An Exciting Moment to Serve

The SSE is at an inflection point. With a strengthened Journal, growing academic interest in frontier science, and an expanding vision for what SSE can accomplish, we are seeking engaged, forward-thinking members to join our Council and help to shape the organization’s next chapter.

This is not a ceremonial role. We are looking for people ready to roll up their sleeves and contribute meaningfully to initiatives that matter — for SSE, for the Journal, and for the broader scientific community we serve.

What We’re Working On

Council members elected in this cycle will have the opportunity to contribute to a focused and ambitious agenda, including:

• Stabilizing and strengthening the JSE — supporting incoming editorial leadership and helping secure the journal's long-term direction and credibility
• Expanding JSE indexing — advancing efforts to increase the journal's visibility and recognition within mainstream academic databases
• Completing the JSE online archive — bringing to fruition a fully searchable digital archive of all past issues, making decades of frontier science research accessible to scholars, students, and the public
• Enhancing member value and recruitment — developing and sustaining educational campaigns that serve current members and attract new Full, Associate, and Student members to the SSE community

Looking further ahead, incoming Council members will also have the opportunity to help lay groundwork for longer-term initiatives, including:

• Creating stronger organizational structure around SSE's diverse frontier science domains
• Building pathways to publication and mentorship for students and early-career researchers
• Expanding SSE's academic footprint through campus outreach, mainstream conference participation, and cross-organizational collaboration
• Strengthening the student program as a meaningful lever for cultural and institutional change within science

SHORT-TERM GOALS (Through 2027)

• Stabilize JSE leadership & direction — e.g., more rigid limits on page length; well defined production scheme and calendar
• Support expanded JSE indexing
• Complete JSE online archive with search functionality
• Maintain and improve educational/ recruitment campaigns — to add member value and recruit Full, Associate, and Student members

MID-TO-LONGER TERM GOALS

• Preserve SSE's identity as a serious scientific/scholarly institution — resist drift toward broad public appeal at the expense of research rigor
• Strengthen the student program — as a lever for long-term academic and cultural change within science, not just membership numbers
• Create new pathways to JSE publication — through proposal review or mentorship to attract students, faculty, and institutions
• Expand academic outreach — members speaking on campuses and presenting at mainstream conferences or create an SSE Speaker Bureau for public education in science opportunities
• Create internal organizational structure around frontier science domains — define topic divisions on the website, invite member experts to steward them, feeding into conferences, Maverick Talks, and journal submissions
• Build a middle layer of invested organizers — modeled on IRVA's success, with members invited to lead specific subject areas
• Reduce insularity — get SSE researchers presenting in new non-anomalistic settings; possibly support via travel grants tied to mainstream conference presentations
• Foster cross-organizational collaboration — help organize a broader consortium around shared goals across aligned organizations

Who We're Looking For

We welcome nominations and applications from Full and Emeritus SSE members who bring some combination of the following:

• A genuine commitment to SSE's identity as a serious scientific and scholarly institution
• Experience in academic, research, publishing, or organizational settings
• Interest in student engagement, academic outreach, or institutional development
• Enthusiasm for collaborative work across organizations and disciplines
• Time and bandwidth to contribute actively — Council membership is a real commitment, and we value engaged participants over passive ones

We are particularly interested in members who think beyond SSE's existing circles — who can help bring frontier science research into new academic and scientific spaces where it is not yet familiar.

What positions are open?

The Council consists of:

• President
  The President presides over Council meetings and acts as the primary representative of the SSE.  The President leads the Executive Council and appoints committees for membership, nominations and meeting programs. As a member of the Executive Committee and the Council, the President is involved in all the major decisions of the organization, helping determine activities, standards, and direction.
  
• Vice President
  The President presides over Council meetings and acts as the primary representative of the SSE.  The President leads the Executive Council and appoints committees for membership, nominations and meeting programs. As a member of the Executive Committee and the Council, the President is involved in all the major decisions of the organization, helping determine activities, standards, and direction.
  
• Secretary
  The Secretary oversees membership, elections, records meeting minutes and communicates with Council.  As a member of the Executive Committee and the Council, the Secretary is involved in all the major decisions of the organization, helping determine activities, standards, and direction.
  
• Treasurer
  The Treasurer manages the SSE finances, provides annual reports of SSE finances to the Council and completes governmental reporting requirements.  The Treasurer is a member of the Executive Council.  As a member of the Executive Committee and the Council, the Treasurer is involved in all the major decisions of the organization, helping determine activities, standards, and direction.
  
• Education Officer
  The Education Officer is the primary liaison between SSE and student members.  The Education Officer coordinates recruiting activities for potential student members and quarterly online meetings providing networking opportunities for student members. The Education Officer is a member of the Executive Council.  As a member of the Executive Committee and the Council, the Education Officer is involved in all the major decisions of the organization, helping determine activities, standards, and direction.
  
• Five Council Members
  Council members, along with the officers, vote on governance and policy matters for the SSE and serve on committees at the request of the President. The Council is involved in all the major decisions of the organization, helping determine activities, standards, and direction.
  

Generally, terms of office are 3 years, but this year we will be shortening some terms so that future positions come up for election in staggered years.  This year, all positions are on the ballot.

To serve in one of these positions, it is necessary to be:

1. a Full or Emeritus SSE member in good standing

2. available to attend regular SSE Council meetings by Zoom.

3. willing to advocate for SSE, participate on SSE committees and contribute to governing the society.

If you wish to be considered by the nominating committee, please send email to the Secretary (secretary@scientificexploration.org) indicating which office you are interested in running for and provide a ballot statement of less than 500 words that describes your interest, background and vision for how you will contribute to SSE in the position for which you wish to be considered. 

Please submit your statement by Sunday, August 23, 2026.

The nominating committee will select a slate of candidates from those who respond and notify you of our decision by August 28.  We expect the electronic ballots to be made available for voting shortly thereafter.

Engaged participation in SSE's governance is crucial for the future of SSE.

We hope you will give serious consideration to serving.

Questions?  Contact the Secretary secretary@scientificexploration.org)