Governing Council & Executive Committee
The Governing Council is the ruling body of the ISC. Representatives of the member institutions meet in alternate years, in conjunction with IUGG and IASPEI Assemblies. The Council elects a Chairperson and members of an Executive Committee from its ranks.
The Governing Council Chair makes urgent policy decisions between meetings of the full Council. The current Chair (since 2021) is Prof. Göran Ekström of Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory of Columbia University, representing the National Science Foundation of USA.
The Executive Committee guides the ISC in implementation of
policies defined by the full Governing Council. It consists of up to 6
voting members elected from the Governing Council,
and ex officio members representing IASPEI and the ISC's
host institution. The current members of the Executive Committee
are
| Name | Institution | Position | Elected | Step Down |
| Prof. John Woodhouse | Royal Society, U.K. | Chair, Elected member | 2017 (1996) |
2027 |
| Dr. Seiji Tsuboi | JAMSTEC, Japan | Elected member | 2019 | 2025 |
| Assoc. Prof. Yanru An | China Earthquake Administration | Elected member | 2021 | 2027 |
| Dra. Xyoli Pérez-Campos | UNAM, Mexico | Elected member | 2021 | 2027 |
| Dr. Martin Vallée | IPGP/CNRS, France | Elected member | 2023 | 2029 |
| Adrienne Moseley | Geoscience Australia | Elected member | 2023 | 2029 |
| Dr. Johannes Schweitzer | NORSAR, Norway | Ex officio, IASPEI | 2017 (2009) |
|
| Prof. Mike Kendall | University of Oxford, U.K. | Ex officio, Host Institution | 2021 |
Former Chairs of the Governing Council
| Name | Institution | Position | Elected | Step Down |
| John Adams | Natural Resources Canada | Chair of Governing Council | 2005 | 2021 |
| Adam Dziewonski | Harvard University, USA | Chair of Governing Council | 1998 | 2005 |
| David Denham | Bureau of Mineral Resources, Geology and Geophysics, Australia | Chair of Governing Council | 1995 | 1998 |
| Hans-Peter Harjes | BGR, Germany | Chair of Governing Council | 1985 | 1994 |
| Stephan Mueller | ETH, Switzerland | Chair of Governing Council | 1975 | 1985 |
| John H Hodgson | Dept. Energy, Mines and Resources, Canada | Chair of Governing Council | 1970 | 1975 |
Former members of the ISC Executive Committee
| Name | Institution | Position | Elected | Step Down |
| Prof. Francois Beauducel | IPGP/CNRS, France | Elected member | 2019 | 2023 |
| Dr. Yuri Vinogradov | Geophysical Survey, Russian Academy of Science, Russia | Elected member | 2019 | 2023 |
| Prof. Marcelo Assumpção | University of São Paulo, Brazil | Elected member | 2015 | 2021 |
| Prof. Goran Ekström | Columbia University / National Science Foundation, USA | Chair, Elected member | 2015 | 2021 |
| Prof. Karin Sigloch | University of Oxford, U.K. | Ex officio, Host Institution | 2017 | 2021 |
| Prof. Kenji Satake | Earthquake Research Institute (ERI), University of Tokyo, Japan | Chair, Elected member | 2013 | 2019 |
| Dr. Bertrand Delouis | GeoAzur - Observatoire de la Côte d'Azur, CNRS - Université de Nice Sophia Antipoli, France | Elected member | 2013 | 2019 |
| Prof. Peter Suhadolc | University of Trieste, Italy | Ex officio, IASPEI | 2015 | 2017 |
| Prof. T Guy Masters | Scripps Institution of Oceanography, UCSD, U.S.A. | Chair, Elected member | 2005 | 2015 |
| Dr. R.S. Dattatrayam | Indian Meteorological Department | Elected member | 2011 | 2015 |
| Dr. Oleg Starovoit | Geophysical Survey, Russian Academy of Sciences | Ex officio, IASPEI | 1995 | 2015 |
| Dr. Gary Gibson | Seismology Research Centre, Australia | Elected member | 2001/07 | 2013 |
| Qi-Fu Chen | China Earthquake Administration | Elected member | 2005 | 2011 |
| Jarka Plomerova | Czech Academy Sciences | Elected member | 2004 | 2009 |
| Chris Browitt | Royal Society, UK | Elected member, Exec. Chairman | 2000 | 2005 |
| Adam Dziewonskii | Harvard University, USA | Elected member, Exec. Chairman, Chair GC | 1991 | 2005 |
| Akio Yoshida | JMA, Japan | Elected member | 1998 | 2003 |
| Jens Havskov | University of Bergen, Norway | Elected member, Exec. Chairman | 1995 | 2001 |
| Andrea Morelli | Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica, Italy | Elected member | 1994 | 1999 |
| David Denham | Bureau of Mineral Resources, Australia | Elected member, Exec. Chairman | 1985 | 1997 |
| Chen Yong | State Seismological Bureau, China | Elected member | 1991 | 1997 |
| Nadia V Kondorskaya | Academy of Sciences, USSR | Elected member, ex officio, IASPEI | 1970 | 1995 |
| Georges Poupinet | LGIT, CNRS, France | Elected member | 1989 | 1995 |
| E.R. (Bob) Engdahl | University of Colorado, USA/NSF | Elected member, Exec. Chairman | 1984 | 1991 |
| Edgar Kausel | Universidad de Chile | Elected member | 1981 | 1989 |
| Michael J Berry | Geological Survey of Canada | Elected member, Exec. Chairman | 1981 | 1987 |
| Anton L Hales | Australian National University/US NSF | Elected member, Exec. Chairman, ex officio | 1970 | 1983 |
| Ola Dahlman | National Defence Research Institute, Sweden | Elected member | 1979 | 1981 |
| Vit Karnik | Geophysical Institute, Academy of Sciences, Czech Republic | Elected member, Exec. Chairman, ex officio, IASPEI | 1978 | 1981 |
| Shigeji Suyehiro | JMA, Japan | Elected member | 1973 | 1980 |
| Jack Oliver | Lamont Obs. University of Columbia, USA | Elected member, Exec. Chairman | 1975 | 1978 |
| Hal Thirlaway | AWE, UK | Elected member, Exec. Chairman | 1970 | 1975 |
| Eugene T Herrin, Jnr. | NSF and Southern Methodist University, Dallas, USA | Elected member | 1970 | 1973 |
| Trevor J Halsall | University of Reading, UK | Ex officio, Host Institution | 1985 | 1995 |
| Clive McCann | University of Reading, UK | Ex officio, Host Institution | 1977 | 1984 |
| James M Davidson | University of Edinburgh, UK | Ex officio, Host Institution | 1974 | 1976 |
| Robert Seaton | University of Edinburgh, UK | Ex officio, Host Institution | 1971 | 1973 |
| Chris R Argent | Royal Society, UK | Honorary Secretary | 1970 | 2000 |
| Graham Sutton | University of Reading, UK | Honorary Treasurer | 1997 | 2000 |
| John T Mulholland | University of Reading, UK | Honorary Treasurer | 1979 | 1997 |
