“For outstanding contributions to the promotion of science, and scientific outreach and cooperation worldwide, including transforming open access through Latindex, championing gender equity through the Organization for Women in Science for the Developing World and advancing peaceful progress through science including at the International Atomic Energy Agency and in other international fora”.

 

The International Union of Pure and Applied Physics (IUPAP) warmly welcomes the announcement that Prof. Ana María Cetto, distinguished Mexican theoretical physicist and international science leader, has been awarded the 2025 John Torrence Tate Medal by the American Institute of Physics (AIP). This prestigious distinction recognizes her outstanding international leadership in physics and her exemplary commitment to advancing a scientific practice grounded in justice, peace, and inclusion. This recognition places her among a select group of scientists whose influence extends far beyond research, shaping science policy, institutional culture, and global cooperation.

A central pillar of Prof. Cetto’s legacy is her historic achievement as the first woman to earn a PhD in Physics in Mexico, a milestone that established a transformative precedent for future generations of women physicists. She has frequently reflected on navigating a “tremendously masculinized” academic environment early in her career, an experience that motivated her to use her leadership roles to promote structural change and equity within scientific institutions.

Prof. Cetto has consistently defended the importance of women’s perspectives in physics, emphasizing that equity does not require conformity to preexisting, male-dominated structures. Instead, she has argued that diverse ways of asking questions and interpreting the world enrich physics itself, opening new conceptual pathways and broadening the scope of scientific inquiry.

Her contributions to the fundamentals of quantum mechanics were acknowledged in the recent book Women in the History of Quantum Physics: Beyond Knabenphysik, and they go far beyond by playing a decisive role in advancing ethics and social responsibility in science. As Chair of IUPAP Working Group 18, she co-led efforts that resulted in a formal proposal to establish a permanent ethics group within IUPAP. She has expressed deep concern about the growing involvement of physicists in the development and modernization of weapons, warning that such work threatens global security and calling for greater reflection within the physics community.

Her lifelong commitment to peace has been recognized internationally through two Nobel Peace Prizes, awarded collectively via her participation in Pugwash Conferences on Science and World Affairs, and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). These honors reflect the global impact of her advocacy for the application of science for the benefit of humanity.

Prof. Cetto continues to encourage young people to pursue scientific careers, highlighting science as a field of intense creativity and emphasizing that rigorous training fosters intellectual freedom through independent and critical thinking. Her career exemplifies the values that IUPAP seeks to promote: scientific excellence, ethical responsibility, and a deep commitment to equity and peace.

Lilia Meza Montes

Featured picture copyright: UNESCO/Marie ETCHEGOYEN.