International Academy of Wood Science

The International Academy of Wood Science (IAWS)       is an international academy and a non-profit assembly of wood scientists, recognizing all fields of wood science with their associated technological domains and securing a worldwide representation.

Since June 2023, the academy is represented by Dr. Stavros Avramidis, a Greek-Canadian professor and wood scientist who serves as the 19th President of the IAWS, and, also by Dr. Ingo Burgert, a Swiss wood engineer who is presently the elected vice-president for the period 2023–2026.

History
The academy was first established on June 2, 1966, at the Centre Technique du Bois in Paris.

The development and establishment of the International Academy of Wood Science involved many people, but the key-person who had the idea of creating a wood academy was Professor Franz Gustav Kollmann, of the Wood Research and Technology at the University of Munich, Germany. In fact, he was also the first elected President of the academy in the years 1966–1972.

Objectives
The academy has the objective of promoting at the international level the concerted development of wood science and its standing by recognizing meritorious wood scientists by their election as Fellows thereby honouring distinguished achievements in the science of wood, and by promoting a high standard of research and publication. In addition, the academy holds annual plenary meetings, including business meetings and technical sessions, in the form of international scientific conferences.

Fellows of the IAWS are wood scientists who are elected as actively engaged in wood research in the broadest sense, their election being evidence of high scientific standards. New Fellows are nominated and evaluated by Fellows. The executive committee determines the number of nominees to be accepted as Fellows each year, based on those evaluations.

The tasks of the Fellows of the IAWS are highlighted as to:
 * Promote high level wood research and technology
 * Present wood research and science at international/national meetings of its own and of other organizations
 * Focus attention on the importance of wood research and science to governments, parliaments, industries, associations, press etc.
 * Promote the publication of research of IAWS members in the Quarterly Review

Executive committee
The executive committee of the IAWS consists of the following officers:
 * President: Dr. Stavros Avramidis, Department of Wood Science, University of British Columbia, Canada
 * Vice President: Dr. Ingo Burgert, Institute for Building Materials, ETH Zurich, Switzerland
 * Secretary/Bulletin editor: Dr. Rupert Wimmer, Natural Materials Technology, BOKU University, Vienna, Austria
 * Treasurer: Dr. Howard Rosen, Forest Products USDA Forest Service, Arlington, USA
 * Past President: Dr. Yoon Soo Kim, Wood Science & Engineering, Chonnam National University, Gwangju, South Korea
 * Chair of the Academy Board: Dr. Katarina Čufar, Department of Wood Science and Technology, University of Ljubljana, Slovenia

Distiguished members

 * Josef Gierer (1919–), member and recipient of Anselme Payen Award
 * Kyosti Vilho Sarkanen (1921–1990), member and recipient of Anselme Payen Award
 * Walter Liese (1926–2023), member
 * Erich Adler (1905–1985), member and recipient of Anselme Payen Award
 * Alfred J. Stamm (1897–1985), member
 * Pieter Baas (1944–2024), member
 * Edmone Roffael (1939–2021), member
 * Gerd Wegener (1945–), member
 * Roger M. Rowell (1939–), member
 * Raymond A. Young (1945–), member
 * Peter Niemz (1950–), member
 * John Ralph (1954–), member and recipient of Anselme Payen Award
 * Alfred Teischinger (1954–), member
 * Thomas Rosenau (1963–), member and recipient of Anselme Payen Award
 * Holger Militz (1960–), member and recipient of Schweighofer Prize

Publications

 * Wood Science and Technology
 * IAWS Bulletin