President Elect

The President Elect position makes up the first year of a three-year presidential term. The individual elected to this position spends the first year as President Elect, the second year as President, and the third as Past President. 

Term: January 2025 - December 2027

Responsibilities as President Elect include:

1. Participate as an active member of SSE Council, including attending two Council meetings each year and discussing and voting on various issues via Slack. One Council meeting is held via Zoom in January or February, and the other occurs in two parts at the in-person portion of the annual meeting, typically in June. The meeting registration fee, coach class travel, and up to $500 for accommodations are covered by SSE.


2. Serve on the SSE Executive Committee, with the President, Past President, Executive Vice President, and Secretary. This committee typically meets twice per month (via Zoom), and stays abreast of current issues and opportunities for the Society and generally oversees all activities of the Society.


3. Evaluate papers submitted for the SSE Presidents’ Award for Outstanding Dissertation Paper. This award recognizes an outstanding paper in Evolution or Evolution Letters that is part of the first author’s PhD work. 


4. Attend the Joint Council meetings with leaders of SSE, the American Society of Naturalists, and the Society of Systematic Biologists at the annual Evolution meeting.

Full duties of the second and third years of this position, as President and Past President, are outlined on page 3 of the SSE Officers Handbook [2]. 

North American Vice President

The North American Vice President is one of two vice presidents, the other being the Non-North American Vice President. These positions have two-year terms and alternate years in which they are elected.

Term: January 2025 - December 2026

Responsibilities include:

1. Represent SSE Council on the Joint Meeting Committee, which oversees the organization of the annual Evolution Meeting. This role includes: 1) liaising between the SSE Council and committees and the meeting organizers in order to ensure that all SSE sponsored symposia, workshops, and socials at the meeting are planned and run smoothly; and 2) attending the Joint Meeting Council meetings, which happen in-person at the annual Evolution meeting and periodically throughout the rest of the year via Zoom.


2. Conduct two competitions for the Graduate Research Excellence Grants, the R. C. Lewontin Early Award (February application deadline) and the Rosemary Grant Advanced Award (September application deadline). This includes recruiting, organizing, and instructing evaluators to score ~250 applications each round, and working with the SSE Diversity Committee to pursue equity in awarding.


3. Evaluate candidates for the Dobzhansky Prize, which recognizes an outstanding early career researcher (December application deadline).


4. Participate as an active member of SSE Council, including attending two Council meetings each year and discussing and voting on various issues via Slack. One Council meeting is held via Zoom in January or February, and the other occurs in two parts at the in-person portion of the annual meeting, typically in June. The meeting registration fee, coach class travel, and up to $500 for accommodations are covered by SSE.

Councilor

In addition to the three Presidents, Executive Vice President, two Vice Presidents, Treasurer, and Secretary, SSE Council consists of nine councilors. Three are elected each year and serve three year terms. 

Term: January 2025 - December 2027

Responsibilities include:

1. Participate as an active member of SSE Council, including attending two Council meetings each year and discussing and voting on various issues via Slack. One Council meeting is held via Zoom in January or February, and the other occurs in two parts at the in-person portion of the annual meeting, typically in June. The meeting registration fee, coach class travel, and up to $500 for accommodations are covered by SSE.


2. Evaluate proposals for the Graduate Research Excellence Grants, the R. C. Lewontin Early Award (February application deadline) and the Rosemary Grant Advanced Award (September application deadline). First and second year councilors evaluate R. C. Lewontin Early Award proposals (typically in March), and third year councilors evaluate Rosemary Grant Advanced Award proposals (typically in October).  


3. Evaluate nominations for the Gould Prize, which recognizes an individual who has advanced the public understanding of evolution and its importance in biology, education, and everyday life. This award now occurs once every three years, with a nomination deadline in January.


4. Serve on other committees according to personal interests and committee needs. Councilors may serve on a variety of SSE Committees, including the Diversity Committee, Education and Outreach Committee, International Committee, Public Policy Committee, Diverse Careers Committee, and other ad hoc committees.