • 1986-1989 — Prof. Dr. Heribert Jahrreiss (D)
  • 1983-1986 — Prof. Dr. Janos Antal (H)
  • 1980-1983 — Dr. James M. Lafferty (USA)
  • 1977-1980 — Prof. Dr. Leslie Holland (GB)
  • 1974-1977 — Dr. Albertus Venema (NL)
  • 1971-1974 — Dr. Luther E. Pruess (USA)
  • 1968-1971 — Prof. Dr. Kurt Diels (D)
  • 1965-1968 — Prof. Dr. Jean Debiesse (F)
  • 1962-1965 — Mr. Medard W. Welch (USA)

Honorary Presidents

  • 2021 — Peter Barna (H)
  • 1989 — Prof. Dr. E. Thomas (BE)
  • 1983 — Prof. Dr. H.C. M. Auwärter (FL)
  • 1977 — Mr. M. W. Welch (USA)
  • 1962 — Prof. Dr. L. Dunoyer (F)
  • 1962 — Prof. Dr. M. Pirani (GB)

Honorary and Founding Members of the Union

  • Mr. A.S.D. Barrett (GB)
  • Mlle. M. Berthaud (F)
  • Prof. D. Degras (F)
  • Prof. K. Diels (D)
  • Prof E. Thomas (BE)
  • Dr. A. Venema (NL)
  • Mr. M.W. Welch (USA)