General Information and Agenda

KITP Advisory Board Information

Welcome

Thank you for serving as an Advisory Board Member. Your expertise and insight on KITP programs, administration, and the state of the physics and astrophysics community are valued.

The KITP Advisory Board experience is characterized by sharing expertise and enthusiasm regarding proposals across all of physics and an in-person meeting after which nearly all of the board's work is completed. Board members have No fiduciary responsibilities.

Key Dates and Program Development Schedule (2025-2026)

The primary work of the board is reviewing and developing proposals for the 2027-2028 programs. The aim is to identify one to a few leading proposals in each area, developing them to have a clear, feasible, and focused topic, with agreed-upon organizers and 10–12 committed long-term key participants.

Event Date
Pre-proposals due to KITP October 17, 2025
KITP sends pre-proposals to subcommittees By October 31
Subcommittee members finish their review and enter results on Google Sheets November 28
Subcommittee decisions (on which to ask for full proposals) due to KITP December 5, 2025
KITP requests full proposals By December 12
Full proposals due to KITP January 5, 2026
Subcommittees select Top Picks (pre-meeting) February 9, 2026
In-Person Advisory Board Meeting February 26-27, 2026
Program Approval Meeting May 20, 2026 (9-11 AM PDT)

Information on how to access the board website and view the proposals will be sent in late October.

Program Selection Overview

  • KITP receives about 40 short, preliminary pre-proposals every Fall.
  • In a typical year, half of the pre-proposals have full proposals requested.
  • Of those full proposals, 14-16 are typically discussed at the Advisory Board Meeting.
  • In a typical year, KITP hosts 12 programs.

Advisory Board Meeting Details

  • Dates: February 26-27, 2026
  • Dinner: Held in the Conservatory of the Munger Residence on February 26, 2026.
  • Programs Underway: When you arrive, the following two programs will be underway:
    1. Soft Earth Geophysics
    2. Exploring New Boundaries in Cosmology and Astrophysics: Cosmic Microwave Background and Large Scale Structure Surveys

Note: Board members are welcome to visit before or after the meeting and participate in one of the programs.

Subcommittees

Each Advisory Board member is assigned to one or more subcommittees. The names of the subcommittee chairs are capitalized. Lars Bildsten has been added ex officio to each committee.

Area Members Chair
Astrophysics E. Berti, K. Kratter, P. Natarajan, S. P. Oh (L. Bildsten) M. ZALDARRIAGA
Atomic and Molecular V. Galitski, L. Balents, M. Fisher, D. Weld (L. Bildsten) M. SCHLEIER-SMITH
Biologically Inspired Physics D. Chklovskii, A. Murugan, M. Vergassola, B. Shraiman, S. Streichan (L. Bildsten) A. NOURMOHAMMAD
Condensed Matter V. Galitski, A. Murugan, M. Schleier-Smith, D. Son, M. Vergassola, L. Balents, M. Fisher, D. Hone, J. Langer, C. Xu (L. Bildsten) E. A. KIM
High Energy Theory C. Csaki, A. El-Khadra, R. Gopakumar, D. Son, A. Volovich, N. Craig, M. Einhorn, D. Gross, C. Johnson, A. Zee (L. Bildsten) C. CSAKI
Math R. Gopakumar, C. Johnson (L. Bildsten) D. SON
Gravity E. Berti (L. Bildsten) M. ZALDARRIAGA
Earth and Planets K. Kratter (L. Bildsten) L. ZANNA

Criteria for Judging Proposals

A successful KITP program is Timely, Rich, Coherent, Thoughtful, and Organized. Reviewers should consider both the Theme (what the program is trying to accomplish) and the People (who and how the program pursues its theme).

Category Questions Reviewers Ask
Theme
  • Is this a Timely opportunity to share new perspectives, insights, methods, or data?
  • Given conditions, is it likely there will be significant, lasting, advances made by meeting?
  • Is the theme Rich enough to sustain a conversation for four to twelve weeks?
  • Is the goal Coherent (explicable, attainable, and worthy of pursuit)?
People
  • Is there a Thoughtful list of potential participants?
  • Are the coordinators Organized and committed to attending the program?
  • Is there a strong indication that they will organize effective talks, discussions, and other activities that will get program participants talking and interacting over the long programs at KITP?

Resources and Contact