President's Letter – Spring 2026

In this first letter of 2026, I would like to encourage the whole community to make an effort and take part in our triennial Congress, which this time will be held in Calgary, Canada. This is particularly important for younger researchers who are carrying out excellent research in structural science. The IUCr2026 Congress will be one of the largest yet and will provide the best opportunity to network with the rest of the IUCr scientific community.

At present, the Congress figures suggest this will be one of the best IUCr conferences to date, both in terms of the number of contributions received and the appeal of the Plenary Lectures, Keynotes and Microsymposia. At this stage, we can say that the excellent work of the International Programme Committee and the Local Organising Committee is bearing fruit and will offer an unbeatable experience at our Congress and General Assembly in August 2026.

It often appears that we are heading towards a world in constant conflict, which unfortunately affects the scientific community, and particularly our organisation. Here we wish to call for respect for all people, regardless of their origin or beliefs, especially within the scientific community and at scientific institutions. We aspire to a global community based on knowledge and free from the use of force to resolve conflicts. Our solidarity and support go out to all members of our community who are suffering the effects of the barbarity that always accompanies wars. This is something of which we, as humanity, should be ashamed.

At our Congress, we will celebrate the achievements of our Ewald, W. H. & W. L. Bragg and Struchkov Prize winners and hear from our Nobel laureates. The award process was conducted by three independent committees with chairs Marvin Hacker, USA, for the Ewald Prize; Jenny Martin, Australia, for the Bragg and Sven Lidin, Sweden, for the Struchkov Prize. The awardees were, Professor Gautam Desiraju, India, Dr Luca Catalano, Italy and Dr Erik Svensson Grape, Sweden, respectively.  On behalf of the IUCr, I would like to offer our warmest congratulations to all three, as they embody the finest scientific values of our community. They will all receive their awards at IUCr2026 in Calgary.

The satisfaction of presenting these awards is tempered by the lack of diversity in the results, despite the diversity within the selection committees. In particular, the absence of women amongst the award winners is something that should be addressed for future editions of our awards; to this end, the Executive Committee must update the guidelines to achieve greater diversity.

On 12 and 13 March, the spring meeting of the Journal Management Board took place at the Queen Hotel in Chester in a hybrid format. Many of our scientific editors and the technical and editorial staff from Chester were present, and the programme and organisation were flawless. Representatives from the Early Career Board project, now implemented for several journals, also participated for the first time, with Myfanwy Adams in person and Florian Meurer online. The inclusion of young researchers on the Editorial Boards of our journals is essential to ensure the quality and growth of our journals and, consequently, our future scientific and social impact.

Another important project currently under way is the formal introduction of a new editorial role, the Commissioning Editor. The role’s mission is to facilitate effective interaction between Commissions and the most scientifically relevant journals, with the aim to increase submissions. In this initial phase, the following individuals have been appointed: Kirsten Marie Ørnsbjerg Jensen, University of Copenhagen, Acta Cryst. A; Elena V. Boldyreva, Novosibirsk State University, Acta Cryst. B; Mohammed Yousufuddin, University of North Texas at Dallas, Acta Cryst. C; Mark van Raaij, Centro Nacional de Biotecnologia -CSIC, Acta Cryst. F; Rebecca Ingle, University College London, Journal of Syncrotron Radiation.

Meanwhile, the IUCr Finance Committee met on 16 and 17 March at the LINXS Institute in Lund, Sweden. The Union’s financial status was reviewed, and plans to improve publishing revenue were discussed.  The Union's activities are funded by this revenue, so it is important to support our journals and publish your articles with us.

This is my penultimate Letter from the President; the last one will be published after the General Assembly, by which time my term as president of the IUCr will have come to an end.  It has been a wonderful experience, despite the difficulties, to have the opportunity to witness and influence the most important events in our Union - the International Year of Crystallography in 2014 and the extraordinary transformation of our discipline, recognized with Nobel Prizes and the evolution toward structural science.  

I have been fortunate to be accompanied by excellent colleagues, both in Chester and on the Executive Committee, and by a unique community that, every day from their laboratories, builds the best science and shares it with society.

As always, I would like to express my deepest gratitude to everyone who contributes to our organisation, including the Adhering Bodies and Regional Associates, the IUCr Commissions and Committees, the Editors and Co-editors of our journals, the referees and the authors, our Chester staff, and all individual structural scientists. In this Congress Year, special thanks go to the IUCr2026 organisers.

Thanks also go to Mike Glazer, the Editor of the IUCr Newsletter, and his team, as well as to all our contributors, for making another issue possible that continues to serve as a reference point for communication within our community.

Let’s see each other in Calgary! All the best!