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 Wood science is the scientific field which predominantly studies and investigates elements associated with the formation, the physical and chemical composition, and the macro- and microstructure of wood as a bio-based and lignocellulosic materi ...

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 Swiss most commonly refers to: * the adjectival form of Switzerland * Swiss people Swiss may also refer to: Places * Swiss, Missouri * Swiss, North Carolina * Swiss, West Virginia * Swiss, Wisconsin Other uses * Swiss Café, an old café located ...

wood scientist 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 Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

. The development and establishment of the International Academy of Wood Science involved many people, but the individual who decided to found a wood academy was Professor Franz Gustav Kollmann, who had studied in the Wood Research (German: ''Holzforschung'') department at the

Technical University of Munich The Technical University of Munich (TUM or TU Munich; ) is a public research university in Munich, Bavaria, Germany. It specializes in engineering, technology, medicine, and applied and natural sciences. Established in 1868 by King Ludwig II ...

, Germany, and was then working in industry. He was also the first elected President of the academy in the years 1966–1972. Since 1967, the official scientific journal of the IAWS is the journal of ''

Wood Science and Technology ''Wood Science and Technology'' is a bimonthly peer-reviewed scientific journal covering all aspects of wood science and technology. It is published by Springer Nature and the editors are Klaus Richter and Jan-Willem van de Kuilen, both of the Te ...

''.

Objectives

The Academy aims to advance the field of wood science globally by fostering coordinated progress and enhancing its reputation. One of the primary ways it does this is by selecting and honoring exceptional wood scientists as Fellows. This recognition celebrates significant contributions to wood science and encourages excellence in research and scholarly publishing. Additionally, the Academy organizes yearly plenary gatherings, which include administrative sessions and scientific presentations, typically held as international conferences. Fellows of the International Academy of Wood Science (''FIAWS'') are experts actively involved in wood-related research across a wide spectrum. Their election is a mark of outstanding scientific achievement and integrity. Current Fellows nominate and assess candidates, and the executive committee decides how many new members are accepted each year based on these evaluations. Fellows of the IAWS are expected to: * Support and advance cutting-edge wood science and technology. * Share and present their research at both IAWS-hosted and other international or national scientific forums. * Advocate for the relevance and impact of wood science to policymakers, industry leaders, media, and the public. * Encourage the publication of member research in the Quarterly Bulletins.

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 The University of British Columbia (UBC) is a Public university, public research university with campuses near University of British Columbia Vancouver, Vancouver and University of British Columbia Okanagan, Kelowna, in British Columbia, Canada ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

* Vice President: Dr. Ingo Burgert, Institute for Building Materials,

ETH Zurich ETH Zurich (; ) is a public university in Zurich, Switzerland. Founded in 1854 with the stated mission to educate engineers and scientists, the university focuses primarily on science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. ETH Zurich ran ...

Switzerland Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...

* Secretary/Bulletin editor: Dr. Rupert Wimmer, Natural Materials Technology, BOKU University,

Vienna Vienna ( ; ; ) is the capital city, capital, List of largest cities in Austria, most populous city, and one of Federal states of Austria, nine federal states of Austria. It is Austria's primate city, with just over two million inhabitants. ...

, Austria * Treasurer: Dr. Howard Rosen, Forest Products,

USDA Forest Service The United States Forest Service (USFS) is an agency within the U.S. Department of Agriculture. It administers the nation's 154 national forests and 20 national grasslands covering of land. The major divisions of the agency are the Chief's ...

Arlington Arlington most often refers to: *Arlington, Virginia **Arlington National Cemetery, a United States military cemetery *Arlington, Texas Arlington may also refer to: Places Australia *Arlington light rail station, on the Inner West Light Rail in S ...

, USA * Past President: Dr. Yoon Soo Kim, Wood Science & Engineering,

Chonnam National University Chonnam National University (CNU; ) is one of ten Flagship Korean National Universities located in Gwangju and South Jeolla Province, South Korea. In March 2006, Yeosu National University merged with Chonnam National University to become a satell ...

Gwangju Gwangju (; ), formerly romanized as Kwangju, is South Korea's list of cities in South Korea, sixth-largest metropolis. It is a designated Special cities of South Korea, metropolitan city under the direct control of the central government's Home ...

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the southern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and borders North Korea along the Korean Demilitarized Zone, with the Yellow Sea to the west and t ...

* Chair of the Academy Board: Dr. Katarina Čufar, Department of Wood Science and Technology,

University of Ljubljana The University of Ljubljana (, , ), abbreviated UL, is the oldest and largest university in Slovenia. It has approximately 38,000 enrolled students. The university has 23 faculties and three art academies with approximately 4,000 teaching and re ...

Slovenia Slovenia, officially the Republic of Slovenia, is a country in Central Europe. It borders Italy to the west, Austria to the north, Hungary to the northeast, Croatia to the south and southeast, and a short (46.6 km) coastline within the Adriati ...

Distinguished members

Alfred J. Stamm Alfred J. Stamm (1897–1985) was an American chemist and pioneering wood scientist, who worked at the Forest Products Laboratory and was a honorary ''fellow'' of the International Academy of Wood Science. His research contributions i ...

(1897–1985), member * Erich Adler (1905–1985), member and recipient of

Anselme Payen Award The Anselme Payen Award is an annual prize named in honor of Anselme Payen, the French scientist who discovered cellulose, and was a pioneer in the chemistry of both cellulose and lignin. In 1838, he discovered that treating successively wood with ...

* Josef Gierer (1919–), member and recipient of

* Peter Koch (1920–1998), member * Kyosti Vilho Sarkanen (1921–1990), member and recipient of

* Walter Liese (1926–2023), member * Chung-Yun Hse (1935–1921), member * Edmone Roffael (1939–2021), member * Roger M. Rowell (1939–), member * Pieter Baas (1944–2024), member * Raymond A. Young (1945–), member * Gerd Wegener (1945–), member * Antonio Pizzi (1946–), member * Peter Niemz (1950–), member * Alfred Teischinger (1954–), member * John Ralph (1954–), member and recipient of

* Geoffrey Daniel (1957–), member * Callum A.S. Hill (1957–), member * Philip D. Evans (1958–), member * Rupert Wimmer (1960–), member * Holger Militz (1960–), member and recipient of Schweighofer Prize * Krishna K. Pandey (1962–), member * Thomas Rosenau (1963–), member and recipient of

History

Objectives

Executive committee

Distinguished members

Publications

References

External links