President’s Message

I hope all of you have had a great start to the New Year! As my term as the President of the IEEE Antennas and Propagation Society (AP-S) started on 1 January 2026, I am having a great time working with the leadership of the society as well as the great volunteers who dedicate many hours of their time to serve the society membership. One of my first tasks as President is to appoint chairs and members of the standing committees. The AP-S has about 25 standing committees that comprise a total of more than 300 members. I am happy to announce that we have all standing committees voted and approved by the voting members of Administrative Committee (AdCom). All of the standing committee chairs also become part of the AdCom-at-Large. As I write this message in the middle of February, we are preparing for the society’s first AdCom meeting in Natal, Brazil during 21–22 February 2026. I am looking forward to productive discussions and actions that are beneficial to our members.

In my message in the February issue of IEEE Antennas and Propagation Magazine, I was predicting that AP-S will reach 16,000 members. To my pleasant surprise, AP-S reached 17,000 members by the middle of February, as I write this message. CONGRATULATIONS to all of our volunteers who make the AP-S a welcoming place for members! This phenomenal membership growth is a testament to the dedication and hard work by all of our volunteers, instrumental in implementing various programs that benefit our members.

The AP-S leadership team will work harder to provide value to our members to make their membership worthwhile! Figure 1 shows the membership growth that started in 2020 and really took off in 2024 and 2025. Thanks to Dr. Ajay Poddar, Chair of the AP-S Chapter Activities Committee for compiling the data. I am confident that this momentum will continue in 2026 as well.

One of the many “perks” of being the President is the opportunity to attend conferences that are sponsored by the AP-S to promote membership and society activities. As I begin my term, I attended the North American Radio Science (NRSM) meeting organized by U.S. National Committee (USNC)/Union Radio-Scientifique Internationale (URSI) in Boulder, CO during 6–9 January 2026. The AP-S and URSI have a long-standing relationship going back to 50+ years with a large common membership base. It was a great opportunity to meet URSI President, Prof. Ari Sihvola, and also the leaders of USNC, Prof. Jamesina Simpson, Dr. Michae Newkirk, and Dr. Chris Anderson. It was interesting to see six AP-S past presidents attending the conference (Figure 2). I plan to attend as many AP-S sponsored conferences as possible during the year to promote AP-S membership and activities.

Another “mandated” responsibility of the president is to attend the IEEE Technical Activities Board (TAB) meetings that are held three times a year. The first of those TAB meetings was held in Austin, TX, during 13–14 February 2026. It is an honor for me to represent the AP-S. It was an opportunity to interact with presidents of other societies and councils to share common issues and discuss collaborations. Along with Prof. Francesco Andriulli, AP-S President-Elect and Prof. Branislav Notaros, AP-S Past President and Director of the Intersociety Collaboration (Figure 3), we attended the Division IV meeting discussing specific issues of interest to societies and councils that are part of the Division. It was also a great occasion to sign the renewal of IEEE Microwaves, Antennas, and Propagation Conference (MAPCON) Memorandum of Understanding, along with Prof. Anding Zhu, President of IEEE Microwave Theory and Technology Society and Thomas Braxton, President of the IEEE Electromagnetic Compatibility Society (Figure 4). Working closely with AP-S Director of Intersociety Collaboration, Prof. Notaros, I plan to expand our Intersociety collaborations and activities to expand the benefits offered to the AP-S members.

In addition to these activities, I also had the pleasure of addressing students at the inauguration of four student branch chapters in a short span of two weeks. AP-S Chapters, now more than 300+ across the world, is where “rubber meets the road” for our society serving the growing membership. I applaud all of the volunteers at these chapters who work relentlessly to make the AP-S welcoming for all of our members. I plan to have “town hall” meetings with chapters chairs in the coming months. Also, I plan to meet with many chapter chairs during the chapter chair meetings to be held at various conferences.

As I mentioned in my February column, the AP-S is more than an organization—it is a global family, united by a shared vision of advancing science and improving lives. I am honored to serve as your President and look forward to building a bright, inclusive, and impactful future with you all.

C. J. Reddy
2026 President, IEEE Antennas and Propagation Society

President's Messages published in the IEEE AP Magazine:

April 2026 | February 2026