This is the eighteenth in the series of short statements from candidates in the coming CODATA Elections at the General Assembly to be held on 27-28 October, 2023. Cyrus Walther is a candidate for the CODATA Executive Committee as an Ordinary Member. He was nominated by the International Union of Pure and Applied Physics.

My name is Cyrus Walther and I am a young passionate physicist serving in my second term as the President of the International Association of Physics Students (IAPS), the Chair of Affiliated Commission 5 of the International Union of Pure and Applied Physics (IUPAP), and the Vice Chair for the Working Group on Physics and Industry in IUPAP.

My engagement focuses on strengthening the voice of young scientists around the world and advancing their engagement in the global scientific community. Additionally, within my focus on supporting the young generation of scientists, I advocate for the development of a sustainable future. Thus, I am committed to the International Year of Basic Sciences for Sustainable Development (IYBSSD) and the International Decade of Sciences for Sustainable Development(IDSSD), which the United Nations has recently proclaimed.

Intertwining my engagement in the IDSSD with my professional research on Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning on uncertainty predictions, IUPAP has submitted the proposal for a Task Group on “Advancing Data Science for Sustainability” to the CODATA General Assembly 2023, which I am nominated to chair. With this Task Group, I aim to enhance the knowledge and awareness of approaches to data science for sustainability. Furthermore, the Task Group will, if approved, develop recommendations to the IDSSD community on the role of Data Science for sustainability in the context of the international decade.

During my presidency of IAPS, I experienced that the young scientist community deserves to receive a broader view of the versatile landscape of scientific unions, academies, and bodies around the world. Following this belief, IAPS joined, among the first 15 young academies and associations, the International Science Council (ISC). Hence, I represent IAPS to the ISC Young Academies and Associations Sounding Board and have been an invited panelist at the ISC Mid-term Meeting 2023 on “Training the next generation of scientists and empowering their voice in international science”. To this date, IAPS remains the only young international association in the membership of the ISC. Thus, my aim is to broaden the membership of young international associations of the ISC through close communication with the ISC membership team. Consequently, such young scientists will get to know CODATA and materialize the next generation of the CODATA community.

Following my expertise in youth engagement, I am eager to create a focal point during my mandate in working closely with the CODATA Connect team. I am thrilled to strategize with the team of young researchers and motivated to provide the team with the resources needed to advance the program. I deeply believe that it is vital to involve the future of science in the mission and objectives of CODATA and CODATA Connect.

All in all, I am thrilled to offer my expertise in international youth engagement and efforts in sustainable development to serve the CODATA community because I believe in the importance of the voice of young scientists in our community and our duty to advance data science to strive for a sustainable future.