SESAPS Jesse W. Beams Award Grant

The SESAPS Jesse W. Beams Award, established by the Southeastern Section of the American Physical Society, honors exceptional research in physics conducted primarily in the Southeast. Named after the distinguished physicist Jesse Wakefield Beams, this award recognizes contributions that have significantly advanced the field, including groundbreaking discoveries and innovative techniques. Nominations are encouraged for candidates from diverse backgrounds, with a focus on inclusive representation in the scientific community.

The American Physical Society is a nonprofit membership organization working to advance physics by fostering a vibrant, inclusive, and global community dedicated to science and society. APS represents more than 50,000 members, including physicists in academia, national laboratories, and industry in the United States and around the world.
The Jesse W. Beams Research Award, first awarded in 1973, was established by the Southeastern Section of the American Physical Society to recognize especially significant or meritorious research in physics, the majority of which was carried out while the recipient was resident in the twelve-state/territory region of the Southeast. The award is named after Jesse Wakefield Beams, a remarkably broad and productive experimental physicist who received his Ph.D. and spent most of his career at the University of Virginia. His many outstanding contributions to physics research include the construction of the first electron linear accelerator, developing the magnetic ultracentrifuge with many practical applications in both the physical and biological sciences, and improving the Cavendish technique for determining the gravitational constant. He served as president of the American Physical Society in 1958 and received the National Medal of Science in 1967.
Nominations will remain active for three years, although updating materials for candidates not selected in a prior year is encouraged.

Eligibility

The Beams Award honors those whose research led to the discovery of new phenomena or states of matter, provided fundamental insights into physics, or involved the development of experimental or theoretical techniques that enabled others to make key advances in physics, and the contributions of the award recipient should have received the critical acclaim of peers nationally and internationally.