{{short description|American physicist}}
{{Infobox scientist | name = Kate P. Kirby | thesis_title = Accurate AB initio calculations of energy and properties for ground and excited states of lithium hydride }}
'''Kate Page Kirby''' is an American physicist. From February 2015 to December 2020, Kirby was the chief executive officer of the American Physical Society (APS)<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.aps.org/about/governance/letters/kirby.cfm|title=APS Announces Dr. Kate Kirby as Chief Executive Officer|website=www.aps.org|language=en|access-date=2019-03-03|archive-date=2016-04-01|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160401124530/http://www.aps.org/about/governance/letters/kirby.cfm}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.aps.org/publications/apsnews/201503/ceo.cfm|title=APS Names its First Chief Executive Officer|website=www.aps.org|language=en|access-date=2019-03-04}}</ref> and sits on the board of directors of the American Institute of Physics.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.aip.org/aip/board-of-directors|title=Members of the AIP Board of Directors|date=2013-11-07|website=www.aip.org|language=en|access-date=2019-03-03}}</ref> Kate Kirby was elected a fellow of the American Physical Society (APS) in 1989 for her "innovative application of methods of quantum chemistry to the quantitative elucidation of a diverse range of molecular phenomena."<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.aps.org/programs/honors/fellowships/archive-all.cfm|title=APS Fellow Archive|website=www.aps.org|language=en|access-date=2019-03-03}}</ref> She was made a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) in 1996 for her contributions to physics.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.aaas.org/fellows/listing|title=Elected Fellows|website=American Association for the Advancement of Science|language=en|access-date=2019-03-03}}</ref>
== Education == Kirby graduated from Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts with a Bachelor of Arts (B.A) in physics and chemistry in 1967.<ref>[https://www.cfa.harvard.edu/news/2009/fe200907.html Kate Kirby Named Executive Officer of the American Physical Society], Center for Astrophysics {{!}} Harvard & Smithsonian, Wednesday, May 13, 2009</ref> Later she received her MS degree in Chemistry and PhD degree in chemical physics from the University of Chicago in Illinois. The title of her 1972 doctoral thesis is "Accurate AB initio calculations of energy and properties for ground and excited states of lithium hydride." <ref>{{Cite thesis|title=Accurate AB initio calculations of energy and properties for ground and excited states of lithium hydride.|url=https://catalog.lib.uchicago.edu/vufind/Record/4178836|date=1972|language=en|first=Kate Kirby.|last=Docken}}</ref>
== Career == Kirby held a postdoctoral research position at Harvard College Observatory and then became a research physicist at the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory in Cambridge, Massachusetts. She served as the associate director for the Center for Astrophysics {{!}} Harvard & Smithsonian, heading the Atomic and Molecular Physics Division from 1989 until 2001. She was the director of the National-Science-Foundation-funded <ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=9722107|title=NSF Award Search: Award#9722107 - Institute for Theoretical Atomic and Molecular Physics|website=www.nsf.gov|access-date=2019-03-03}}</ref> Institute for Theoretical Atomic, Molecular and Optical Physics (ITAMP) at Center for Astrophysics {{!}} Harvard & Smithsonian from 2001 to 2007. Kirby was named as the executive officer of the American Physical Society (APS) in May 2009,<ref>{{Cite journal|date=2009-05-19|title=Harvard-Smithsonian research physicist Dr. Kate Kirby named new APS Executive Officer|journal=Physics Today|language=EN|doi=10.1063/PT.4.1309}}</ref> a position she began in July of the same year, replacing Judy Franz. On assuming the role, Kirby said "Having served the Society for well over two decades as a volunteer on a number of committees, the Council and Executive Board, I am excited to be joining the APS leadership team." She added, "I look forward to working with APS staff and the membership to advocate for physics in the public arena and to serve the community of physicists throughout the U.S. and the world." Kirby became the American Physical Society's chief executive officer in 2015 after a restructuring of the organization.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.aps.org/publications/apsnews/201503/ceo.cfm|title=APS Names its First Chief Executive Officer|website=www.aps.org|language=en|access-date=2019-03-04}}</ref> She served as the chief officer of APS till 2021. Kirby has been an active partner with the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS).<ref>{{Cite web |title=Kate Kirby |url=https://www.aps.org/people/kate-kirby |access-date=2025-09-03 |website=www.aps.org |language=en}}</ref>
== American Physical Society == Kirby has long-standing links with the American Physical Society (APS), serving in a number of leadership roles at the organization.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.newswise.com/articles/harvard-smithsonian-research-physicist-dr-kate-kirby-named-new-aps-executive-officer|title=Harvard-Smithsonian Research Physicist Dr. Kate Kirby Named New APS Executive Officer {{!}} Newswise: News for Journalists|website=www.newswise.com|access-date=2019-03-04}}</ref> These include: APS councilor-at-large from 1991-1993;<ref>{{Cite journal|title=Richter Elected Vice President, Council is Expanded|journal = Physics Today|volume = 44|issue = 12|pages = 87–88|doi=10.1063/1.2810370|year = 1991|bibcode = 1991PhT....44l..87.}}</ref> vice-chair, chair-elect, and chair of the society's Division of Atomic, and Molecular Physics (DAMOP) from 1995-1998; and divisional councilor for the Division of Atomic, Molecular and Optical Physics (DAMOP) (2003–07). She was elected to the APS executive board in 2005, serving on the board for two years.
Kirby has chaired and served on numerous American Physical Society (APS) committees, including the fellowship committee (1993–95), the nominating committee (1994–96), the APS Ethics Task Force (2002-2003), and the Committee on Prizes and Awards (2005-2006).<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.cfa.harvard.edu/hea/sws/kirby.html|title=Kirby|website=www.cfa.harvard.edu|access-date=2020-02-21}}</ref>
== Research == Kirby is a theoretical atomic and molecular physicist. Her research focused on the calculation of atomic and molecular processes important in astrophysics and atmospheric physics.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Kirby|first1=Kate P.|last2=Goldfield|first2=Evelyn M.|date=1991-01-15|title=Theoretical study of the radiative properties of the triplet states of the NH radical: Transition dipole moments, radiative lifetimes, photodissociation cross sections|journal=The Journal of Chemical Physics|language=en|volume=94|issue=2|pages=1271–1276|doi=10.1063/1.460036|issn=0021-9606|bibcode=1991JChPh..94.1271K}}</ref> During her career she studied photon absorption of atoms and molecules.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=McLaughlin|first1=Brendan M|last2=Kirby|first2=Kate P|date=1998-11-28|title=Photoabsorption of atomic oxygen in the vicinity of the K-edge|url=http://stacks.iop.org/0953-4075/31/i=22/a=010?key=crossref.e61f1748cbd2e79f76da2a5a2a56580a|journal=Journal of Physics B: Atomic, Molecular and Optical Physics|volume=31|issue=22|pages=4991–5002|doi=10.1088/0953-4075/31/22/010|issn=0953-4075|bibcode=1998JPhB...31.4991M|s2cid=250785625 |url-access=subscription}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Pradhan|first1=Atul D.|last2=Kirby|first2=Kate P.|last3=Dalgarno|first3=A.|date=1991-12-15|title=Theoretical study of HCl +: Potential curves, radiative lifetimes, and photodissociation cross sections|journal=The Journal of Chemical Physics|language=en|volume=95|issue=12|pages=9009–9023|doi=10.1063/1.461232|bibcode=1991JChPh..95.9009P|s2cid=94076911 |issn=0021-9606|url=http://nrs.harvard.edu/urn-3:HUL.InstRepos:30354125}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Kirby|first1=Kate P.|last2=Goldfield|first2=Evelyn M.|date=1991-01-15|title=Theoretical study of the radiative properties of the triplet states of the NH radical: Transition dipole moments, radiative lifetimes, photodissociation cross sections|journal=The Journal of Chemical Physics|language=en|volume=94|issue=2|pages=1271–1276|doi=10.1063/1.460036|issn=0021-9606|bibcode=1991JChPh..94.1271K}}</ref> She also studied the collision processes between atoms that occur in the atmospheres of astrophysical bodies like brown dwarf stars <ref>{{Cite journal|last=Kirby|first=Kate P.|date=2007|title=Atomic and Molecular Physics for Forefront Astronomy|journal=AIP Conference Proceedings|language=en|location=Meudon (France)|publisher=AIP|volume=901|pages=26–32|doi=10.1063/1.2727353|bibcode=2007AIPC..901...26K}}</ref> and planetary nebulae.<ref>{{Citation|last1=Kirby|first1=Kate P.|title=Photodissociation Processes in Diatomic Molecules of Astrophysical Interest|date=1989|journal=Advances in Atomic and Molecular Physics|volume=25|pages=437–476|publisher=Elsevier|language=en|doi=10.1016/s0065-2199(08)60097-4|isbn=978-0-12-003825-1|last2=Van Dishoeck|first2=Ewine F.|bibcode=1989AdAMP..25..437K}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Kirby|first1=Kate P.|last2=Wineland|first2=D. J.|last3=Wieman|first3=C. E.|last4=Smith|first4=S. J.|date=1994|title=Collision Processes in Astrophysical Environments|journal=American Institute of Physics Conference Series|volume=323|location=Boulder, Colorado (USA)|pages=437–449|doi=10.1063/1.2946022|series=AIP Conference Proceedings|bibcode=1994AIPC..323..437K}}</ref> Kirby later worked on processes for forming ultracold polar molecules using lasers and applying the method to create platforms for quantum computing.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Kuznetsova|first1=Elena|last2=Côté|first2=Robin|last3=Kirby|first3=Kate|last4=Yelin|first4=S. F.|author4-link= Susanne Yelin |date=2008-07-09|title=Analysis of experimental feasibility of polar-molecule-based phase gates|journal=Physical Review A|language=en|volume=78|issue=1|article-number=012313|doi=10.1103/PhysRevA.78.012313|issn=1050-2947|bibcode=2008PhRvA..78a2313K}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Côté|first1=Robin|last2=Juarros|first2=Elizabeth|last3=Kirby|first3=Kate|date=2010-06-16|title=Formation of ultracold polar molecules in a single quantum state|journal=Physical Review A|language=en|volume=81|issue=6|article-number=060704|doi=10.1103/PhysRevA.81.060704|issn=1050-2947|bibcode=2010PhRvA..81f0704C}}</ref>
== References == {{Reflist}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Kirby, Kate}} Category:Year of birth missing (living people) Category:Living people Category:American women physicists Category:University of Chicago alumni Category:Harvard College alumni Category:Fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science Category:Fellows of the Institute of Physics Category:Fellows of the American Physical Society Category:21st-century American women