What Biophysical Society does

The Biophysical Society is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit professional scientific society founded in 1957 and headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland. It serves the global biophysics community — primarily academic researchers, graduate students, postdoctoral researchers, educators, and K-12 teachers — by providing peer-reviewed publication venues, conferences, educational resources, career development programs, and science-policy advocacy. The society's core product portfolio centers on three journals: the flagship Biophysical Journal and Biophysical Reports (both published in partnership with Cell Press/Elsevier) and The Biophysicist (an open-access education journal hosted by Allen Press). It complements these with the BPS Bulletin newsletter, BPS Blog, and a BPS Video Library containing over 150 career, education, and research-technique webinars and lectures.

The society's business model is a multi-stream nonprofit operation with five principal revenue lines: (1) annual membership dues across student, postdoctoral, regular, and industry partner tiers; (2) publication revenue from journal subscriptions and article processing charges distributed through Cell Press and Allen Press; (3) conference and event registration fees for the annual meeting, four 2026 European thematic meetings, and BPS Conferences; (4) industry partner memberships and corporate sponsorships (Chroma, Mad City Labs, Nikon, PI Nanopositioning); and (5) advertising in publications, on the website, and at events. Distribution is hybrid: direct-to-member via biophysics.org, in-person through meetings and student chapters, and via publishing partners that extend reach to global academic subscribers. Educational outreach (BASICS lesson plans, Biophysics in Action videos) targets K-12 and undergraduate audiences to seed the future talent pipeline.

Name

Biophysical Society

Legal name

Biophysical Society

Website

https://biophysics.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1957

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Biophysical Society is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit professional society founded in 1957 that serves the global biophysics research community through three peer-reviewed journals, an annual meeting plus international thematic conferences, educational resources, career development programs, and science-policy advocacy.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Scientific Society and Scholarly Publishing

NAICS

Professional Organizations (813920)

SIC

Periodicals: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2721), Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Miscellaneous Publishing (2741)

akta.pro primary industry

Scholarly Society & Association Publishing (EDAGAFAK)

akta.pro secondary industries

Association & Society Conference Management (Nonprofit, Professional Bodies) (THAHACAA), Academic & Scientific Conferences (MPAGAGAD), Scientific & Laboratory Reference (Chemistry, Biology, Physics; Methods & Protocols) (EDAGAGAG)

Keywords

• Scientific society membership
• Peer-reviewed biophysics journals
• Scientific conference organization
• Biophysics education resources
• Professional research community

Headquarters

HQ city

Rockville

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: Annual membership fees from individual members including students, postdocs, educators, and professionals. Members receive access to publications, reduced registration at events, and other benefits.
2. Publication Revenue: Revenue from journal subscriptions, article processing charges (APCs) for open-access publications, and related publication services.
3. Conference and Event Registration: Registration fees for annual meetings, thematic meetings, BPS conferences, and workshops. Includes abstract submission fees and poster competition entries.
4. Industry Partner Memberships: Corporate sponsorships and industry partner memberships from companies including Chroma, Mad City Labs, Nikon, and PI Nanopositioning.
5. Advertising: Advertising opportunities in publications, on the website, and at events including the Product Guide.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

The Biophysical Society is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit professional membership organization that advances the field of biophysics through peer-reviewed scientific journals (Biophysical Journal, The Biophysicist, Biophysical Reports), international conferences (Annual Meeting, Thematic Meetings, BPS Conferences), educational resources, career development programs, and advocacy initiatives. The society delivers value through memberships, publication subscriptions, event registration, industry partnerships, and educational content serving researchers, students, and educators globally.

Product overview

The Biophysical Society operates a multi-product portfolio of publications, educational resources, professional development services, and member communities. The core publishing program includes three peer-reviewed journals: the flagship Biophysical Journal (partnered with Cell Press), The Biophysicist (focused on education, partnered with Allen Press), and Biophysical Reports (also via Cell Press). The society complements its publications with the BPS Blog, BPS Bulletin newsletter, and BPS Video Library containing webinars and educational content. Educational offerings center on the BASICS lesson plan series and Biophysics in Action video series. Professional services include the Annual Meeting, Thematic Meetings, and BPS Conferences (including the Tahoe series), the BPS Job Board, Student Chapters Program, BPS Ambassador Program, and Congressional Fellowship program. The society is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit professional organization headquartered in Bethesda, MD.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Biophysical Journal: Primary peer-reviewed journal published in partnership with Cell Press
• The Biophysicist
• Biophysical Reports

Products and services

• Biophysical Journal The flagship peer-reviewed scientific journal of the Biophysical Society, publishing original research across all areas of biophysics, managed in partnership with Cell Press. Targeted at academic researchers, principal investigators, and graduate students in biophysics and life sciences.
• The Biophysicist A peer-reviewed open-access journal focused on biophysics education and pedagogical research, published in partnership with Allen Press. Serves educators, faculty at Primarily Undergraduate Institutions (PUIs), K-12 teachers, and researchers interested in biophysics teaching.
• Biophysical Reports A peer-reviewed journal publishing research reports in biophysics and related fields, hosted by Cell Press. Targeted at biophysics researchers seeking an additional venue for publishing research findings.
• Annual Meeting The Biophysical Society's flagship annual conference bringing together biophysicists from around the world to present research, attend sessions, and network. Serves academic researchers, graduate students, postdoctoral researchers, and industry partners in biophysics.
• Thematic Meetings
• BPS Conferences
• BPS Job Board Online job board for biophysics career opportunities, powered by Career Website platform. Serves biophysics job seekers and employers recruiting talent in biophysics and related fields.
• BASICS: Biophysics – A Step-by-Step Introduction to Concepts for Students A series of lesson plans designed for high school teachers and students introducing biophysical concepts including Diffusion, Viscosity, Elasticity, and Experimental Error with easy-to-perform experiments. Serves K-12 educators and high school students.
• Biophysics in Action A series of videos providing interactive and engaging experiences to explain biophysical-related experiments and concepts. Serves educators, students, and the general public seeking accessible biophysics content.
• BPS Video Library A comprehensive video library containing over 150 career-focused webinars, BPS Lectures, topic interviews, and educational resources on career development, diversity/equity/inclusion, education/teaching, policy/advocacy, and research techniques. Serves biophysics researchers, students, and educators.
• Student Chapters Program A network of student-led chapters at universities providing resources, events, and funding opportunities for students interested in biophysics. Includes student chapter grants and a global directory of chapters. Serves undergraduate and graduate students in biophysics programs.
• BPS eBooks Digital publications and educational books available through the society's publication platform. Serves biophysics researchers, students, and educators seeking digital scholarly content.

Quantifiable outcome

• Hosting over 150 videos in the BPS Video Library covering career development, research techniques, and education.
• +2 more outcomes

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• ChromaminorGTM or Marketing PartnerChroma is a Silver Member industry partner of the Biophysical Society. The partnership provides visibility opportunities at society events and marketing exposure to the biophysics research community.
• Mad City Labs (MCL)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerMad City Labs is an industry partner providing instrumentation solutions to the biophysics community, with partnership benefits including event visibility.
• Nikon InstrumentsminorGTM or Marketing PartnerNikon is an industry partner of the society, providing imaging and microscopy expertise to the biophysics community through partnership activities.
• PI (Nanopositioning)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerPI Nanopositioning is an industry partner offering precision positioning systems for biophysics research applications.
• Cell Press (Elsevier)coreTechnology or IntegrationCell Press publishes the Biophysical Journal, the society's flagship publication. This is a strategic publishing partnership that ensures wide distribution of the journal to academic institutions globally.
• Allen PresscoreTechnology or IntegrationAllen Press hosts The Biophysicist journal, providing publishing platform services for the society's open-access education journal.
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBPS works with CDC to provide reliable COVID-19 information and resources to members and the public during the pandemic.
• World Health Organization (WHO)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBPS partnered with WHO to share COVID-19 information and resources with the biophysics community and general public.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• American Chemical Society (ACS): Much larger learned society operating the same membership + journals (80+ peer-reviewed) + conferences + advocacy model across chemistry; serves as a broad incumbent against which BPS's narrower biophysics scope must compete for members and authors.
• American Society for Microbiology (ASM): A large life-sciences society publishing multiple microbiology journals, hosting the annual meeting asmMicrobe, and operating career/education/advocacy programs—overlapping community at the biophysics-microbiology interface with similar scale operations.
• American Physical Society (APS): A nonprofit physics society publishing flagship journals (Physical Review family) and running large meetings; biophysics is a direct overlap discipline, making APS a key competitor for biophysicists' memberships and meeting attendance.
• Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC): A U.K.-headquartered chartered body publishing journals and books across chemistry while operating membership, conferences, and education programs; shares the learned-society-plus-publisher structure with BPS across Atlantic.

Direct peers

• American Society for Cell Biology (ASCB): A life-sciences professional society that publishes Molecular Biology of the Cell, hosts a major annual meeting, manages committees, awards, and policy advocacy—directly comparable nonprofit society structure serving a related biophysics-adjacent community.
• American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (ASBMB): A 501(c)(3) life-sciences professional society that publishes peer-reviewed journals (Journal of Biological Chemistry, JLR, Molecular & Cellular Proteomics), runs an annual meeting, and operates similar membership/education/advocacy programs—nearly identical operating model to BPS but in biochemistry.
• International Union for Pure and Applied Biophysics (IUPAB): The global scientific union for biophysics, of which BPS is an adhering body; an international sibling organization that sanctions the same community, running international congresses and governance analogous to BPS's national role.
• European Biophysical Societies' Association (EBSA): The European umbrella organization for national biophysical societies and an affiliated society of the International Union for Pure and Applied Biophysics (IUPAB); mirrors BPS's role at the continental level and coordinates overlapping membership/conference activity.
• American Association of Immunologists (AAI): A 501(c)(3) immunology society publishing The Journal of Immunology and ImmunoHorizons, running an annual meeting (IMMUNOLOGY), and providing member awards/travel grants—a structurally identical nonprofit learned society model serving an adjacent life-sciences field.
• Genetics Society of America (GSA): A nonprofit genetics society publishing GENETICS and G3, hosting The Allied Genetics Conference, and running student/travel/early-career programs—a near-twin operating model to BPS in terms of journals + annual meeting + grants + committees.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/biophysicalsoc
• Facebookfacebook.com/biophysicalsociety
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/biophysical-society
• Instagraminstagram.com/biophysicalsociety

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Biophysical Society