Membership
FQxI Members are an essential part of our organization and our mission. An FQxI Member is a researcher (theoretical or experimental, or both) or outreach specialist who works on topics within the purview of FQxI, has a mindset supportive of FQxI’s goals and philosophy, and has excellent credentials and significant research/outreach accomplishment, and promise.*
Member benefits include
- Eligibility to apply for Fulcrum Grants of $1,000 to $15,000 for travel, workshops, collaborations, equity work, and more related to questioning the foundations of science. These grants are for Members only.
- Invitations to international conferences hosted by FQxI (based on capacity).
- Posting privileges on FQxI’s Forums.
- Participation in a community with scientists and outreach specialists excited to explore the foundations of science.
Criteria for Nominations and Self-Nominations
- Is an exceptional researcher and/or has an exceptional record of outreach and equity work,
- Works on Foundational Questions in Physics or Cosmology,
- Has a Ph.D.,
- And their academic interests align with FQxI’s foundational themes.
*Note on our current Membership nomination process: We are reconsidering the way Members are invited to expand beyond just the people our current Members know. In the meantime, we have decided to open our call for Membership to all, not just FQxI’s Members.
Open Call for Membership
All nominees must meet the basic criteria for nomination shared above.
We understand that the self-selecting nature of our nomination process might exclude people who are not known to our current Membership. As such, for a brief time, we are considering public nominations for Members whose research and outreach interests fit with FQxI’s goals. We are particularly interested in receiving nominations and self-nominations for Members who are from communities that are underrepresented and marginalized due to discrimination based on gender, sexual identity, race, ethnicity, or via ableism and other forms of oppressive bias.
Please submit a nomination or a self-nomination here.
FAQs
Who can become an FQxI Member?
As shared above, an FQxI Member is a researcher (theoretical or experimental, or both) or outreach specialist who works on topics within the purview of FQxI, has a mindset supportive of FQxI’s goals and philosophy, and has excellent credentials and significant research/outreach accomplishment and promise.
Membership of FQxI is determined by nomination and is largely restricted to those who are active contributors to an academic community.
How do I become a Member?
There are three ways to become an FQxI Member:
- First, successful PIs of FQxI’s Zenith Grant programs are given two Membership nominations automatically.
- Second, FQxI solicits nominations from current Members on an annual basis. Subject to approval by FQxI, individuals with multiple nominations whose work fits within FQxI’s mission are invited as Members.
- Third, top FQxI contest winners (1st prize winners) are given one Membership nomination.
All nominees are reviewed by FQxI one to two times a year. A small number of these nominees, who fit all the qualifications shared above, are invited to become Members. Pending their acceptance of the invitation, they will become a Member.
Am I a Member if I have an FQxI web account?
Please note that an FQxI account (online access to log in to fqxi.org) does not constitute Membership.
I don’t qualify for Membership. How can I participate?
We encourage everyone interested in FQxI to participate through QSpace, as there are many options for community engagement there and in the forums.
Other options include entering an essay contest or reading past essay contest entries and joining the forum conversations.
Join FQxI’s newsletter to get the latest info on upcoming grant rounds, contests, classes, etc.
TESTIMONIALS
“Membership of FQxI has been an enormous support to me, in creating connections with like-minded researchers who are focussed on big questions where scientific progress is possible. My research interests, particularly in consciousness and in quantum foundations, have been very significantly influenced by FQxI conferences and FQxI-supported meetings. FQxI funding has allowed me space to work and make progress on important projects that would not be supported by any conventional funding agency.”
Adrian Kent
“Without the FQxI large grant, it would have been impossible for me to fund a research program that considers how feminist theory could transform physics epistemology. In a time when people are increasingly asking why basic science is valuable, it’s important to understand the dynamics between what we know, how we know it, and what we could come to know in a more equitable world. FQxI is making it possible for me to contribute rigorously and substantively to that conversation.”
Chanda Prescod-Weinstein
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