18 September 2024
The Pugwash Conferences on Science and World Affairs today announces that Karen Hallberg, professor of Physics at the Balseiro Institute and Principal Researcher at the Bariloche Atomic Center, National Atomic Energy Agency and National Research Council, Argentina, will become its next Secretary General. At its recent extraordinary meeting held in Vienna from 12-13 September, the Pugwash Council elected her to succeed Paolo Cotta-Ramusino, who after 22 years is stepping down. She will assume the position on 1 January 2025.
Dr. Hallberg has served on the Pugwash council since 2002, and as chair since being elected in August 2023. In 2019 Prof. Hallberg was awarded the L’Oréal-UNESCO Prize for Women in Science for Physics (Latin America), which honors outstanding women scientists all over the world for their achievements and for the excellence of their research. She won the John Simon Guggenheim fellowship in 2005 and was honoured by the Argentine Congress in 2019 for her work on computational approaches to study physical properties of quantum matter. She is also a corresponding member of Argentina’s National Academy for Exact, Physical and Natural Sciences, a member of the Latin American Academy of Sciences, of the Argentine Committee on Ethics in Science and Technology, a Board member of the American Physical Society, a member of the Global Future Council on Quantum Economy of the World Economic Forum, and Senior Associate of the International Centre for Theoretical Physics in Trieste. She has authored more than 90 scientific articles in high impact international journals, edited a book, several book chapters, review papers and outreach articles.
Speaking after the election, Hallberg expressed “deep gratitude to the Pugwash Council for placing their trust in me to lead this prestigious organization. In my professional life, I have always been dedicated to both science and to the serious ethical responsibility of being a scientist. I will seek to fulfill my duties with integrity, responsibility and commitment, leveraging Pugwash’s extensive network, expertise, and scientific rationale to meet the variety of global challenges. We are experiencing an acutely dangerous period, with threats posed by global nuclear dangers, regional conflicts, disruptive technologies, chemical and biological weapons, and many other security dimensions at the intersection of science and society.
“I am deeply grateful to Paolo for his dedicated work over so many years, establishing Pugwash as a key forum for dialogue and developing a forceful global network. I really look forward to working with him and the Pugwash President, Hussain Al-Shahristani, the incoming Pugwash Council, and all parts of the global Pugwash Community to fulfil Pugwash’s mission and goals. Humanity is facing one of the most challenging moments and we should rise to the responsibility passed on to us by the founders of this unique movement.”
Welcoming the appointment, Cotta-Ramusino said, “I am so pleased for Karen to take on this role. As an award-winning physicist representing the global south, she speaks to the Pugwash core values of scientific rationality applied to problems of international affairs. I look forward to working with her over the coming transition period and beyond.”
At the same meeting a new Pugwash Council was elected following several months of engagement with the Pugwash Community and the various National Groups. The Pugwash Council serves to provide strategic guidance and direction to the organization, with elected membership drawn from several geographical regions and areas of expertise.
Pugwash Conferences on Science and World Affairs 