JWST User Documentation

The Executive Committee (EC) process is very similar to the Discussion Panelist process. The guidelines below are for TAC Chairs.

Review Phase	Important Dates and Deadlines	During this phase, you will...	Links to relevant resources
Prep Work & General Info	Wednesday, September 30, 2026, 8pm ET: JWST proposal submission deadline Note: Deadline was extended to October 1, 2026, 5pm ET. Monday, November 9, 2026, 12pm–2pm ET: Discussion Panelist Orientation	Familiarize yourself with the review process, JWST and its instruments, the types of proposals your EC will be reviewing, and who to ask for help. Attend the Discussion Panelists and External Panelists Orientations.	Code of Conduct Confidentiality Conflicts of Interest JWST and its Instruments Proposal Types, Sizes, and Science Areas Tips for a Smooth Review Who to Contact for Help Roles and responsibilities: TAC Chairs
Pre-Meeting	Wednesday, November 11, 2026: SPD to release proposals and assignments Wednesday, November 18, 2026: Deadline to check for and report additional conflicts of interest Friday, January 8, 2027: Deadline for preliminary grades for EC proposals Friday, January 15, 2027: SPD to release lists of which proposals will be discussed by the panels Tuesday, January 19, 2027, 12pm–1:30pm ET: Executive Committee Orientation Thursday, January 21, 2027, 12pm–1pm ET: Discussion Panelist Q&A	Set a schedule for the EC discussion and communicate this to the panel ahead of the meeting. Remind your EC panelists that if they want to raise a triage proposal for discussion they need to let you know no later than one week before the EC meeting.	Accessing and using SPIRIT Dual Anonymous Peer Review Primary / Secondary Reviewers & Graders Selection Criteria and Scoring System Archive of Orientation Sessions GAI policy Triage Process & Discussion List Useful topics from previous phases: Accessing and using SPIRIT Primary / Secondary Reviewers & Graders Reporting additional conflicts Who to Contact for Help
Panel Meetings	Monday–Thursday, February 1–4, 2027, 10am–4pm ET: Panel Meetings for Galactic Panels (i.e., Solar System Astronomy, Exoplanet Atmospheres and Habitability, Exoplanetary Systems and Dynamics, Stars and Stellar Populations, Interstellar Gas and Dust) Tuesday–Friday, February 2–5, 2027, 10am–4pm ET: Panel Meetings for Extragalactic Panels (i.e., Galaxy Evolution and the Nearby Universe, Galaxy Frontiers and the Distant Universe, Super Massive Black Holes and Active Galaxies) You will only need to attend during the four (4) days of your Panel Meeting.	During the Panel Meetings, you will: Attend the Panel Meetings as an observer. You can float from Panel Meeting to Panel Meeting to have a broad view of the process. In cases where the Chair and Vice-Chair of a given Panel are both conflicted during a proposal discussion, we may ask you to serve as Chair for that particular discussion.	Webex and Slack Guidelines Discussion Panel Meetings Final Ranking Useful topics from previous phases: Accessing and using SPIRIT Primary / Secondary Reviewers & Graders Dual Anonymous Peer Review Selection Criteria and Scoring System Reporting additional conflicts Who to Contact for Help
EC Meeting	Monday–Tuesday, February 8–9, 2027, 9am–5pm ET: Executive Committee Meeting for Galactic Panels Wednesday–Thursday, February 10–11, 2027, 9am–5pm ET: Executive Committee Meeting for Extragalactic Panels You will only need to attend during the two (2) days of your EC Meeting.	Facilitate the panel discussions. Create a ranked list of the proposals discussed. Assess the final ranking of EC proposals for science balance. Review team expertise for top ranked proposals once the ranking is finalized.	Webex and Slack Guidelines Discussion Panel Meetings Final Ranking Useful topics from previous phases: Accessing and using SPIRIT Primary / Secondary Reviewers & Graders Dual Anonymous Peer Review Selection Criteria and Scoring System Reporting additional conflicts Who to Contact for Help
Post-Meeting	Wednesday, February 10, 2027: Deadline for proposal comments for Discussion panelists Wednesday, February 17, 2027: Deadline for Chairs to sign-off feedback comments for Discussion proposals Friday, February 12, 2027: Deadline for feedback comments for Galactic EC proposals Tuesday, February 16, 2027: Deadline for feedback comments for Extragalactic EC proposals Friday, February 19, 2027: Deadline for Galactic TAC Chair to sign-off feedback comments for Galactic EC proposals Tuesday, February 25, 2027: Deadline for Extragalactic TAC Chair to sign-off feedback comments for Extragalactic EC proposals	Make sure your panelists finish writing proposal feedback comments on all the proposals assigned to them as Primary. Read, check for consistency, and sign-off on all proposal feedback comments. Write a brief panel report. Reviewers are forbidden from using Generative Artificial Intelligence (GAI) tools to assist with any part of their reviews since this violates the confidentiality of the review process. This means that it is forbidden to upload proposal contents or review materials to GAI tools. It is also forbidden to upload your written comments to GAI tools for the purpose of constructing your final review or polishing the language. Please remember to remove review materials from your computer after the review.	Proposal Feedback Comments Useful topics from previous phases: Accessing and using SPIRIT Primary / Secondary Reviewers & Graders Confidentiality Who to Contact for Help
Notifications	Early to mid-March 2027: STScI releases Cycle 6 Science Program.

Next: Guide for Panel Support Scientists

Notable updates
Originally published	03 Nov 2026

Guide for TAC Chairs