Institute of Physics

The Institute of Physics is a scientific charity devoted to increasing the practice, understanding and application of physics. It has a worldwide membership of over 36,000 and is a leading communicator of physics-related science to all audiences, from specialists through to government and the general public. Its publishing company, IOP Publishing, is a world leader in scientific publishing and the electronic dissemination of physics.

The Institute of Physics is committed to the principle of academic freedom and aims to implement this principle in all our activities:

In the Institute's international relations programme, we aim to establish and maintain open and constructive relationships with academic institutions and learned societies from all countries
IOP accepts applications from individuals to its conferences and meetings irrespective of race, religion or nationality
Equally, IOP Publishing accepts submissions from all individuals irrespective of race, religion or nationality; uses international referees; and is always vigilant for bias in the peer review system.

Our mission is to advance physics in order to further understanding of the physical world and its application for economic and social benefit; to promote interest and participation in physics across society as a whole; to support and involve physicists throughout their education and careers.

Our vision is to be a strong and inclusive scientific membership organisation, which makes the greatest contribution to advancing physics and ensuring that physics delivers significant economic and social benefits.

Our values are to demonstrate integrity, objectivity and rigour; a clear drive to benefit society; and the strongest commitment to physics.

Creating opportunities for all

We are dedicated to securing a flourishing future for physics, particularly by providing resources, advice and training for teachers and encouraging young people to study physics beyond the age of 16.

Benefiting society

We promote and support physics in furthering scientific knowledge and providing economic and social benefits in the UK and Ireland, and internationally – especially in the developing world.

Supporting members

Our diverse membership ranges from university students through qualified professionals employed in all sectors of the economy to the retired community. We are a place where any physicist or individual interested in physics can come for support, information and advice. We provide a range of services for both companies and individuals.

A leading science communicator

Communicating the benefits of science to a variety of audiences is one of the Institute’s strategic goals. Please refer to our brochure for further details of our activities.

Serving our communities