Biophysical Society Bulletin | March 2026

President’s Message

Together We Can Find the Best of Times Amid Challenging Scientific Landscape Not so long ago, I was a fledgling

I will seek opportunities to continuously improve our Society services so that every member feels the tangible benefits of membership in BPS. Whether you are that aforemen tioned fledgling graduate student or an established scientist in industry or academia, the Society has opportunities to engage, connect, and grow your network. The Society is not a big, mysterious institution out there in the ether. Rather, we the members are the core of the Society, and I urge each of you to find something meaningful in your scientific persona and contribute that to the Society through committee and/or Subgroup membership and leadership. Even as I commit to enhancing the value of the Society to members, I cannot ignore the fact that there are external forces at play creating an uncertain dynamic over which the Society has no control and limited influence. As a practicing scientist and as your President, I take these threats very seriously, and I will harness the full extent of our Society’s influence to advocate for support for science. I am well positioned to do this work with the Society’s Public Affairs Committee, which keeps members informed when large changes are pending or have happened. Please subscribe to their email newsletter for up-to-date news by reaching out to advocacy@biophysics.org. If you are a US citizen, I encour age you to contact your elected representatives on a regular basis to individually advocate for science. This is not futile, as research traditionally has bipartisan support. Tools like BPS’s Policy & Advocacy Take Action advocacy application (www. biophysics.org/policy-advocacy/take-action) and the 5 Calls app make this a trivial exercise and will steer your commu nications to the appropriate representatives. I also attend regularly scheduled meetings with the elected presidents of other scientific societies to keep informed about how those groups are addressing current member needs. As the known unknown dynamic evolves, I will lead the Society to adapt to the sometimes quickly changing land scape. This might mean some fiscal belt-tightening, but I commit to a process that will preserve the impact of our Mission, Vision, and Values. I will always seek ways to make lemonade from any lemons coming my way. I hope you will join me in this journey by maintaining your membership in this Society, submitting your research to our journals, and attend ing our meetings. Together we can make a difference. — Karen G. Fleming , President

graduate student with barely a plan at my first Biophysical Society meeting. Now, I’m writing this column in January 2026 as I prepare to become the President of our Society. When people learn this news, the first question I

Karen G. Fleming

receive from most folks these days goes as follows: Given ev erything that is going on in the United States, how do you feel about assuming the presidency of the Biophysical Society? My answer to this question is to paraphrase Charles Dickens : It is the best of times, it is the worst of times. Applying the comparison to science: it is the age of mRNA vaccines and personalized medicine, it is the age of vaccine hesitancy; it is the epoch of evidence-based discovery and science-informed policy, it is the epoch of the incredulity of alternative facts; it is the season of greater awareness of social justice and representation, it is the season of intense polarization and culture wars; it is the spring of artificial intelligence, it is the winter of despair in distinguishing truth from lies. We have everything before us because we have never had better tools to understand nature, yet we might have nothing before us as the systems supporting basic research have never been more strained. We can sequence genomes for pennies and image single molecules, but many scientists spend years in precar ious career positions. In short, we are in an unprecedented period of known unknowns, unknown knowns, and unknown unknowns. It is an incredible time to be a scientist and to have the important responsibility to lead this amazing Society. As President, I will work to tip the balance decisively toward the best of times. As outlined in BPS’s Mission, Vision, and Values (www.biophysics.org/about-bps/mission-vision), I will ensure that our Society fosters an inclusive community where members with diverse experiences and viewpoints feel that their voices matter. This sense of belonging is essential for realizing the full potential of the community that our Society has built. We are better together. My hope is that you will come to the Society’s Annual Meeting, a BPS Conference, and/or one of our Thematic Meetings around the world so that you can take advantage of the opportunities to build in-person connections and to share knowledge, and that these experiences will enhance your scientific discovery.

March 2026

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