The invasion of Ukraine by Russian military forces on February 24 and the subsequent events of mass destruction and death in Ukraine have come as a terrible surprise and shock to many of us. After extensive discussions within the Executive Committee of ISMAR, whose members have a variety of backgrounds and were raised and educated in various parts of the world, we would like to make the following statement:
ISMAR condemns the invasion of Ukraine and the war waged against unprotected civilians. This cruel war has caused and continues to cause unbearable human suffering. It is also destroying many of the achievements in international relations that were attained over the last three decades. Our thoughts and solidarity are with the Ukrainian people whose lives and liberty are currently in danger, as well as people within Russia and allied countries who have lost their freedom of expression and their access to information from diverse non-governmental sources.
ISMAR’s mission is to advance magnetic resonance in all areas of scientific research, independent of local, national, or international politics, and to promote interactions among magnetic resonance spectroscopists throughout the world. The very nature of magnetic resonance science is international – it builds on the creativity of all humanity, it is transmitted in a universal language, and it thrives only when ideas are exchanged openly and when freedom of speech and human rights are respected. Indeed, since its inception during the cold war period of the 1960s and 1970s, ISMAR has helped build bridges across national and political borders, by fostering communications among all scientists regardless of their nationalities. We will continue this policy and keep contacts open to all magnetic resonance scientists across the globe.
We encourage all ISMAR members to contribute to organizations that provide aid to those who have been displaced by the war in Ukraine and to consider hosting and supporting scientists whose professional lives or educations have been disrupted. We encourage affected scientists to post information about themselves and ISMAR members to post announcements of available positions on the ISMAR web site by sending an e-mail to the ISMAR Web Editor. Available positions can also be posted at https://www.embo.org/solidarity-with-ukraine/ to reach an audience outside of magnetic resonance.
To support efforts to find temporary jobs for displaced researchers from Ukraine, we have also decided to actively sponsor Ukrainian scientists through a donation from ISMAR to Cara (the Council for At-Risk Academics), a non-governmental organization that provides a lifeline for at-risk academics.
The ISMAR Executive Committee
Stephan Grzesiek (President), Tatyana Polenova (Vice President), Rob Tycko (Past President), Alexej Jerschow (Secretary General), Rachel Martin (Treasurer)