March 4th, 2026 by J. C. C. Chan
As a member of the International Society of Magnetic Resonance (ISMAR), you are invited to nominate candidates for this year’s Fellows election. Election as an ISMAR Fellow recognizes significant scientific contributions and service to the international magnetic resonance community.
The ISMAR Fellowship program was established in 2008 to recognize members of the magnetic resonance community for notable achievements. Up to four Fellows are elected annually based on their contributions to the field of magnetic resonance, as reflected in the impact of their research and their efforts to advance the discipline within the broader scientific community. Fellowship in ISMAR also carries a responsibility to serve as an advocate for the field. ISMAR recognizes the importance of an inclusive and equitable election process and encourages nominations that reflect the diversity of the global magnetic resonance community.
From the submitted nominations, together with active nominations from the previous two years, the Fellows Committee will select up to ten candidates for inclusion on the election ballot by majority vote of the current ISMAR Fellows, taking into account the significance of their scientific and societal contributions to magnetic resonance. For each selected candidate, the Fellows Committee will prepare a concise citation summarizing the rationale for the nomination. A nomination remains active for three consecutive annual election cycles. Self-nomination is not permitted.
Nominees need not be members of ISMAR. However, each nomination must be submitted by a current ISMAR member and must include a nomination statement of up to 2,500 characters, a list of up to six key publications, a concise proposed citation, and the endorsement of another ISMAR member.
The nomination portal will open on 15 March 2026. Nominations may be submitted online at:
https://forms.gle/Zc86Mi4PApb5qQc16
A list of previous Fellows can be found here:
https://ismar.org/ismar-fellows/
Timeline:
15 March 2026, 00:00 UTC — Nomination portal opens
30 April 2026, 23:59 UTC — Nomination portal closes
15 June 2026 — Committee selects up to 10 nominees and prepares concise citations
1 July 2026 — Election starts
15 July 2026 — Election ends; Committee deliberates the results
31 August 2026 — Fellowships announced
On behalf of the International Society of Magnetic Resonance (ISMAR),
Jerry C. C. Chan
Secretary General
January 21st, 2025 by Stephan Grzesiek
The video recording of the Memorial Tribute to Alex Pines held on January 13, 2025 is available under ISMAR-> Conversations on Magnetic Resonance.
December 26th, 2024 by Stephan Grzesiek
Sharon Ashbrook (U St. Andrews, UK), Juli Feigon (UCLA, USA), Christina Redfield (U Oxford, UK), Robert Schurko (Florida State University, USA), and Christiane Timmel (U Oxford, UK) have been elected as Fellows of ISMAR in December 2024.
Sharon Ashbrook, for her innovative research combining NMR spectroscopy and computational techniques to explore complex materials, her dedication to community service and her advocacy for women in science and public education.
Juli Feigon, for her groundbreaking contributions to the development and application of NMR methods to study nucleic acids.
Christina Redfield, for her groundbreaking contributions to the field of NMR spectroscopy and her innovative applications in elucidating protein structure, dynamics, and function.
Robert Schurko, for being an innovator in the field of solid-state NMR, excelling in theoretical and experimental aspects of chemistry, materials science, quantum chemical computation, and spectroscopy, for being a committed educator and supporter of next generation scientists in academia and industry, and for being a global leader for pushing the frontier of high magnetic field NMR science and applications.
Christiane Timmel, for her pioneering contributions to the magnetic field effect on chemical reactions and cryptochrome proteins in migratory birds through innovative implementation of EPR methods, instrumentation and chemistry tools, and for her dedication for educating the next generation researchers and her effective leadership in advocating for the EPR community and technology.
Many congratulations to these five outstanding scientists.
Fellows are elected on the basis of their contributions to the field of magnetic resonance, both through the impact of their research on the magnetic resonance community itself and through their efforts to advance the appreciation of magnetic resonance in the broader scientific community. Fellowship in ISMAR carries with it an associated responsibility to serve as an advocate for the field of magnetic resonance.
Each year, ISMAR solicits nominations for new Fellows from all regular members of ISMAR. Nominations are first evaluated by the ISMAR Fellows Committee. A list of candidates is then sent to current Fellows for voting, based on both scientific achievements and contributions to the magnetic resonance community.
Note that there was a shift in the schedule and this election covers also part of 2025. The shift was introduced so that the newly elected fellows can be announced during the ISMAR conferences in the middle of the year. The next call for nominations will be issued towards the end of 2025.
December 6th, 2024 by Stephan Grzesiek
The ISMAR Prize Committee has selected the recipients of the 2025 ISMAR Prize and the 2025 Abragam Prize. The ISMAR Prize recipient is Professor Dame Clare Grey of the University of Cambridge, a pioneer in applying solid-state NMR to materials relevant to energy and the environment. The Abragam Prize recipient is Dr. Irene Marco-Rius from the Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia, Barcelona, a pioneer in the development of biomedical imaging and spectroscopy applied to the study of cells grown on chips.
The ISMAR Executive Committee has also selected Prof. Sami Jannin of the University of Lyon, to be the 2025 Paul Callaghan Lecturer. Prof. Jannin develops new hyperpolarization approaches for preparing nuclear spins in highly polarized or ‘aligned’ states to augment their sensitivity in magnetic resonance.
We congratulate Drs. Grey, Marco-Rius and Jannin and look forward to their lectures on the opening of day of the 2025 joint ISMAR/ENC conference in Asilomar, Pacific Grove, on April 6, 2025. Please see https://www.enc-conference.org/ENC-ISMAR-2025/ for details.
October 11th, 2024 by Alexej Jerschow
The committee on the current status and future direction of high-magnetic-field science in the United States released a new report, which is available here via the National Academy of Sciences:
https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/27830/the-current-status-and-future-direction-of-high-magnetic-field-science-and-technology-in-the-united-states
October 1st, 2024 by Alexej Jerschow
Members of the International Society of Magnetic Resonance (ISMAR) are hereby invited to nominate candidates of underrepresented groups for this year's new Fellows election. Election to ISMAR Fellow is a recognition of significant scientific contributions and service to the international magnetic resonance community. The Fellowship program has been established in 2008 to recognise members of the magnetic resonance community for notable achievements. Up to four Fellows are elected annually based on their contributions to the field of magnetic resonance, both through the impact of their research and through their efforts to advance the appreciation of magnetic resonance in the broader scientific community. Fellowship in ISMAR carries with it an associated responsibility to serve as an advocate for the field of magnetic resonance. ISMAR is committed to supporting, acknowledging, and enhancing the contributions of magnetic resonance researchers worldwide. Accordingly, ISMAR recognises the importance of an inclusive and equitable election of Fellows. We are committed to recognising researchers from diverse backgrounds worldwide, ensuring that there is no bias based on race, geography, cultural differences, language barriers, sexual orientation, or economic factors.
To enhance the diversity and representation of fellows from the global magnetic resonance community, ISMAR has implemented a two-step nomination process, where all ISMAR members can submit nominations.
1. Initial Nomination Phase: This phase aims to gather a broad and varied pool of candidates. Along with the carry-over nominations from the past two elections the first nomination call has resulted in 28 nominations of whom 30% are female. The geographical representation is as follows: North America: 14, Europe: 8, Asia: 4, Central and South America: 1, Australia: 1, Africa: 0.
2. Second Nomination Phase: This phase specifically targets the inclusion of individuals from underrepresented groups to ensure a well-rounded pool of candidates. Nominations of scientists from South and Central America, Eastern Europe, Africa, Asia and Oceania are particularly encouraged in this round.
As the election time has been shifted back by several months the Committee will select up to 15 candidates by majority vote, considering the significance of their scientific and societal contributions to magnetic resonance. For each of the selected candidates, the Fellows Committee will prepare a concise citation for the election ballot that encapsulates the rationale for their nomination. The fellowships will be awarded at the 2025 ISMAR/EENC (April 6 to 10) in PaciAc Grove, Ca., USA.
Each nomination document submitted by ISMAR members shall include a nomination statement of up to 2500 characters, a list of up to 6 publications, and a concise citation. Nominations shall be submitted through this form before 1
November 2024.
September 30th, 2024 by Stephan Grzesiek
The International Society of Magnetic Resonance calls for proposals from groups of magnetic resonance scientists to organize and host the 26th ISMAR Conference, which will take place in 2029. If you and your colleagues are interested in hosting this Conference, we ask that you submit a preliminary proposal with the following information:
- Proposed location and dates of the meeting.
- Brief description of the status of magnetic resonance in the host country or region.
- Information about the proposed Local Organizing Committee, including names, affiliations, responsibilities, and research areas of committee members. The Local Organizing Committee should have a chair who will serve as the primary point of contact, as well as members who will take responsibility for fund-raising, arrangements with the Conference site, development of a Conference web site, organization of social/cultural/recreational events, arrangements for registration by attendees, arrangements for vendor exhibits, etc.
- Information about the proposed Conference site, including lecture halls, space for posters and vendor exhibits, lodging options, dining options, travel accessibility for international attendees, etc.
- Estimated budget, including registration fees, cost of facilities and refreshments/meals, web site and Conference management costs, likely sources of financial support, travel support for plenary and invited speakers, etc.
Based on our experience with previous ISMAR Conferences, the following items should be considered:
- It is helpful for the ISMAR Conference to be sponsored by one or more magnetic resonance associations in the host country or region. The ISMAR Conference can be combined with regular magnetic resonance meetings in the host country.
- Selection of plenary speakers and invited speakers will be the responsibility of a Scientific Committee, which is separate from the Local Organizing Committee. Members of the Scientific Committee, including the Chair of the Scientific Committee, will be chosen by ISMAR. These members will represent all active areas of magnetic resonance research (solution NMR, solid state NMR, EPR, MRI, applications in biology, chemistry, physics, medicine, methodological developments, etc.) and all parts of the world, including the host country or region.
- Attendance at recent ISMAR Conferences has been in the 400-1000 range.
- ISMAR expects to receive 50 USD for each attendee (25 USD for student attendees). In return, each attendee becomes a full member of ISMAR for the next two years. These contributions to ISMAR must be included in the proposed Conference budget and should be covered by registration fees or other sources of support.
- ISMAR Conferences take place once every two years. ISMAR attempts to hold its Conferences in various regions of the world on a rotating basis. Recent and upcoming Conferences have been/will be in Brazil (2013), China (2015), Canada (2017), Germany (ISMAR-EUROMAR 2019), Japan (2021), Australia (2023), USA (ISMAR-ENC 2025), France (ISMAR-EUROMAR 2027). No decisions regarding the location of the 2029 ISMAR Conference have been made yet, but a location in Asia would be most consistent with ISMAR's goals.
- A final decision about the location of the 2029 ISMAR Conference will be made by the ISMAR Council, immediately after presentations to the ISMAR Council by groups that submit full proposals. These presentations will take place during the 2025 ENC-ISMAR Conference in Asilomar on April 6-11 2025. (Members of the ISMAR Council are listed at https://ismar.org/ismar-organization/.)
Preliminary proposals should be submitted by January 15, 2025 to Alexej Jerschow,
Secretary General of ISMAR (e-mail: alexej.jerschow@nyu.edu).
Please direct any questions to Alexej Jerschow or to Stephan Grzesiek, President of ISMAR (e-mail: stephan.grzesiek@unibas.ch).
The Executive Committee of ISMAR, September 2024
July 28th, 2024 by Alexej Jerschow
Members of the International Society of Magnetic Resonance (ISMAR) are invited to nominate candidates for this year's new Fellows election. Election to ISMAR Fellow is a recognition of significant scientific contributions and service to the international magnetic resonance community.
The Fellowship program has been established in 2008 to recognize members of the magnetic resonance community for notable achievements. Up to four Fellows are elected annually based on their contributions to the field of magnetic resonance, both through the impact of their research and through their efforts to advance the appreciation of magnetic resonance in the broader scientific community. Fellowship in ISMAR carries with it an associated responsibility to serve as an advocate for the field of magnetic resonance. ISMAR is committed to supporting, acknowledging, and enhancing the contributions of magnetic resonance researchers worldwide. Accordingly, ISMAR recognizes the importance of an inclusive and equitable election of Fellows. We are committed to recognizing researchers from diverse backgrounds worldwide, ensuring that there is no bias based on race, geography, cultural differences, language barriers, sexual orientation, or economic factors.
To enhance the diversity and representation of fellows from the global magnetic resonance community, ISMAR has implemented a two-step nomination process
- Initial Nomination Phase: All ISMAR members are invited to submit nominations by a specified deadline. This phase aims to gather a broad and varied pool of candidates.
- Supplementary Nomination Phase: Following the initial nominations, a statistical analysis is conducted based on gender, geographic location, and areas of expertise to identify gaps in representation. This analysis is issued in a second call for nominations, specifically targeting the inclusion of individuals from underrepresented groups to ensure a well-rounded pool of candidates.
From these nominations and the ones of the past two years, the Committee will select up to 10 candidates by majority vote, considering the significance of their scientific and societal contributions to magnetic resonance. For each of the selected candidates, the Fellows Committee will prepare a concise citation for the election ballot that encapsulates the rationale for their nomination.
As the election time has been shifted back by several months, up to 15 nominations will be selected for the 2025 ballot and up to 6 fellows can be elected. The fellowships will be awarded at the 2025 ISMAR/EENC (April 6 to 10) in Pacific Grove, Ca., USA.
Each nomination document submitted by ISMAR members shall include a nomination statement of up to 2500 characters, a list of up to 6 publications, and a concise citation.
A list of previous fellows can be found here:
https://ismar.org/ismar-fellows/
Please submit fellow nominations through this link:
https://forms.gle/SfSNEeCRdmjuWbvYA
Timeline:
1 August 2024: 1st nomination call
1 September 2024: End first nomination period, statistical analysis by Fellows Committee
1 October 2024: 2nd nomination call targeting underrepresented groups
1 November 2024: Committee selects up to 15 nominees and prepares concise citations for each nominee
1 December 2024: Election starts
1 January 2025: Election ends, Committee deliberates the election results
6 April 2025: Fellowships are awarded at the ISMAR/ENC 2025
July 27th, 2024 by Alexej Jerschow
Anatole Abragam made seminal contributions to both NMR and EPR and was a recipient of the ISMAR Prize and a Fellow of ISMAR. In addition to making superb scientific contributions, fostering young scientists was close to his heart. With this in mind, ISMAR awards the “Anatole Abragam Prize” to young scientists at biennial ISMAR conferences (see https://ismar.org/conferences/). Bruker Biospin provides monetary support for this Prize. Previous Prize winners can be found here: https://ismar.org/prizes-anatole-abragam-prize/
The Anatole Abragam Prize will be awarded at the joint ENC - ISMAR Conference on April 6 - 10, 2025, in Asilomar, CA, USD (https://www.enc-conference.org/ENC-ISMAR-2025).
Candidates are eligible within seven years of completing their PhD (excluding career delays due to childbirth, illness, and other particular family circumstances). Any Regular Member or Fellow of ISMAR can nominate them. The ISMAR Prize Committee selects the recipient on the basis of evidence of novel and significant contributions to magnetic resonance.
Preference is given to nominees who have made original and independent contributions to experimental or conceptual aspects of magnetic resonance beyond work performed with their research supervisors. The award aims to recognize and foster outstanding young scientists at an important point in their career.
We encourage you to nominate our outstanding young colleagues while considering a balanced gender representation. Nominations must be received by October 1, 2024, and should include the following documents assembled into a single pdf file:
- Nomination letter (maximum of two pages)
- At least one seconding letter (maximum of two pages). No more than two seconding letters should be submitted.
- Curriculum vitae of the nominee (including any career delays or extenuating circumstances impacting productivity)
- List of publications and scientific presentations by the nominee
Please submit the nominations in a single PDF document to the Secretary-General, alexej.jerschow@nyu.edu!
We look forward to seeing you in Asilomar
July 13th, 2024 by Stephan Grzesiek
A common meeting of the ISMAR Council and EUROMAR Board of Trustees (BOT) was held on July 2 during the EUROMAR meeting in Bilbao to decide on the location of the joint ISMAR/EUROMAR conference in 2027. We were happy that four excellent proposals had been submitted by hosts from all over Europe, among which we could select, i.e.
• Dublin, Ireland, by Chandralal Hewage
• Katowice, Poland, by Wiktor Koźmiński
• Lyon, France, by Guido Pintacuda and Malene Jensen
• Prague, Czech Republic, by Lukáš Trantírek
We thank these local organizers very much for the tremendous effort that they had put into the proposals. Unfortunately, we could not select all, but had to decided on one. After a very constructive discussion, Lyon was selected by both boards with a large majority. Thus the 25th ISMAR Conference will be held jointly with EUROMAR in Lyon on July 4-8, 2027. We wish Guido and Malene all the best for the upcoming work and the success of the conference.
