Judy R. Franz

She received her B.A in physics in 1959 from Cornell University and pursued graduate studies in physics at the University of Illinois where she earned a master's degree in 1961 and a Ph.D. in 1965.[1][2] Shortly after earning her Ph.D., she worked as a post-doctoral fellow at the IBM research laboratory in Zurich, Switzerland from 1965 to 1967, before returning to America to serve as a physics professor at Indiana University for 18 years.[2] After her time at Indiana University, Franz spent 5 years on the faculty of West Virginia University and three years on the faculty of the University of Alabama in Huntsville.[3] In 1994, she took a five-year leave of absence from her faculty position to assume her position as executive officer of the American Physical Society (APS).[3]

Franz has published a number of high-profile articles on condensed matter physics,[4] most notably related to the theoretical calculations of electron state wave functions in systems undergoing metal-insulator transitions.[5] She was a key advocate for improving physics education, and has received the Melba Newell Phillips Medal for Creative Leadership in Physics Education from the American Association of Physics Teachers.[6] She served as executive officer of the American Physical Society[2] for 15 years,[7] encouraging more women to pursue careers in physics.[2] She is past Secretary General of the International Union of Pure and Applied Physics.[8] She is now retired.[7]