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Top 50 Emerging Research Topics in Physics

Explore the Fascinating Research Topics in Physics

Physics is a field that constantly evolves as researchers push the boundaries of our understanding of the universe. Over the years, countless ground-breaking discoveries have been made, from the theory of relativity to the discovery of the Higgs boson. In this article, iLovePhD will present you with the top 50 emerging research topics in physics, highlighting the frontiers of knowledge and the exciting possibilities they hold.

1. Quantum Computing

• Quantum algorithms for optimization problems • Quantum error correction and fault tolerance • Quantum machine learning and artificial intelligence

2. Dark Matter

• Identifying dark matter particles • Dark matter and galaxy formation • New experimental techniques for dark matter detection

3. Quantum Gravity

• String theory and its implications • Emergent space-time from quantum entanglement • Quantum gravity and black hole information paradox

4. High-Temperature Superconductors

• Understanding the mechanism behind high-temperature superconductivity • New materials and applications • Room-temperature superconductors

5. Neutrino Physics

• Neutrino mass hierarchy and oscillations • Neutrinos in astrophysics and cosmology • Neutrinoless double beta decay

6. Exoplanets and Astrobiology

• Characterizing exoplanet atmospheres • Habitability and the search for life beyond Earth • The role of water in astrobiology

7. Topological Matter

• Topological insulators and superconductors • Topological materials for quantum computing • Topological photonics

8. Quantum Simulation

• Simulating complex quantum systems • Quantum simulation for materials science • Quantum simulators for fundamental physics

9. Plasma Physics

• Fusion energy and the quest for sustainable power • Space weather and its impact on technology • Nonlinear dynamics in plasmas

10. Gravitational Waves

• Multi-messenger astronomy with gravitational waves • Probing the early universe with gravitational waves • Next-generation gravitational wave detectors

11. Black Holes

• Black hole thermodynamics and the information paradox • Observational techniques for studying black holes • Black hole mergers and their cosmic implications

12. Quantum Sensors

• Quantum-enhanced sensing technologies • Quantum sensors for medical diagnostics • Quantum sensor networks

13. Photonics and Quantum Optics

• Quantum communication and cryptography • Quantum-enhanced imaging and microscopy • Photonic integrated circuits for quantum computing

14. Materials Science

• 2D materials and their applications • Metamaterials and cloaking devices • Bioinspired materials for diverse applications

15. Nuclear Physics

• Nuclear structure and reactions • Nuclear astrophysics and the origin of elements • Applications in nuclear medicine

16. Quantum Thermodynamics

• Quantum heat engines and refrigerators • Quantum thermodynamics in the quantum computing era • Entanglement and thermodynamics

17. High-Energy Particle Physics

• Beyond the Standard Model physics • Particle cosmology and the early universe • Future colliders and experiments

18. Quantum Materials

• Quantum phase transitions and exotic states of matter • Quantum criticality and its impact on materials • Quantum spin liquids

19. Astrophysical Neutrinos

• Neutrinos from astrophysical sources • Neutrino telescopes and detection methods • Neutrinos as cosmic messengers

20. Topological Superconductors

• Majorana fermions in condensed matter systems • Topological qubits for quantum computing • Topological superconductors in particle physics

21. Quantum Information Theory

• Quantum communication protocols • Quantum error correction and fault tolerance • Quantum algorithms for cryptography

22. Exotic Particles

• Search for axions and axion-like particles • Magnetic monopoles and their detection • Supersymmetry and new particles

23. 3D Printing of Advanced Materials

• Customized materials with novel properties • On-demand manufacturing for aerospace and healthcare • Sustainable and recyclable materials

24. Quantum Biology

• Quantum effects in biological systems • Photosynthesis and quantum coherence • Quantum sensing in biological applications

25. Quantum Networks

• Quantum key distribution for secure communication • Quantum internet and global quantum connectivity • Quantum repeaters and entanglement distribution

26. Space-Time Crystal

• Time crystals and their quantum properties • Applications in precision timekeeping • Space-time crystals in quantum information

27. Supersolidity

• Theoretical models and experimental evidence • Quantum properties of supersolids • Supersolidity in astrophysical contexts

28. Soft Matter Physics

• Colloidal suspensions and self-assembly • Active matter and biological systems • Liquid crystals and display technologies

29. Dark Energy

• Nature of dark energy and cosmic acceleration • Probing dark energy with large-scale surveys • Modified gravity theories

30. Quantum Spintronics

• Spin-based electronics for quantum computing • Spin transport and manipulation in materials • Quantum spin devices for information processing

31. Quantum Field Theory

• Conformal field theories and holography • Nonperturbative methods in quantum field theory • Quantum field theory in cosmology

32. Terahertz Spectroscopy

• Terahertz imaging and sensing • Terahertz sources and detectors • Terahertz applications in healthcare and security

33. Holography and AdS/CFT

• Holography and black hole physics • AdS/CFT correspondence and quantum many-body systems • Holography in condensed matter physics

34. Quantum Cryptography

• Secure quantum communication protocols • Quantum-resistant cryptography • Quantum key distribution in real-world applications

35. Quantum Chaos

• Quantum manifestations of classical chaos • Quantum chaos in black hole physics • Quantum scrambling and fast scrambling

36. Mesoscopic Physics

• Quantum dots and artificial atoms • Quantum interference and coherence in mesoscopic systems • Mesoscopic transport and the quantum Hall effect

37. Quantum Gravity Phenomenology

• Experimental tests of quantum gravity • Quantum gravity and cosmological observations • Quantum gravity and the early universe

38. Spin-Orbit Coupling

• Spin-orbit coupling in condensed matter systems • Topological insulators and spintronics • Spin-orbit-coupled gases in ultracold atomic physics

39. Optomechanics

• Quantum optomechanics and its applications • Cavity optomechanics in quantum information • Cooling and manipulation of mechanical resonators

40. Quantum Metrology

• Precision measurements with entangled particles • Quantum-enhanced sensors for navigation and geodesy • Quantum metrology for gravitational wave detectors

41. Quantum Phase Transitions

• Quantum criticality and universality classes • Quantum phase transitions in ultra-cold atomic gases • Quantum Ising and XY models in condensed matter

42. Quantum Chaos

43. Topological Quantum Computing

• Topological qubits and fault-tolerant quantum computing • Implementing quantum gates in topological qubits • Topological quantum error correction codes

44. Superfluids and Supersolids

• Exotic phases of quantum matter • Supersolidity in ultra-cold gases • Applications in precision measurements

45. Quantum Key Distribution

• Quantum cryptography for secure communication • Quantum repeaters and long-distance communication • Quantum key distribution in a practical setting

46. Quantum Spin Liquids

• Novel magnetic states and excitations • Fractionalized particles and any statistics • Quantum spin liquids in frustrated materials

47. Topological Insulators

• Topological edge states and protected transport • Topological insulators in condensed matter systems • Topological materials for quantum computing

48. Quantum Artificial Intelligence

• Quantum machine learning algorithms • Quantum-enhanced optimization for AI • Quantum computing for AI and data analysis

49. Environmental Physics

• Climate modeling and sustainability • Renewable energy sources and energy storage • Environmental monitoring and data analysis

50. Acoustic and Fluid Dynamics

• Sonic black holes and Hawking radiation in fluids • Aeroacoustics and noise reduction • Hydrodynamic instabilities and turbulence The field of physics is a treasure trove of exciting research opportunities that span from the universe’s fundamental building blocks to the development of cutting-edge technologies. These emerging research topics offer a glimpse into the future of physics and the potential to revolutionize our understanding of the cosmos and the technologies that shape our world. As researchers delve into these topics, they bring us one step closer to unlocking the mysteries of the universe.

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• Electromagnetism
• Experiments
• GravitationalWaves
• ParticlePhysics
• QuantumMechanics
• thermodynamics

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Home » 500+ Physics Research Topics

500+ Physics Research Topics

Table of Contents

Physics is the study of matter, energy, and the fundamental forces that govern the universe. It is a broad and fascinating field that has given us many of the greatest scientific discoveries in history , from the theory of relativity to the discovery of the Higgs boson. As a result, physics research is always at the forefront of scientific advancement, and there are countless exciting topics to explore. In this blog post, we will take a look at some of the most fascinating and cutting-edge physics research topics that are being explored by scientists today. Whether you are a student, researcher, or simply someone with a passion for science, there is sure to be something in this list that will pique your interest.

Physics Research Topics

Physics Research Topics are as follows:

Physics Research Topics for Grade 9

• Investigating the properties of waves: amplitude, frequency, wavelength, and speed.
• The effect of temperature on the expansion and contraction of materials.
• The relationship between mass, velocity, and momentum.
• The behavior of light in different mediums and the concept of refraction.
• The effect of gravity on objects and the concept of weight.
• The principles of electricity and magnetism and their applications.
• The concept of work, energy, and power and their relationship.
• The study of simple machines and their efficiency.
• The behavior of sound waves and the concept of resonance.
• The properties of gases and the concept of pressure.
• The principles of heat transfer and thermal energy.
• The study of motion, including speed, velocity, and acceleration.
• The behavior of fluids and the concept of viscosity.
• The concept of density and its applications.
• The study of electric circuits and their components.
• The principles of nuclear physics and their applications.
• The behavior of electromagnetic waves and the concept of radiation.
• The properties of solids and the concept of elasticity.
• The study of light and the electromagnetic spectrum.
• The concept of force and its relationship to motion.
• The behavior of waves in different mediums and the concept of interference.
• The principles of thermodynamics and their applications.
• The study of optics and the concept of lenses.
• The concept of waves and their characteristics.
• The study of atomic structure and the behavior of subatomic particles.
• The principles of quantum mechanics and their applications.
• The behavior of light and the concept of polarization.
• The study of the properties of matter and the concept of phase transitions.
• The concept of work done by a force and its relationship to energy.
• The study of motion in two dimensions, including projectile motion and circular motion.

Physics Research Topics for Grade 10

• Investigating the motion of objects on inclined planes
• Analyzing the effect of different variables on pendulum oscillations
• Understanding the properties of waves through the study of sound
• Investigating the behavior of light through refraction and reflection experiments
• Examining the laws of thermodynamics and their applications in real-life situations
• Analyzing the relationship between electric fields and electric charges
• Understanding the principles of magnetism and electromagnetism
• Investigating the properties of different materials and their conductivity
• Analyzing the concept of work, power, and energy in relation to mechanical systems
• Investigating the laws of motion and their application in real-life situations
• Understanding the principles of nuclear physics and radioactivity
• Analyzing the properties of gases and the behavior of ideal gases
• Investigating the concept of elasticity and Hooke’s law
• Understanding the properties of liquids and the concept of buoyancy
• Analyzing the behavior of simple harmonic motion and its applications
• Investigating the properties of electromagnetic waves and their applications
• Understanding the principles of wave-particle duality and quantum mechanics
• Analyzing the properties of electric circuits and their applications
• Investigating the concept of capacitance and its application in circuits
• Understanding the properties of waves in different media and their applications
• Analyzing the principles of optics and the behavior of lenses
• Investigating the properties of forces and their application in real-life situations
• Understanding the principles of energy conservation and its applications
• Analyzing the concept of momentum and its conservation in collisions
• Investigating the properties of sound waves and their applications
• Understanding the behavior of electric and magnetic fields in charged particles
• Analyzing the principles of thermodynamics and the behavior of gases
• Investigating the properties of electric generators and motors
• Understanding the principles of electromagnetism and electromagnetic induction
• Analyzing the behavior of waves and their interference patterns.

Physics Research Topics for Grade 11

• Investigating the effect of temperature on the resistance of a wire
• Determining the velocity of sound in different mediums
• Measuring the force required to move a mass on an inclined plane
• Examining the relationship between wavelength and frequency of electromagnetic waves
• Analyzing the reflection and refraction of light through various media
• Investigating the properties of simple harmonic motion
• Examining the efficiency of different types of motors
• Measuring the acceleration due to gravity using a pendulum
• Determining the index of refraction of a material using Snell’s law
• Investigating the behavior of waves in different mediums
• Analyzing the effect of temperature on the volume of a gas
• Examining the relationship between current, voltage, and resistance in a circuit
• Investigating the principles of Coulomb’s law and electric fields
• Analyzing the properties of electromagnetic radiation
• Investigating the properties of magnetic fields
• Examining the behavior of light in different types of lenses
• Measuring the speed of light using different methods
• Investigating the properties of capacitors and inductors in circuits
• Analyzing the principles of simple harmonic motion in springs
• Examining the relationship between force, mass, and acceleration
• Investigating the behavior of waves in different types of materials
• Determining the energy output of different types of batteries
• Analyzing the properties of electric circuits
• Investigating the properties of electric and magnetic fields
• Examining the principles of radioactivity
• Measuring the heat capacity of different materials
• Investigating the properties of thermal conduction
• Examining the behavior of light in different types of mirrors
• Analyzing the principles of electromagnetic induction
• Investigating the properties of waves in different types of strings.

Physics Research Topics for Grade 12

• Investigating the efficiency of solar panels in converting light energy to electrical energy.
• Studying the behavior of waves in different mediums.
• Analyzing the relationship between temperature and pressure in ideal gases.
• Investigating the properties of electromagnetic waves and their applications.
• Analyzing the behavior of light and its interaction with matter.
• Examining the principles of quantum mechanics and their applications.
• Investigating the properties of superconductors and their potential uses.
• Studying the properties of semiconductors and their applications in electronics.
• Analyzing the properties of magnetism and its applications.
• Investigating the properties of nuclear energy and its applications.
• Studying the principles of thermodynamics and their applications.
• Analyzing the properties of fluids and their behavior in different conditions.
• Investigating the principles of optics and their applications.
• Studying the properties of sound waves and their behavior in different mediums.
• Analyzing the properties of electricity and its applications in different devices.
• Investigating the principles of relativity and their applications.
• Studying the properties of black holes and their effect on the universe.
• Analyzing the properties of dark matter and its impact on the universe.
• Investigating the principles of particle physics and their applications.
• Studying the properties of antimatter and its potential uses.
• Analyzing the principles of astrophysics and their applications.
• Investigating the properties of gravity and its impact on the universe.
• Studying the properties of dark energy and its effect on the universe.
• Analyzing the principles of cosmology and their applications.
• Investigating the properties of time and its effect on the universe.
• Studying the properties of space and its relationship with time.
• Analyzing the principles of the Big Bang Theory and its implications.
• Investigating the properties of the Higgs boson and its impact on particle physics.
• Studying the properties of string theory and its implications.
• Analyzing the principles of chaos theory and its applications in physics.

Physics Research Topics for UnderGraduate

• Investigating the effects of temperature on the conductivity of different materials.
• Studying the behavior of light in different mediums.
• Analyzing the properties of superconductors and their potential applications.
• Examining the principles of thermodynamics and their practical applications.
• Investigating the behavior of sound waves in different environments.
• Studying the characteristics of magnetic fields and their applications.
• Analyzing the principles of optics and their role in modern technology.
• Examining the principles of quantum mechanics and their implications.
• Investigating the properties of semiconductors and their use in electronics.
• Studying the properties of gases and their behavior under different conditions.
• Analyzing the principles of nuclear physics and their practical applications.
• Examining the properties of waves and their applications in communication.
• Investigating the principles of relativity and their implications for the nature of space and time.
• Studying the behavior of particles in different environments, including accelerators and colliders.
• Analyzing the principles of chaos theory and their implications for complex systems.
• Examining the principles of fluid mechanics and their applications in engineering and science.
• Investigating the principles of solid-state physics and their applications in materials science.
• Studying the properties of electromagnetic waves and their use in modern technology.
• Analyzing the principles of gravitation and their role in the structure of the universe.
• Examining the principles of quantum field theory and their implications for the nature of particles and fields.
• Investigating the properties of black holes and their role in astrophysics.
• Studying the principles of string theory and their implications for the nature of matter and energy.
• Analyzing the properties of dark matter and its role in cosmology.
• Examining the principles of condensed matter physics and their applications in materials science.
• Investigating the principles of statistical mechanics and their implications for the behavior of large systems.
• Studying the properties of plasma and its applications in fusion energy research.
• Analyzing the principles of general relativity and their implications for the nature of space-time.
• Examining the principles of quantum computing and its potential applications.
• Investigating the principles of high energy physics and their role in understanding the fundamental laws of nature.
• Studying the principles of astrobiology and their implications for the search for life beyond Earth.

Physics Research Topics for Masters

• Investigating the principles and applications of quantum cryptography.
• Analyzing the behavior of Bose-Einstein condensates and their potential applications.
• Studying the principles of photonics and their role in modern technology.
• Examining the properties of topological materials and their potential applications.
• Investigating the principles and applications of graphene and other 2D materials.
• Studying the principles of quantum entanglement and their implications for information processing.
• Analyzing the principles of quantum field theory and their implications for particle physics.
• Examining the properties of quantum dots and their use in nanotechnology.
• Investigating the principles of quantum sensing and their potential applications.
• Studying the behavior of quantum many-body systems and their potential applications.
• Analyzing the principles of cosmology and their implications for the early universe.
• Examining the principles of dark energy and dark matter and their role in cosmology.
• Investigating the properties of gravitational waves and their detection.
• Studying the principles of quantum computing and their potential applications in solving complex problems.
• Analyzing the properties of topological insulators and their potential applications in quantum computing and electronics.
• Examining the principles of quantum simulations and their potential applications in studying complex systems.
• Investigating the principles of quantum error correction and their implications for quantum computing.
• Studying the behavior of quarks and gluons in high energy collisions.
• Analyzing the principles of quantum phase transitions and their implications for condensed matter physics.
• Examining the principles of quantum annealing and their potential applications in optimization problems.
• Investigating the properties of spintronics and their potential applications in electronics.
• Studying the behavior of non-linear systems and their applications in physics and engineering.
• Analyzing the principles of quantum metrology and their potential applications in precision measurement.
• Examining the principles of quantum teleportation and their implications for information processing.
• Investigating the properties of topological superconductors and their potential applications.
• Studying the principles of quantum chaos and their implications for complex systems.
• Analyzing the properties of magnetars and their role in astrophysics.
• Examining the principles of quantum thermodynamics and their implications for the behavior of small systems.
• Investigating the principles of quantum gravity and their implications for the structure of the universe.
• Studying the behavior of strongly correlated systems and their applications in condensed matter physics.

Physics Research Topics for PhD

• Quantum computing: theory and applications.
• Topological phases of matter and their applications in quantum information science.
• Quantum field theory and its applications to high-energy physics.
• Experimental investigations of the Higgs boson and other particles in the Standard Model.
• Theoretical and experimental study of dark matter and dark energy.
• Applications of quantum optics in quantum information science and quantum computing.
• Nanophotonics and nanomaterials for quantum technologies.
• Development of advanced laser sources for fundamental physics and engineering applications.
• Study of exotic states of matter and their properties using high energy physics techniques.
• Quantum information processing and communication using optical fibers and integrated waveguides.
• Advanced computational methods for modeling complex systems in physics.
• Development of novel materials with unique properties for energy applications.
• Magnetic and spintronic materials and their applications in computing and data storage.
• Quantum simulations and quantum annealing for solving complex optimization problems.
• Gravitational waves and their detection using interferometry techniques.
• Study of quantum coherence and entanglement in complex quantum systems.
• Development of novel imaging techniques for medical and biological applications.
• Nanoelectronics and quantum electronics for computing and communication.
• High-temperature superconductivity and its applications in power generation and storage.
• Quantum mechanics and its applications in condensed matter physics.
• Development of new methods for detecting and analyzing subatomic particles.
• Atomic, molecular, and optical physics for precision measurements and quantum technologies.
• Neutrino physics and its role in astrophysics and cosmology.
• Quantum information theory and its applications in cryptography and secure communication.
• Study of topological defects and their role in phase transitions and cosmology.
• Experimental study of strong and weak interactions in nuclear physics.
• Study of the properties of ultra-cold atomic gases and Bose-Einstein condensates.
• Theoretical and experimental study of non-equilibrium quantum systems and their dynamics.
• Development of new methods for ultrafast spectroscopy and imaging.
• Study of the properties of materials under extreme conditions of pressure and temperature.

Random Physics Research Topics

• Quantum entanglement and its applications
• Gravitational waves and their detection
• Dark matter and dark energy
• High-energy particle collisions and their outcomes
• Atomic and molecular physics
• Theoretical and experimental study of superconductivity
• Plasma physics and its applications
• Neutrino oscillations and their detection
• Quantum computing and information
• The physics of black holes and their properties
• Study of subatomic particles like quarks and gluons
• Investigation of the nature of time and space
• Topological phases in condensed matter systems
• Magnetic fields and their applications
• Nanotechnology and its impact on physics research
• Theory and observation of cosmic microwave background radiation
• Investigation of the origin and evolution of the universe
• Study of high-temperature superconductivity
• Quantum field theory and its applications
• Study of the properties of superfluids
• The physics of plasmonics and its applications
• Experimental and theoretical study of semiconductor materials
• Investigation of the quantum Hall effect
• The physics of superstring theory and its applications
• Theoretical study of the nature of dark matter
• Study of quantum chaos and its applications
• Investigation of the Casimir effect
• The physics of spintronics and its applications
• Study of the properties of topological insulators
• Investigation of the nature of the Higgs boson
• The physics of quantum dots and its applications
• Study of quantum many-body systems
• Investigation of the nature of the strong force
• Theoretical and experimental study of photonics
• Study of topological defects in condensed matter systems
• Investigation of the nature of the weak force
• The physics of plasmas in space
• Study of the properties of graphene
• Investigation of the nature of antimatter
• The physics of optical trapping and manipulation
• Study of the properties of Bose-Einstein condensates
• Investigation of the nature of the neutrino
• The physics of quantum thermodynamics
• Study of the properties of quantum dots
• Investigation of the nature of dark energy
• The physics of magnetic confinement fusion
• Study of the properties of topological quantum field theories
• Investigation of the nature of gravitational lensing
• The physics of laser cooling and trapping
• Study of the properties of quantum Hall states.
• The effects of dark energy on the expansion of the universe
• Quantum entanglement and its applications in cryptography
• The study of black holes and their event horizons
• The potential existence of parallel universes
• The relationship between dark matter and the formation of galaxies
• The impact of solar flares on the Earth’s magnetic field
• The effects of cosmic rays on human biology
• The development of quantum computing technology
• The properties of superconductors at high temperatures
• The search for a theory of everything
• The study of gravitational waves and their detection
• The behavior of particles in extreme environments such as neutron stars
• The relationship between relativity and quantum mechanics
• The development of new materials for solar cells
• The study of the early universe and cosmic microwave background radiation
• The physics of the human voice and speech production
• The behavior of matter in extreme conditions such as high pressure and temperature
• The properties of dark matter and its interactions with ordinary matter
• The potential for harnessing nuclear fusion as a clean energy source
• The study of high-energy particle collisions and the discovery of new particles
• The physics of biological systems such as the brain and DNA
• The behavior of fluids in microgravity environments
• The properties of graphene and its potential applications in electronics
• The physics of natural disasters such as earthquakes and tsunamis
• The development of new technologies for space exploration and travel
• The study of atmospheric physics and climate change
• The physics of sound and musical instruments
• The behavior of electrons in quantum dots
• The properties of superfluids and Bose-Einstein condensates
• The physics of animal locomotion and movement
• The development of new imaging techniques for medical applications
• The physics of renewable energy sources such as wind and hydroelectric power
• The properties of quantum materials and their potential for quantum computing
• The physics of sports and athletic performance
• The study of magnetism and magnetic materials
• The physics of earthquakes and the prediction of seismic activity
• The behavior of plasma in fusion reactors
• The properties of exotic states of matter such as quark-gluon plasma
• The development of new technologies for energy storage
• The physics of fluids in porous media
• The properties of quantum dots and their potential for new technologies
• The study of materials under extreme conditions such as extreme temperatures and pressures
• The physics of the human body and medical imaging
• The development of new materials for energy conversion and storage
• The study of cosmic rays and their effects on the atmosphere and human health
• The physics of friction and wear in materials
• The properties of topological materials and their potential for new technologies
• The physics of ocean waves and tides
• The behavior of particles in magnetic fields
• The properties of complex networks and their application in various fields

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The Physics Ph.D. program provides students with opportunities to perform independent research in some of the most current and dynamic areas of physics. Students develop a solid and broad physics knowledge base in the first year through the core curriculum, departmental colloquia, and training.

Upper-level courses and departmental seminar series subsequently provide more specialized exposure. Armed with the core knowledge, doctoral students join a research group working in an area of particular interest. This research is performed in very close collaboration with one or more faculty whose interests span a wide range of physics fields.

Applicants are expected to have a strong background in physics or closely related subjects at the undergraduate level. All applications are evaluated holistically to assess the applicant's preparation and potential for graduate coursework and independent research, which can be demonstrated in multiple ways.

Submitting General and Physics GRE scores is recommended (but not required), especially for non-traditional students (this includes applicants with a bachelor's degree outside of physics or applicants who have taken a long gap after completing their bachelor's degree).

Three recommendation letters from faculty or others acquainted with the applicant's academic and/or research qualifications are required.

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How to choose a suitable topic for PhD in Physics? [closed]

After completion of graduate courses when a student is supposed to start real research in Physics, (to be more specific, suppose in high energy physics), how does one select the problem to work on? The area is vast, mature and lots of problems remain to be solved. This vastness of the field and various levels of difficulty of unsolved problems may give rise to confusion regarding choice of problem. The time one can spend at graduate school is limited (let us assume about four years after courses are over) Can anybody guide me or share one's views about this issue?

What type of problems should be avoided at PhD level? I guess problems which even the best theorists had failed to completely solve should be left. There are less difficult problems which are solved in collaboration of say three/four/five or more highly experienced physicists which may not be possible for a beginner who will be working practically alone. So should one start with the simplest unsolved problems? Or is it enough for a problem to be interesting to work on, irrespective of its level of difficulty? In general, what type of work is expected from a graduate student to be eligible for a PhD degree?

• soft-question

• $\begingroup$ Thanks for your replies. Indeed getting a good enough advisor is very helpful in this respect. Or someone who may not be the advisor but by way of discussion may point out some interesting problem to work on. But I am assuming a case where the advisor is not that helpful, may be he meets the student once in six months or so; so that the student is on his own. It is important I feel, to learn to identify the right problem to work on. When a good advisor (or someone else) suggests a problem to work on, he or she must have some criteria in mind to identify the suitable problem for the student. Wh $\endgroup$ –  user11737 Commented Aug 29, 2012 at 5:04
• $\begingroup$ Just ask the questions you investigate here, and if you don't get a quick reply, chances are it's not widely known. Do a literature review at this point, and see if it is known. Then figure it out. You don't have to be perfect in your first attempt, just do something. This answer doesn't answer the question, and you should incorporate it into your question. Also, don't worry so much, just read the literature as much as you can and do the best you can. $\endgroup$ –  Ron Maimon Commented Aug 29, 2012 at 5:20

2 Answers 2

You are just expected to produce some research which makes some papers for your advisor. This is all that is required to get a PhD. The goal is to do so while developing your own field which is entirely your own work.

From my experience, you will not get a good problem from an advisor unless you get lucky with advisor, so you must make your own luck by doing your own research. You have a better nose than your advisor or the professors, so just learn what is necessary and try to figure out some aspect of the world to the point where you are sure of the answer. Scientific publishing is undergoing a revolution which is especially pronounced in physics, and it is opening up, so whatever you discover cannot be suppressed and cannot be taken from you . So don't worry about discussing your work, or keeping it secret. This hurts you more than it protects you. If someone can steal your result, it is not original enough to be a good result.

False open problems

The biggest problem for grad students is that there are many problems people will tell you are open, because they don't understand them, that are actually completely well understood and closed for a long time. After you figure out the answer to a question you think might be open, look to see if it is already solved. Don't trust people's statements about it.

In school, I at one time or another heard the following were open (they are obviously not):

• Equivalence of Polyakov and Nambu actions
• How to do Path integrals in p-q space, where the coordinates don't commute.
• electromagnetic arrow of time
• getting the beta function of strings from worldsheet actions
• The measurement problem in standard QM

There were many more I don't remember. These I remember, because I got the answer, and then I tended to get pissed off that the answer was well-known and it was not presented to me. People in the US tend to hoard actual open problems, and work on them, and they present fake open problems to students to get you to think "gosh, people don't understand anything". The effect is to steer you toward useless thinking.

Basically, any problem that you see in a textbook isn't open. Just solve it as an exercize, and if you can't, read related literature until you can. There are no real open problems in book subjects, or else they wouldn't be book subjects.

Political fields

Further, there are some fields where certain things are known, but for political reasons people say it isn't:

• The pairing mechanism of HighTc superconductors.

The pairing is purely electronic, but it is politically impossible to say this, because there are stupid people who say otherwise. The mechanism is just BCS theory (although in unusual circumstances), but again, nobody can say it. I personally think I know the detailed mechanism, but when I presented it to an expert he said "even if you are right, this is not the thing that anyone cares about in HighTc anymore". I didn't listen about the idea not being important, but I decided the experts in the field are political idiots, and there is no point in trying to penetrate it.

Although this field is political, one can do interesting things if one has access to experimental data. The thing to know is the pairing mechanism. I'll write it up here.

• The rigorous formulation of quantum field theory

Here again, Wilson and Kadanoff made the path clear, and it is only politics and the political structure of mathematics that prevents the work from getting incorporated. Avoid rigorous field theory, it is not productive.

• Large extra dimensions (in any form)

This is junk, and when I was in graduate school, it was expected of people to write about it assuming it is possible. It is better to be homeless and starving than to promote junk science. I was supposed to write a paper on experimental methods to detect large extra dimension, but at some point I said "no, this I cannot do", and I left grad school and started working on biology. I do not regret this decision, and neither will you.

Do not work on junk science, even if it gets you a PhD. Find non-junk things to work on, there are plenty. You might not get a job, you might wander the wilderness like Kraichnan or Einstein or Onsager, but you will discover new things about nature, and those that do junk science cannot and will not.

Left vs right

One recurring issue with research is that the major breakthroughs are almost always made by people on the political left, and these people hardly ever get credit for these, because by the time the work is well understood, it is picked up by the right, and these people are easier for society to reward.

This leads to the marginalization of many great physicists: Ernst Stueckelberg, Geoffrey Chew, the Italian school (Regge, Veneziano, etc). If you are working in the US, bend over backwards to read people from the former USSR and Europe, they had excellent work, and they were not compelled by market forces to write junk for publicity.

This doesn't mean "right wing science" can be ignored--- the development of quantum field theory in the 1970s and 1980s was essentially right-wing science, since it was reviving 1950s work and suppressing more radical 1960s work. But everything radical is eventually tamed, and string theory was at first a radical experiment in nuclear democracy, then taken over by traditional liberals in the 1980s, and is now a conservative's science (although still great).

Try to avoid politics, but be aware of it, since it will allow you to identify work that others cannot because of the political biases.

Just ask your own questions here, and quickly you will get to research questions that nobody has answered. I brought up a few here that would be nice to solve, like the degeneracy of even and odd trajectories, the emissions of near-extremal black holes, and so on.

You will not find such open discussions in academic writing anymore, since all the discussion of active questions has moved online. I have some answers for open problems here: What is currently incomplete in M-theory?

• 2 $\begingroup$ There is so much wrong in academia and everybody knows it and certainly everybody continously complains about his situation for one reason or another. Nevertheless, in your rants you always seem to assume that the general physicist is willing to fight and to pay the price do. I can tell you that that's not going to happen, almost everybody will think of himself and his security first. If you want to see something changing, I'd rather suggest to figure out another approach, which takes that into account. $\endgroup$ –  Nikolaj-K Commented Aug 28, 2012 at 21:02
• 1 $\begingroup$ @NickKidman: You don't need a lot of people, just a handful. They do the progress in every generation. I just hope to do my best to be one of those people, and I kind of expected that I would die empverished on the street from about the age of 16 on, so I don't mind. It's worse in nonscience fields. $\endgroup$ –  Ron Maimon Commented Aug 29, 2012 at 0:34
• $\begingroup$ I am not sure in what you mean when you suggest the measure meant problem is not one that is open? Anyway, in many fields of theoretical physics, freedom to choose a Ph.D. topic that in some way benefits the research group (essentially the funding body) and has some solid grounding and use, is as elusive as it should be. I was a good undergrad with a 1:1, but the subject I decided to do my research in (relativistic magnetohydrodynamics) was sufficiently esoteric as to give me no chance of creating a reasonable proposal. This is where any decent supervisor comes in... $\endgroup$ –  MoonKnight Commented Aug 29, 2012 at 13:38
• 2 $\begingroup$ @Killercam: Relativistic magnetohydrodynamics requires a GR proposal, because any effects will be astrophysical, in accretion disks. It would be interesting to do simulations, and I think it might have new insights. Alfven didn't say "what's the point of studying magnetic fields in hydrodynamics", he just did it. The advisor will just kill your ideas when they aren't coming from his own biases, like Veltman telling 't Hooft not to publish beta function. There's nothing to be gained from delaying original work, and you should do it early, preferably while living with your parents. $\endgroup$ –  Ron Maimon Commented Aug 29, 2012 at 14:40
• 1 $\begingroup$ @Killercam: Remember that Alfven was no Alfven either, he was just a schmo like everyone else, as were Einstein, Dirac, Gell-Mann, Scherk, Mandelstam, and so on. They weren't Nietzsche's superman, they were ordinary people who devoted much time and effort to doing new science. What relativistic MHD arises outside of astrophysics? I don't see any relativistic fluids around in nature other than in accretion disks. Even ITER is nonrelativistic. $\endgroup$ –  Ron Maimon Commented Aug 29, 2012 at 16:57

This is what thesis advisors are for.

Indeed it is difficult for a student to identify a problem or topic area which is both interesting enough to potentially get you a job later on, but also has not yet been overgrazed by other physicists. That is why identifying a good thesis advisor, and convincing him to take you as a student, the most critical task for a starting grad student.

Some advisors will involve you in their own research, carving out little subproblems you can tackle while you get up to speed. Some advisors don't collaborate with students but have a knack for identifying promising problems that haven't already been done. Some advisors just aren't very good advisors and leave students to sink or swim on their own. You need to carefully evaluate the options available at your institution.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged soft-question education or ask your own question .

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PhD in Physics, Statistics, and Data Science

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Many PhD students in the MIT Physics Department incorporate probability, statistics, computation, and data analysis into their research. These techniques are becoming increasingly important for both experimental and theoretical Physics research, with ever-growing datasets, more sophisticated physics simulations, and the development of cutting-edge machine learning tools. The Interdisciplinary Doctoral Program in Statistics (IDPS)  is designed to provide students with the highest level of competency in 21st century statistics, enabling doctoral students across MIT to better integrate computation and data analysis into their PhD thesis research.

Admission to this program is restricted to students currently enrolled in the Physics doctoral program or another participating MIT doctoral program. In addition to satisfying all of the requirements of the Physics PhD, students take one subject each in probability, statistics, computation and statistics, and data analysis, as well as the Doctoral Seminar in Statistics, and they write a dissertation in Physics utilizing statistical methods. Graduates of the program will receive their doctoral degree in the field of “Physics, Statistics, and Data Science.”

Doctoral students in Physics may submit an Interdisciplinary PhD in Statistics Form between the end of their second semester and penultimate semester in their Physics program. The application must include an endorsement from the student’s advisor, an up-to-date CV, current transcript, and a 1-2 page statement of interest in Statistics and Data Science.

The statement of interest can be based on the student’s thesis proposal for the Physics Department, but it must demonstrate that statistical methods will be used in a substantial way in the proposed research. In their statement, applicants are encouraged to explain how specific statistical techniques would be applied in their research. Applicants should further highlight ways that their proposed research might advance the use of statistics and data science, both in their physics subfield and potentially in other disciplines. If the work is part of a larger collaborative effort, the applicant should focus on their personal contributions.

For access to the selection form or for further information, please contact the IDSS Academic Office at  [email protected] .

Required Courses

Courses in this list that satisfy the Physics PhD degree requirements can count for both programs. Other similar or more advanced courses can count towards the “Computation & Statistics” and “Data Analysis” requirements, with permission from the program co-chairs. The IDS.190 requirement may be satisfied instead by IDS.955 Practical Experience in Data, Systems, and Society, if that experience exposes the student to a diverse set of topics in statistics and data science. Making this substitution requires permission from the program co-chairs prior to doing the practical experience.

• IDS.190 – Doctoral Seminar in Statistics and Data Science ( may be substituted by IDS.955 Practical Experience in Data, Systems and Society )
• 6.7700[J] Fundamentals of Probability or
• 18.675 – Theory of Probability
• 18.655 – Mathematical Statistics or
• 18.6501 – Fundamentals of Statistics or
• IDS.160[J] – Mathematical Statistics: A Non-Asymptotic Approach
• 6.C01/6.C51 – Modeling with Machine Learning: From Algorithms to Applications or
• 6.7810 Algorithms for Inference or
• 6.8610 (6.864) Advanced Natural Language Processing or
• 6.7900 (6.867) Machine Learning or
• 6.8710 (6.874) Computational Systems Biology: Deep Learning in the Life Sciences or
• 9.520[J] – Statistical Learning Theory and Applications or
• 16.940 – Numerical Methods for Stochastic Modeling and Inference or
• 18.337 – Numerical Computing and Interactive Software
• 8.316 – Data Science in Physics or
• 6.8300 (6.869) Advances in Computer Vision or
• 8.334 – Statistical Mechanics II or
• 8.371[J] – Quantum Information Science or
• 8.591[J] – Systems Biology or
• 8.592[J] – Statistical Physics in Biology or
• 8.942 – Cosmology or
• 9.583 – Functional MRI: Data Acquisition and Analysis or
• 16.456[J] – Biomedical Signal and Image Processing or
• 18.367 – Waves and Imaging or
• IDS.131[J] – Statistics, Computation, and Applications

Grade Policy

C, D, F, and O grades are unacceptable. Students should not earn more B grades than A grades, reflected by a PhysSDS GPA of ≥ 4.5. Students may be required to retake subjects graded B or lower, although generally one B grade will be tolerated.

Unless approved by the PhysSDS co-chairs, a minimum grade of B+ is required in all 12 unit courses, except IDS.190 (3 units) which requires a P grade.

Though not required, it is strongly encouraged for a member of the MIT  Statistics and Data Science Center (SDSC)  to serve on a student’s doctoral committee. This could be an SDSC member from the Physics department or from another field relevant to the proposed thesis research.

Thesis Proposal

All students must submit a thesis proposal using the standard Physics format. Dissertation research must involve the utilization of statistical methods in a substantial way.

PhysSDS Committee

• Jesse Thaler (co-chair)
• Mike Williams (co-chair)
• Isaac Chuang
• Janet Conrad
• William Detmold
• Philip Harris
• Jacqueline Hewitt
• Kiyoshi Masui
• Leonid Mirny
• Christoph Paus
• Phiala Shanahan
• Marin Soljačić
• Washington Taylor
• Max Tegmark

Can I satisfy the requirements with courses taken at Harvard?

Harvard CompSci 181 will count as the equivalent of MIT’s 6.867.  For the status of other courses, please contact the program co-chairs.

Can a course count both for the Physics degree requirements and the PhysSDS requirements?

Yes, this is possible, as long as the courses are already on the approved list of requirements. E.g. 8.592 can count as a breadth requirement for a NUPAX student as well as a Data Analysis requirement for the PhysSDS degree.

If I have previous experience in Probability and/or Statistics, can I test out of these requirements?

These courses are required by all of the IDPS degrees. They are meant to ensure that all students obtaining an IDPS degree share the same solid grounding in these fundamentals, and to help build a community of IDPS students across the various disciplines. Only in exceptional cases might it be possible to substitute more advanced courses in these areas.

Can I substitute a similar or more advanced course for the PhysSDS requirements?

Yes, this is possible for the “computation and statistics” and “data analysis” requirements, with permission of program co-chairs. Substitutions for the “probability” and “statistics” requirements will only be granted in exceptional cases.

For Spring 2021, the following course has been approved as a substitution for the “computation and statistics” requirement:   18.408 (Theoretical Foundations for Deep Learning) .

The following course has been approved as a substitution for the “data analysis” requirement:   6.481 (Introduction to Statistical Data Analysis) .

Can I apply for the PhysSDS degree in my last semester at MIT?

No, you must apply no later than your penultimate semester.

What does it mean to use statistical methods in a “substantial way” in one’s thesis?

The ideal case is that one’s thesis advances statistics research independent of the Physics applications. Advancing the use of statistical methods in one’s subfield of Physics would also qualify. Applying well-established statistical methods in one’s thesis could qualify, if the application is central to the Physics result. In all cases, we expect the student to demonstrate mastery of statistics and data science.

Graduate School

General Information

Program offerings:, director of graduate studies:, graduate program administrator:.

Graduate study in the Department of Physics is strongly focused on research leading to the Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) degree. We welcome students from diverse backgrounds and strive to provide a sense of community and inclusiveness where students are enabled to achieve their full potential. The Physics Department maintains an active research program with equal emphasis on theoretical and experimental studies. Primary research areas are theoretical and experimental elementary particle physics, theoretical and experimental gravity and cosmology, experimental nuclear and atomic physics, mathematical physics, theoretical and experimental condensed matter physics, and theoretical and experimental biophysics.

Students are encouraged to involve themselves in research activities right from the beginning. Early research participation leads to a more mature appreciation of the formal aspects of graduate study and a mastery of the skills necessary to succeed in independent work. It also allows a closer association with faculty members and a more natural transition to independent research later on. While research for the doctoral dissertation is the most important component of the program, the Physics Department also offers intensive training on best practices for teaching and scholarly presentation of research results. Together, this comprehensive training is designed to prepare students well for careers in academia and research at government or industrial laboratories, as well a broad range of non-academic careers in the private sector. The average time to completion of the Ph.D. in the Department of Physics is 5.4 years.

Interdepartmental Research Opportunities Physics department faculty and graduate students are active in research collaborations with scientists in several other departments, including astrophysical sciences, plasma physics, chemical and electrical engineering, chemistry, biology, neuroscience, and quantitative and computational biology, as well as the Institute for Advanced Study and the Princeton Institute for the Science and Technology of Materials. With prior approval, students may conduct their research under the supervision of advisers from outside the physics department.

Additional departmental requirements

Applicants must indicate at least one choice from a menu of Department's current Areas of Research – see the Department of Physics website " Research " section for descriptions of the research areas and the current activities in each. The Statement of Purpose is a good opportunity to clarify research interests. The Department of Physics notes that it is not necessary to describe how an applicant developed an interest in Physics.  Applicants are typically best served by devoting the statement to a description of their research background and interests. However, applicants with unusual or compelling paths are welcome to describe their experiences.  In any case, the Statement of Purpose should focus on an applicant’s specific research interests at Princeton and any relevant research experience.

Program Offerings

Program offering: ph.d..

The Department of Physics divides the core curriculum into three groups.  During the first two years, students are required to take and pass (at least) one course in each group. Thus minimally, a student needs to pass three core courses. A passing grade is a B or higher. All students are required to complete the core curriculum by the end of the second year.  The core curriculum is grouped into three areas, which are outlined below:

Quantum Mechanics/Quantum Field Theory PHY 506 Quantum Mechanics PHY 509 Relativistic Quantum Theory I PHY 510 Relativistic Quantum Theory II PHY 529 Introduction to High Energy Physics

Condensed Matter/Biophysics/Atomic Physics PHY 525 Introduction to Condensed Matter Physics I PHY 526 Introduction to Condensed Matter Physics II PHY 551 Atomic Physics (not taught every year) PHY 561 & 562 Biophysics

General Relativity/High Energy Physics PHY 523 Introduction to General Relativity PHY 524 Advanced Topics in General Relativity PHY 529 Introduction to High Energy Physics

During the fall term of the first year, students generally take one core course to supplement their undergraduate physics background and prepare for the preliminary exam. Students are encouraged to take other more advanced courses to expand their knowledge in their chosen specialty. 

All students are required to take a dedicated course, PHY 502 Communicating Physics that is designed to strengthen the skills necessary to communicate effectively as a teacher and researcher in physics.

Additional pre-generals requirements

Adviser Selection The Department of Physics aims to engage graduate students in research as soon as they arrive.  Graduate students are required to settle on a thesis topic and secure a dissertation adviser by the end of the second year.

General exam

The preliminary examination, the experimental project and the required minimum number of core courses constitute the general examination. All sections of the general examination must be completed by the end of the second year.  

Students take the first section of the general examination, the preliminary examination, in January or May of the first year. The preliminary examination covers topics of electromagnetism, elementary quantum mechanics, mechanics, statistical physics and thermodynamics.

The second section of the general examination is the experimental project, which consists of a report and presentation on an experiment that the student has either performed or assisted others in performing, at Princeton. Students submit the report and complete the presentation in November of the second year.  

Qualifying for the M.A.

The Master of Arts (M.A.) degree is normally an incidental degree on the way to full Ph.D. candidacy and is earned after a student successfully completes all components of the general examination. It may also be awarded to students who, for various reasons, leave the Ph.D. program, provided that these requirements have been met.

While teaching is not a requirement, the Department offers graduate students the opportunity to teach at least one semester during their graduate tenure. A wide range of teaching opportunities are offered, from laboratory work to recitation sessions in core undergraduate and advanced graduate courses.

Post-Generals requirements

The Pre-Thesis Project The pre-thesis project is a research project in the student's area of interest, conducted under the supervision of a faculty adviser who is likely to become the Ph.D. adviser for the student.  The final product is a written report and an oral defense in the presence of a pre-thesis committee, which is strongly encouraged to comprise faculty who will also serve as the student’s Ph.D. committee. The report's length and format are typically comparable to a journal article. It is advisable to include an introduction aimed at physicists who are not expert in the field.

The goals of the pre-thesis projects are:

• to give the student a serious introduction to his or her final area of specialization
• to get the student involved with the faculty in the research group of interest
• to get the student known by the faculty in the research group of interest

In order to get a rapid start on their thesis research, students are expected to start actively working on their pre-thesis project as soon as possible. The evaluation by the pre-thesis adviser will be an essential part of the reenrollment process at the end of the third year. The pre-thesis defense should take place no later than the fall of the third year.

Dissertation and FPO

The Ph.D. is awarded once the dissertation is accepted and the final public oral (FPO) has been completed.

• James D. Olsen

Associate Chair

• Waseem S. Bakr
• Simone Giombi

Director of Graduate Studies

Director of undergraduate studies.

• Dmitry Abanin
• Michael Aizenman
• Robert H. Austin
• Bogdan A. Bernevig
• William Bialek
• Curtis G. Callan
• Cristiano Galbiati
• Thomas Gregor
• Frederick D. Haldane
• M. Zahid Hasan
• David A. Huse
• William C. Jones
• Igor R. Klebanov
• Mariangela Lisanti
• Daniel R. Marlow
• Peter D. Meyers
• Nai Phuan Ong
• Lyman A. Page
• Frans Pretorius
• Michael V. Romalis
• Shinsei Ryu
• Joshua W. Shaevitz
• Suzanne T. Staggs
• Paul J. Steinhardt
• Christopher G. Tully
• Herman L. Verlinde
• Ali Yazdani

Associate Professor

• Silviu S. Pufu

Assistant Professor

• Lawrence W. Cheuk
• Andrew M. Leifer
• Isobel R. Ojalvo

Associated Faculty

• Ravindra N. Bhatt, Electrical & Comp Engineering
• Roberto Car, Chemistry
• Mihalis Dafermos, Mathematics
• Andrew A. Houck, Electrical & Comp Engineering
• Mansour Shayegan, Electrical & Comp Engineering
• David N. Spergel, Astrophysical Sciences
• David W. Tank, Princeton Neuroscience Inst
• Jeffrey D. Thompson, Electrical & Comp Engineering
• Salvatore Torquato, Chemistry
• Ned S. Wingreen, Molecular Biology
• Nathalie P. de Leon, Electrical & Comp Engineering

Senior Lecturer

• Grace Bosse
• Katerina Visnjic
• Steven J. Benton
• Vir B. Bulchandani
• Justin G. DeZoort
• Aurelien A. Fraisse
• Norman C. Jarosik
• Katharine Moran
• Matteo Parisi
• Jason L. Puchalla
• Claudio Savarese

Visiting Professor

• Nissan Itzhaki

Visiting Lecturer with Rank of Professor

• Stephen L. Adler
• Nima Arkani-Hamed
• Juan M. Maldacena
• Nathan Seiberg

For a full list of faculty members and fellows please visit the department or program website.

Permanent Courses

Courses listed below are graduate-level courses that have been approved by the program’s faculty as well as the Curriculum Subcommittee of the Faculty Committee on the Graduate School as permanent course offerings. Permanent courses may be offered by the department or program on an ongoing basis, depending on curricular needs, scheduling requirements, and student interest. Not listed below are undergraduate courses and one-time-only graduate courses, which may be found for a specific term through the Registrar’s website. Also not listed are graduate-level independent reading and research courses, which may be approved by the Graduate School for individual students.

CHM 510 - Topics in Physical Chemistry (also PHY 544)

Ece 560 - fundamentals of nanophotonics (also mse 556/phy 565), ece 567 - advanced solid-state electron physics (also phy 567), ece 569 - quantum information and entanglement (also phy 568), mat 595 - topics in mathematical physics (also phy 508), mse 504 - monte carlo and molecular dynamics simulation in statistical physics & materials science (also cbe 520/chm 560/phy 512), phy 502 - communicating physics (half-term), phy 505 - quantum mechanics, phy 506 - advanced quantum mechanics (also mse 576), phy 509 - quantum field theory, phy 510 - advanced quantum field theory, phy 511 - statistical mechanics, phy 521 - introduction to mathematical physics (also mat 597), phy 523 - introduction to relativity, phy 525 - introduction to condensed matter physics, phy 529 - high-energy physics, phy 536 - advanced condensed matter physics ii (also mse 577), phy 537 - nuclear physics, phy 539 - topics in high-energy physics, phy 540 - selected topics in theoretical high-energy physics, phy 557 - electronic methods in experimental physics, phy 558 - electronic methods in experimental physics ii, phy 561 - biophysics, phy 562 - biophysics, phy 563 - physics of the universe, phy 580 - extramural summer research project, phy 581 - graduate research internship, qcb 505 - topics in biophysics and quantitative biology (also phy 555), qcb 515 - method and logic in quantitative biology (also chm 517/eeb 517/mol 515/phy 570).

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Harvard phd theses in physics, 2001-.

BAILEY, STEPHEN JOHN, B.S. (Washington) 1995. A Study of B → J/y K (*)0 X Decays. (Huth)

CHEN, LESTER HAO-LIN, B.S. (Duke) 1995. (Harvard) 1999. Charge-Iimaging Field-Effect Transistors for Scanned Probe Microscopy. (Westervelt)

CHOU, YI, B.S. (National Tsing Hua University) 1988. (National Tsing Hua University) 1990. Developments of EXITE2 and Timing Analysis of Ultra-Compact X-ray Binaries. (Papaliolios/Grindlay)

ERSHOV, ALEXEY, B.S. (Moscow Institute of Physics & Technology) 1996. Beauty Meson Decays to Charmonium. (Feldman)

FOX, DAVID CHARLES, A.B. (Princeton) 1991. (Harvard) 1994. The Structure of Clusters of Galaxies. (Loeb)

FUKUTO, MASAFUMI, B.S. (Oregon) 1994. (Harvard) 1997). Two-Dimensional Structures and Order of Nano-Objects on the Surface of Water: Synchrotron X-ray Scattering Studies. (Pershan)

HILL, MARC, B.S. (Illinois) 1994. Experimental Studies of W-band Accelerator Structures at High Field. (Huth)

KANNAPPAN, SHEILA, A.B. (Harvard) 1991. (Harvard, History of Science) 2001. Kinematic Clues to the Formation and Evolution of Galaxies. (Horowitz)

LAU, CHUN-NING, B.A. (Chicago) 1994. (Harvard) 1997. Quantum Phase Slips in Superconducting Nanowires. (Tinkham)

OSWALD, JOSEPH ANTON, B.S. (Duke) 1992. (Harvard) 1995. Metallo-dielectric Photonic Crystal Filters for Infrared Applications. (Verghese/Tinkham)

SCHAFFER, CHRISTOPHER BRIAN, B.S. (Florida) 1995. Interaction of Femtosecond Laser Pulses with Transparent Materials. (Mazur)

SPRADLIN, MARCUS BENJAMIN, B.A. (Princeton) 1996. (Harvard) 1999. AdS 2 Black Holes and Soliton Moduli Spaces. (Strominger)

WU, CLAUDIA, Diplom (Hannover) 1991. (Harvard) 1995. Femtosecond Laser-Gas-Solid Interactions. (Mazur)

BOZOVIC, DOLORES, B.S. ( Stanford University ) 1995. (Harvard) 1997. Defect Formation and Electron Transport in Carbon Nanotubes. (Tinkham)

BRITTO-PACUMIO, RUTH ALEXANDRA, B.S. (MIT) 1996. (Harvard) 1998. Bound States of Supersymmetric Black Holes. (Strominger)

CACHAZO, FREDDY ALEXANDER, B.S. (Simon Bolivar University) 1996. Dualities in Field Theory from Geometric Transitions in String Theory. (Vafa)

CHOU, YI, B.S. ( National Tsing Hua University ) 1988. ( National Tsing Hua University ) 1990. Developments of EXITE2 and Timing Analysis of Ultra-Compact X-ray Binaries. (Papaliolios/Grindlay)

COLDWELL, CHARLES MICHAEL, A.B. (Harvard) 1992. A Search for Interstellar Communications at Optical Wavelengths. (Horowitz)

DUTTON, ZACHARY JOHN, B.A. (University of California Berkeley) 1996. (Harvard) 2002. Ultra-slow Stopped, and Compressed Light in Bose-Einstein Condensates. (Hau)

FOX, DAVID CHARLES, A.B. ( Princeton ) 1991. (Harvard) 1994. The Structure of Clusters of Galaxies. (Shapiro)

GOEL, ANITA, B.S. (Stanford) 1995. Single Molecule Dynamics of Motor Enzymes Along DNA. (Herschbach/ Wilson)

HALL, CARTER, B.S. (Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State Univ.) 1996. Measurement of the isolated direct photon cross section with conversions in proton-antiproton collisions at sqrt (s) = 1.8 TeV. (Franklin)

JANZEN, PAUL HENRY, B. Sc., (University of Windsor) 1992. (Harvard) 1994. An Experiment to Measure Electron Impact Excitation of Ions that have Metastable States. (Horowitz/Kohl)

KIM, Daniel Young-Joon, AB/AM (Harvard) 1995. Properties of Inclusive B → psi Production. (Wilson/Brandenburg)

LANDHUIS, DAVID PAUL, B.S. (Stanford) 1994. (Harvard) 1997. Studies with Ultracold Metastable Hydrogen. (Gabrielse/Kleppner)  

LAU, CHUN-NING, B.A. ( Chicago ) 1994. (Harvard) 1997. Quantum Phase Slips in Superconducting Nanowires . (Tinkham)

LEE, CHUNGSOK, B.A. ( University of California , Berkeley ) 1995. ( Harvard University ) 2002. Control and Manipulation of Magnetic Nanoparticles and Cold Atoms Using Micro-electromagnets. (Westervelt)

 LUBENSKY, DAVID KOSLAN, A.B. ( Princeton University ) 1994. (Harvard) 1997. Theoretical Studies of Polynucleotide Biophysics. (Nelson)

MATTONI, CARLO EGON HEINRICH, A.B. ( Harvard College ) 1995. (Harvard University ) 1998. Magnetic Trapping of Ultracold Neutrons Produced Using a Monochromatic Cold Neutron Beam. (Doyle)

MCKINSEY, DANIEL NICHOLAS, B.S. (University of Michigan) 1995. (Harvard) 1998. Detecting Magnetically Trapped Neutrons: Liquid Helium As a Scintillator. (Doyle)

OZEL, FERYAL, B.S. (Columbia University) 1996. The Effects of Strong Magnetic and Gravitational Fields on Emission Properties of Neutron Stars. (Narayan)

PAUTOT, SOPHIE, B.S. (University of Bordeaux I and II) 1995. (University of Bordeaux I and II) 1996. Lipids behavior at dodecane-water interface. (Weitz)  

PRASAD, VIKRAM, B. Tech. (Indian Institute of Technology) 1996. ( University of Pennsylvania ) 1999. Weakly interacting colloid-polymer mixtures. (Weitz)

SALWEN, NATHAN KALMAN, A.B. (Harvard) 1994. Non-perturbative Methods in Modal Field Theory. (Coleman)

SCHWARZ, JENNIFER MARIE, B.S., B.A. (University of Maryland) 1994. Depinning with Elastic Waves: Criticality, Hysteresis, and Even Pseudo-Hysteresis. (Fisher)

SHAW, SCOT ELMER JAMES, B.A. (Lawrence University) 1998. Propagation in Smooth Random Potentials. [PDF: ~7.44MB] ( Heller)

SQUIRES, TODD MICHAEL, B.S. (UCLA) 1995. Hydrodynamics and Electrokinetics in Colloidal and Microfluidic Systems. (Fisher/Brenner)

VOLOVICH, ANASTASIA, A.M. (Moscow State) 1998. Holography for Coset Spaces and Noncommutative Solitions. (Strominger)

WEINSTEIN, JONATHAN DAVID, B.S. (Caltech) 1995. (Harvard) 1998. Magnetic Trapping of Atomic Chromium and Molecular Calcium Monohydride. (Doyle)  

 WONG, GLENN PATRICK, B.S. (Stanford) 1993. (Harvard) 1995. Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Experiments Using Laser-Polarized Noble Gas . (Shapiro)

YESLEY, PETER SPOOR, B.S. (MIT) 1995. The Road to Antihydrogen. (Gabrielse)

 *YOUNKIN, REBECCA JANE, A.B. ( Mt. Holyoke ) 1993. (Harvard) 1996. Surface Studies and Microstructure Fabrication Using Femtosecond. (Mazur)

ASHCOM, JONATHAN BENJAMIN, B.S. (Brown University) 1996. (Harvard) 2000. The role of focusing in the interaction of femtosecond laser pulses with transparent materials. (Mazur)

CHAN, IAN HIN-YUN , B.S. ( Sanford University ) 1994. Quantum dot circuits: single-electron switch and few-electron quantum dots . (Westervelt)

CREMERS, JACOB NICO HENDRIK JAN, B.S. (MIT) 1994. (Harvard) 2002. Pumping and Spin-Orbit Coupling in Quantum Dots. (Halperin)

deCARVALHO, ROBERT, B.S. (University of Arizona) 1996. (Harvard) 1999. Inelastic Scattering of Magnetically Trapped Atomic Chromium. (Doyle)

D’URSO, BRIAN RICHARD, B.S. (California Institute of Technology) 1998. Cooling and Self-Excitation of a One-Electron Oscillator. (Gabrielse)

FIETE, GREGORY ALAN, B.S. (Purdue University) 1997. (Harvard) 1999. Theory of Kondo Effect in Nanoscale Systems and Studies of III-V Diluated Magnetic Semiconductors. (Heller)

GABEL, CHRISTOPHER VAUGHN, A.B. (Princeton University) 1996. The speed of the flagellar rotary motor of Escherichia coli varies linearly with protonmotive force. (Berg)

GORDON, VERNITA DIANE, B.S. (Vanderbilt University) 1996. (Harvard) 2001. Measuring and Engineering Microscale Mechanical Responses and Properties of Bio-Relevant Materials. (Weitz)

HAILU, GIRMA, B.S. (Addis Ababa University). (Addis Ababa University) 1992. (Harvard) 1999. Chiral orbifold Construction of Field Theories with Extra Dimensions. (Georgi)

HEADRICK, MATTHEW PETER, B.A. (Princeton University) 1994. (Harvard) 1998. Noncummutative Solitons and Closed String Tachyons. (Minwalla)

HUMPHREY, MARC ANDREW, B.S. (Western Michigan University). 1997 (Harvard) 2000. Precision measurements with atomic hydrogen masers. (Walsworth)

LEPORE, NATASHA, B.S. (University of Montreal) Diffraction and Localization in Quantum Billiards. [Postscript: ~5.8MB] (Heller)

LEROY, BRIAN JAMES, Imaging Coherent Electron Flow Through Semiconductor Nanostructures. [PDF: ~10.17MB] (Westervelt)

LOPATNIKOVA, ANNA, B.S. (MIT) 1997. Spontaneously symmetry-broken states in the quantum Hall regime. (Halperin/Wen)

MADRAK, ROBYN LEIGH, B.A. (Cornell University) 1995 Measurement of the LambdaB Lifetime in the Decay Mode LambdaB-> Jpsi Lambda . (Franklin)

MALONEY, ALEXANDER DEWITT, Time-Dependent Backgrounds of String Theory . [PDF: ~6.73MB] (Strominger)

MAOZ, LIAT, B.S. (Hebrew University) 1995. Supersymmetric Configurations in the Rotating D1-D5 System and PP-Waves. [PDF: ~7.16 MB] (Maldacena/ Strominger)

MARINELLI, LUCA, Laurea ( University of Genova ) 1995. ( Harvard University ) 1997. Analysis of quasiparticles in the mixed state of a d-wave superconductor and NMR in pores with surface relaxation. (Halperin)

REFAEL, GIL, B.S. (Tel Aviv University) 1997. (Harvard) 2001. Randomness, Dissipation, and Quantum Fluctuations in Spin Chains and Mesoscopic Superconductor Arrays. (Fisher/Demler)

SHEN, NAN, B.A. (Rhode Island College) 1996. Photodisruption in biological tissues using femtosecond laser pulses . (Mazur)

TSERKOVNYAK, YAROSLAV, (University of British Columbia) 1999. (Harvard) 2001. Spin and Charge Transfer in Selected Nanostructures. [PDF: ~6.96MB] (Halperin)

VALENTINE, MEGAN THERESA, B.S. (Leigh University) 1997. (University of Pennsylvania) 1999. Mechanical and Microstructural Properties of Biological Materials . [PDF: ~3.5 MB] (Weitz)

VANICEK, JIRI JOSEPH LADISLAV, A.B. (Harvard College). (Harvard) 2000. Uniform semiclassical approximations and their applications . [PDF: 936 KB] (Heller)

WIJNHOLT, MARTIJN PAUL, B.S. (University of Warwick) 1996. Investigations in the physics of solitons in string theory. (Vafa)

ZABOW, GARY, B.S. (University of Cape Town) 1994. Charged-particle optics for neutral particles. (Prentiss)

ZIELINSKI, LUKASZ JOZEF, B.S. (Stanford University) 1997. Restriction and inhomogeneous magnetic fields in the nuclear magnetic resonance study of diffusion. (Halperin/Sen)

ABRAHAM, MATHEW CHEERAN, B.S. (Haverford College) 1997 (Harvard University) 2000. Hot Electron Transpoort and Current Sensing. (Westervelt)

BOWDEN, NATHANIEL SEAN, B.S., M.S. (University of Auckland) 1996. Production of Cold Antihydrogen During the Positron Cooling of Antiprotons. (Gabrielse)

CHANG, SPENCER, B.S. (Stanford University) 1999. (Harvard) 2001. Topics in Little Higgs Physics . [PDF: 467 KB] (Georgi)

DZHOSYUK, SERGEI N., B.S.(Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology)1995.(Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology)1997. M agnetic trapping of neutrons for measurement of the neutron lifetime. (Doyle)

EGOROV, DMITRO MIKHAILOVICH, B.S. (Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology) 1998. Buffer-Gas Cooling of Diatomic Molecules . [PDF: ~4.1 MB] (Doyle)

FIETE, ILA RANI, B.S. (University of Michigan) 1997. (Harvard University) 2000. Learning and coding in biological neural networks . (Fisher/Seung)

GARDEL, MARGARET LISE, B.A. (Brown University) 1998. (Harvard University) 2003. Elasticity of F-actin Networks. (Weitz)

HSU, MING F., A.B. ( Princeton University) 1999. Charged Colloidal Particles in Non-polar Solvents and Self-assembled Colloidal Model Systems . (Weitz)

KING, GAVIN MCLEAN, B.S. (Bates College) 1997 (Dartmouth college) 2001. Probing the Longitudinal Resolution of a Solid State nanopore Microscope with Nanotubes. (Golovchenko)

MANLEY, SULIANA, B.A.(Rice University) 1997. (Harvard University) 2001. Mechanical stability of fractal colloid gels. (Weitz)

MICHNIAK,JR.,ROBERT ALLEN, B.S. (University of Michigan) 1997. (Harvard University) 2001. Enhanced Buffer Gas Loading: Cooling and Trapping of Atoms with Low Effective Magnetic Moments. (Doyle)

MODY, AREEZ MINOO, B.S. (Caltech) 1994. Thermodynamics of ultracold singly charged particles. (Heller)

ODOM, BRIAN CARL, B.S. (Stanford University) 1995. (Harvard University) 1999. Measurement of the Electron g-Factor in a Sub-Kelvin Cylindrical Cavity . (Gabrielse)

OXLEY, PAUL KEVIN, B.A. (Oxford University) 1994. Production of Slow Antihydrogen from Cold Antimatter Plasmas . [PDF: ~5.9 MB](Gabrielse)

ROESER, CHRISTOPHER ALLAN DEWALD, B.A. (University of Chicago) 1998. Ultrafast Dynamics and Optical Control of Coherent Phonons in Tellurium. (Mazur)

SHPYRKO, OLEG GRIGORY, B.S. (Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology) 1995. Experimental X-Ray Studies of Liquid Surfaces. (Pershan)

SON, JOHN SANG WON, B.A. (Columbia University) 1996. Superstring Theory in AdS_3 and Plane Waves . [PDF: ~450 KB](Minwalla)

ZELEVINSKY, TANYA, S.B. (MIT) 1999. (Harvard University) 2001. Helium 2^3 P Fine Structure Measurement in a Discharge Cell. (Gabrielse)

ZUMBÜHL, DOMINIK MAX, Diploma, M.S. (Swiss Federal Institute of Technology), 1998. Coherence and Spin in GaAs Quantum Dots . [PDF: ~2.7 MB] (Marcus)

ANDRÉ, AXEL PHILIPPE, M.S. (Imperial College) 1997. (HarvardUniversity) 1999. Nonclassical States of Light and Atomic Ensembles: Generation and New Applications. (Lukin)

BIERCUK, MICHAEL JORDAN, Local Gate Control in Carbon Nanotube Quantum Devices. (Marcus)

CHEN, HAOYU HENRY, (University Maryland) 1998. (Harvard University) 2000. Surfaces in Solid Dynamics and Fluid Statics . [PDF: ~2.5 MB] (Brenner)

CONRAD, JACINTA CARMEL, S.B. (University of Chicago) 1999. ( Harvard University) 2002. Mechanical Response and Dynamic Arrest in Colloidal Glasses and Gels. (Weitz)

DASGUPTA, BIVASH R., B.S.C. (Presidency College) 1995. (Indian Institute of Technology) 1997. Microrheology and Dynamic Light Scattering Studies of Polymer Solutions. (Weitz)

HANCOX, CINDY IRENE, B.A. (University of California, Berkeley) 1997. ( Harvard University) 2002. Magnetic trapping of transition-metal and rare-earth atoms using buffer-gas loading. (Doyle)

HOUCK, ANDREW A., B.S.E. (Princeton University) 2000. Novel Techniques Towards Nuclear Spin Detection. (Marcus/Chuang)

LEE, HAK-HO, B.S. (Seoul National University) 1998. Microelectronic/Microfluidic Hybrid System for the Manipulation of Biological Cells. (Westervelt).

NEITZKE, ANDREW M., A.B. (Princeton University) 1998. Toward a Nonperturbative Topological String. (Vafa)

PODOLSKY, DANIEL, B.S. ( Stanford University) 1998. (Harvard University) 2000. Interplay of Magnetism and Superconductivity in Strongly Correlated Electron Systems. (Demler)  

RAPPOCCIO, SALVATORE ROCCO, B.A. (Boston University ) 2000. Measurement of the ttbar Production Cross Section in ppbar Collisions at sqrt (s) = 1.96 TeV. (Foland)

SPECK, ANDREW J., (Williams College) 2000. (Harvard) 2002. Two Techniques Produce Slow Antihydrogen . [PDF: ~9.2 MB] (Gabrielse)

TEE, SHANG YOU, B.S. ( Columbia University) 1995. (Stevens Institute of Technology) 1997. Velocity Fluctuations in Sedimentation and Fluidized Beds. (Weitz)

THOMPSON, DAVID MATTOON, (Yale) 1999 B.S./M.S. Holography and Related Topics in String Theory . [PDF: ~440 KB] (Strominger)

ZHU, CHENG, B.S. ( Tsinghua University) 1996. (Chinese Science and Technology University) 1997. Gas phase atomic and molecular process . (Lukin/Dalgarno)

BABICH, DANIEL MICHAEL, A.B. ( Princeton University) 2002. ( Harvard University) 2005. Cosmological Non-Gaussianity and Reionization . (Loeb)

BARNETT, RYAN LEE, B.S. ( Ohio State University) 2000. ( Harvard University) 2002. Studies of Strongly correlated Systems: From First Principles Computations to Effective Hamiltonians and Novel Quantum Phases. (Demler)

BOWLES, ANITA MARIE, B.S. ( University of Colorado) 1996. ( Harvard University) 1998. Stress Evolution in Thin Films of a Polymer . (Weitz/Spaepen)

CHIJIOKE, AKOBUIJE DOUGLAS EZIANI, B.S.E. ( Duke University) 1996. (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) 1998. Infrared absorption of compressed hydrogen deuteride and calibration of the ruby pressure gauge . [PDF: ~2.6 MB](Silvera)  

CYRIER, MICHELLE CHRISTINE, B.S. ( University of California , Berkeley) 2000. Physics From Geometry: Non-Kahler Compactifications, Black Rings and dS/CFT. (Strominger)

DESAI, MICHAEL MANISH, B.A. ( Princeton University ) 1999. ( University of Cambridge ) 2000. Evolution in Large Asexual Populations. (Murray/Fisher)

EISAMAN, MATTHEW D, A.B. (Princeton) 2000. (Harvard University) 2004. Generation, Storage and Retrieval of Nonclassical States of Light Using Atomic Ensembles . [PDF: ~7 MB] (Lukin)

HOLLOWAY, AYANA TAMU, A.B. ( Princeton University) 1998. The First Direct Limit on the t Quark Lifetime. ( Franklin)

HOWARD, ANDREW WILLIAM, S.B. (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) 1998. (Harvard University) 2001. Astronomical Searches for Nanosecond Optical Pulses. (Horowitz)

HUANG, JIAN, BS (Jilin University, P.R.China)1998. Theories of Imaging Electrons in Nanostructures . [PDF: ~8.4 MB] (Heller)

JONES, GREGORY CHAPMAN, B.S. (University of Missouri, Columbia) 2001. Time-dependent solutions in gravity . (Strominger)

KILIC, CAN, B.S. ( Bogazici University) 2000. Naturalness of Unknown Physics: Theoretical Models and Experimental Signatures. (Arkani-Hamed)  

 LAKADAMYALI, MELIKE, B.S. ( University of Texas , Austin ) 2001. Real-Time Imaging of Viral Infection and Intracellular Transport in Live Cells. (Zhuang)

MAHBUBANI, RAKHI, MSci (University of Bristol) 2000. Beyond the Standard Model: The Pragmatic Approach to the Gauge Hierarchy Problem . [PDF: ~1.5 MB] (Arkani-Hamed)

MARSANO, JOSEPH DANIEL, B.S. (University of Michigan) 2001. (Harvard University) 2004. The Phase Structure of Yang-Mills Theories and their Gravity Duals. (Minwalla)

NGUYEN, SCOTT VINH, B.S. (University of Texan, Austin) 2000. Buffer gas loading and evaporative cooling in the multi-partial-wave regeime. (Doyle)  

PAPADODIMAS, KYRIAKOS, B.A. ( University of Athens ) 2000. Phase Transitions in Large N Gauge Theories and String Theory Duals. (Minwalla)

PARROTT, ROBERT ELLIS, B.A. (Dartmouth College) 1997. (Dartmouth College) 1999. Topics in Electron Dynamics in Moderate Magnetic Fields . (Heller)  

POTOK, RONALD MICHAEL, B.S. ( University of Texas Austin) 2000. Probing Many Body Effects in Semiconductor Nanostructures. (Goldhaber-Gordon/Marcus)

RUST, MICHAEL JOSEPH, B.S. ( Harvey Mudd College ). Fluorescence Techniques for Single Virus Particle Tracking and Sub-Diffraction Limit Imaging. (Zhuang)

SAGE, JENNIFER NICOLE FUES, B.A. ( Washington University ) 1997. ( Harvard University ) 2000. Measurements of Lateral Boron Diffusion in Silicon and Stress Effects on Epitaxial Growth . (Aziz/Kaxiras)

TAYLOR, JACOB MASON, A.B. ( Harvard College ) 2000. Hyperfine Interactions and Quantum Information Processing in Quantum Dots. (Lukin)

THALER, JESSE KEMPNER, S.B. (Brown University). ( Harvard University) 2004. Symmetry Breaking at the Energy Frontier . (Arkani-Hamed)

THAMBYAHPILLAI, SHIYAMALA NAYAGI, M.S. (Imperial College) 1999. Brane Worlds and Deconstruction. (Randall)

VAISHNAV, JAY Y., B.S. (University of Maryland) 2000. ( Harvard University) 2002. Topics in Low Energy Quantum Scattering Theory. [PDF:  ~3.8 MB] (Heller)

VITELLI, VINCENZO, B.S. (Imperial College) 2000. Crystals , Liquid Crystals and Superfluid Helium on Curved Surfaces. (Nelson)  

WALKER, DEVIN GEORGE EDWARD, B.S. (Hampton University) 1998. ( Harvard University ) 2001. Theories on the Origin of Mass and Dark Matter. (Arkani-Hamed/Georgi)

WHITE, OLIVIA LAWRENCE, B.S. ( Stanford University ) 1997. Towards Real Spin Glasses: Ground States and Dynamics. (Fisher)

YIN, XI, B.S. (University of Science and Technology of China) 2001. Black Holes, Anti de Sitter Space, and Topological Strings. (Strominger)

YANG, LIANG, B.S. (Yale University) 1999. ( Harvard University) 2002. Towards Precision Measurement of the Neutron Lifetime using Magnetically Trapped Neutrons. (Doyle)

YAVIN, ITAY, B. Sc. (York University, Ontario) 2002. Spin Determination at the Large Hadron Collider. [PDF: ~662 KB] (Arkani-Hamed)

CHILDRESS, LILIAN ISABEL, B.A. (Harvard College) 2001. Coherent manipulation of single quantum systems in the solid state . (Lukin)

CLARK, DAMON ALISTAIR Biophysical Analysis of Thermostatic Behavior in C. elegans . (Samuel) 

ERNEBJERG, MORTEN, MPhys (University of Oxford) 2002. Field Theory Methods in Two-Dimensional and Heterotic String Theories . (Strominger)

FARKAS, DANIEL MARTIN, B.S. (Yale University) 2000. An Optical Reference and Frequency Comb for Improved Spectroscopy of Helium . (Gabrielse)

GINSBERG, NAOMI SHAUNA, B.A. (University of Toronto) 2000. (Harvard University) 2002. Manipulations with spatially compressed slow light pulses in Bose-Einstein condensates. (Hau)

HOFFMAN, LAUREN K., B.S. (California Institute of Technology) 2002. Orbital Dynamics in Galaxy Mergers . (Loeb)

HUANG, LISA LI FANG, B.S. (UCLA) 1999. Black Hole Attractors and Gauge Theories . (Strominger)

HUNT, THOMAS PETER, B.S. (Stanford University) 2000. Integrated Circuit / Microfluidic Chips for Dielectric Manipulation . (Westervelt)

IMAMBEKOV, ADILET, B.S. (Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology) 2002. Strongly Correlated Phenomena with Ultracold Atomic Gases . (Demler)

JAFFERIS, DANIEL LOUIS, B.S. (Yale) 2001. Topological String Theory from D-Brane Bound States . (Vafa)

JENKS, ROBERT A., B.A. (Williams College) 1998. Mechanical and neural representations of tactile information in the awake behaving rat somatosensory system . (Stanley/Weitz)

LEBEDEV, ANDRE, B.S. (University of Virginia) 1999. Ratio of Pion Kaon Production in Proton Carbon Interactions . (Feldman) 

LIU, JIAYU, B.S. (Nanjing University of China) 2002. (Harvard) 2004. Microscopic origin of the elasticity of F-actin networks . (Weitz)

MATHEY, LUDWIG GUENTER, Vordiplom (University of Heidelberg) 1998. Quantum phases of low-dimensional ultra-cold atom systems. (Castro-Neto/Halperin)

MAXWELL, STEPHEN EDWARD Buffer Gas Cooled Atoms and Molecules: Production, Collisional Studies, and Applications. (Doyle)

MO, YINA, B.S. (University of Science and Technology China) 2002. Theoretical Studies of Growth Processes and Electronic Properties of Nanostructures on Surfaces. (Kaxiras)

PARUCHURI, SRINIVAS S., B. S. (Cornell) 2000. (Harvard University) 2002. Deformations of Free Jets . (Brenner//Weitz)

QIAN, JIANG Localization in a Finite Inhomogeneous Quantum Wire and Diffusion through Random Spheres with Partially Absorbing Surfaces. (Halperin)

RITTER, WILLIAM GORDON, B.A. (University of Chicago) 1999. Euclidean Quantum Field Theory: Curved Spacetimes and Gauge Fields. (Jaffe)

SARAIKIN, KIRILL ANATOLYEVICH, B.S. (Moscow Institute for Physics and Technology) 1999. Black Holes, Entropy Functionals, and Topological Strings. (Vafa)

SCHULZ, ALEXIA EIRINN, B.A. (Boston University ) 1998. (Harvard University) 2000. Astrophysical Probes of Dark Energy. (White/Huth)

SCHUSTER, PHILIP CHRISTIAN, S.B. (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) 2003. ( Harvard University ) 2006. Uncovering the New Standard Model at the LHC . (Arkani-Hamed)

SEUN, SIN MAN, B.A. (Smith College) 2000.  B.E. (Dartmouth College) 2000. Measurement of p-K Ratios from the NuMI Target . (Feldman)

SHERMAN, DANIEL JOSEPH, B.A. (University of Pennsylvania ) 2001. Measurement of the Top Quark Pair Production Cross Section with 1.12 fb -1 of pp Collisions at sqrt (s) = 1.96 TeV. ( Franklin )

SIMONS, AARON, B.S. (California Institute of Technology) 2002. Black Hole Superconformal Quantum Mechanics. (Strominger)

SLOWE, CHRISTOPHER BRIAN, AB/AM (Harvard University). Experiments and Simulations in Cooling and Trapping of a High Flux Rubidium Beam. (Hau)

STRIEHL, PIERRE SEBASTIAN, Diploma (University of Heidelberg) 2004. A high-flux cold-atom source for area-enclosing atom interferometry. (Prentiss)

TORO, NATALIA, S.B. (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) 2003. Fundamental Physics at the Threshold of Discovery . (Arkani-Hamed) 

WISSNER-GROSS, ALEXANDER DAVID, S.B. (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) 2003. (Harvard University ) 2004. Physically Programmable Surfaces. (Kaxiras)

WONG, WESLEY PHILIP, B.S. (University of British Columbia) 1999. Exploring single-molecule interactions through 3D optical trapping and tracking: from thermal noise to protein refolding . (Evans/Nelson)

ZAW, INGYIN, B.A. (Harvard College) 2001.  (Harvard University) 2003. Search for the Flavor Changing Neutral Current Decay t → qZ in  pp Collisions at √s = 1.96 TeV. (Franklin)

BRAHMS, NATHANIEL CHARLES, Sc.B. (Brown University) 2001. Trapping of 1 μ β Atoms Using Buffer Gas Loading . (Doyle, Greytak)

BURBANK, KENDRA S., B.A. (Bryn Mawr College) 2000. (Harvard University) 2004. Self-organization mechanisms in the assembly and maintenance of bipolar spindles. (Fisher/Mitchison)

CAMPBELL, WESLEY C., B.S. (Trinity University) 2001. Magnetic Trapping of Imidogen Molecules . (Doyle)

CHAISANGUANTHUM, KRIS SOMBOON, B.S. (Harvard University ) 2001. An Enquiry Concerning Charmless Semileptonic Decays of Bottom Mesons . (Morii)

CHANG, DARRICK, B.S. (Stanford University) 2001. Controlling atom-photon interactions in nano-structured media. (Lukin)

CHOU, JOHN PAUL, A.B. (Princeton University) 2002. (Harvard University) 2006. Production Cross Section Measurement using Soft Electron Tagging in pp Collisions at √s  = 1.96 TeV . (Franklin)

DEL MAESTRO, ADRIAN GIUSEPPE, B.S. (University of Waterloo) 2002,  (University of Waterloo) 2003. The Superconductor-Metal Quantum Phase Transition in Ultra-Narrow Wires . (Sachdev)

DI CARLO, LEONARDO, B.S. (Stanford University) 1999. (Stanford University) 2000. Mesocopic Electronics Beyond DC Transport . (Marcus)

DUNKEL, EMILY REBECCA, B.S. (University of California Los Angeles) 2001. Quantum Phenomena in Condensed Phase Systems . (Sachdev/Coker)

FINKLER, ILYA GRIGORYEVICH, B.S. (Ohio State University) 2001. Nonlinear Phenomena in Two-Dimensional and Quasi-Two-Dimensional Electron Systems. (Halperin)

FITZPATRICK, ANDREW LIAM, B.S. (University of Chicago) 2004. (Harvard University) 2005. Broken Symmetries and Signatures . (Randall)

GARG, ARTI, A.B., B.S. (Stanford University) 2000. (Stanford University) 2001. (University of Washington) 2002. Microlensing Candidate Selection and Detection Efficiency for the Super MACHO Dark Matter Search . (Stubbs)

GERSHOW, MARC HERMAN, B.S. (Stanford University) 2001. Trapping Single Molecules with a Solid State Nanopore . (Golovchenko)

GRANT, LARS, B.S. (McGill University) 2001. Aspects of Quantization in AdS/CFT . (Vafa/Minwalla)

GUICA, MONICA MARIA, B.A. (University of Chicago) 2003. Supersymmetric Attractors, Topological Strings, and the M5-Brane CFT . (Strominger)

HANNEKE, DAVID ANDREW, B.S. (Case Western) 2001. (Harvard University) 2003. Cavity Control in a Single-Electron Quantum Cyclotron: An Improved Measurement of the Electron Magnetic Moment. (Gabrielse) 

HATCH, KRISTI RENEE, B.S. (Brigham Young University) 2004 Probing the mechanical stability of DNA by unzipping and rezipping the DNA at constant force. (Prentiss)

HOHLFELD, EVAN BENJAMIN, B.S. (Stanford University) 2001. Creasing, Point-bifurcations, and the Spontaneous Breakdown of Scale-invariance . (Weitz/Mahadevan)

KATIFORI, ELENI, Ptichion (University of Athens) 2002.  (Harvard University) 2004. Vortices, rings and pollen grains: Elasticity and statistical physics in soft matter .  (Nelson)

LAPAN, JOSHUA MICHAEL, B.S. (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) 2002.  (Harvard University) 2006. Topics in Two-Dimensional Field Theory and Heterotic String Theory .  (Strominger)

LE SAGE, DAVID ANTHONY, B.S. (University of California Berkeley) 2002. First Antihydrogen Production within a Combined Penning-Ioffe Trap . (Gabrielse)

LI, WEI, B.S. (Peking University) 1999. (Peking University) 2002. Gauge/Gravity Correspondence and Black Hole Attractors in Various Dimensions . (Strominger)

LU, PETER JAMES, B.A. (Princeton University) 2000.  (Harvard University) 2002. Gelation and Phase Separation of Attractive Colloids . (Weitz)

MUNDAY, JEREMY NATHAN, B.S. (Middle Tennessee State University) 2003.  (Harvard University) 2005. Attractive, repulsive, and rotational QED forces: experiments and calculations . (Hau/Capasso)

RAJU, SUVRAT, B.S. (St. Stephen’s College) 2002.  (Harvard University) 2003. Supersymmetric Partition Functions in the AdS/CFT Conjecture . (Arkani-Hamed/Denef/Minwalla)

RISTROPH, TRYGVE GIBBENS, B.S. (University of Texas at Austin) 1999. Capture and Ionization Detection of Laser-Cooled Rubidium Atoms with a Charged Suspended Carbon Nanotube . (Hau)

SVACHA, GEOFFRY THOMAS, B.S. (University of Michigan) 2002. Nanoscale nonlinear optics using silica nanowires . (Mazur)

TURNER, ARI M., B.A. (Princeton University) 2000. Vortices Vacate Vales and other Singular Tales . (Demler)

BAUMGART, MATTHEW TODD, B.S. (University of Chicago) 2002.  The Use of Effective Variables in High Energy Physics . (Georgi/Arkani-Hamed)

BOEHM, JOSHUA ADAM ALPERN, B.S.E. (Case Western Reserve University) 2003. (Harvard University) 2005. A Measurement of Electron Neutrino Appearance with the MINOS Experimen t. (Feldman)

CHEUNG, CLIFFORD WAYNE, B.S. (Yale University) 2004. (Harvard University) 2006. From the Action to the S-Matrix . (Georgi/Arkani-Hamed)

DORET, STEPHEN CHARLES B.A. (Williams College) 2002, A.M. (Harvard University) 2006. A buffer-gas cooled Bose-Einstein condensate . (Doyle)

FALK, ABRAM LOCKHART, B.A. (Swarthmore College) 2003. (Harvard University) 2004. Electrical Plasmon Detection and Phase Transitions in Nanowires . (Park)

HAFEZI, MOHAMMAD, (Sharif University of Technology, Tehran - Ecole Polytechnique, Paris) 2003. (Harvard University) 2005, Strongly interacting systems in AMO physics . (Lukin)

HECKMAN, JONATHAN JACOB, A.B. (Princeton University) 2004. (Harvard University) 2005 F-theory Approach to Particle Physics . (Vafa)

HICKEN, MALCOLM STUART, B.S. (Brigham Young University) 1999. (Harvard University) 2001. Doubling the Nearby Supernova Type Ia Sample . (Stubbs/Kirshner)

HOHENSEE, MICHAEL ANDREW, B.A. (New York University) 2002. (Harvard University) 2004. Testing Fundamental Lorentz Symmetries of Light . (Walsworth)

JIANG, LIANG, B.S. (California Institute of Technology) 2004.  T owards Scalable Quantum Communication and Computation: Novel Approaches and Realizations . (Lukin)

KAPLAN, JARED DANIEL, B.S. (Stanford University) 2005. Aspects of Holography . (Georgi/Arkani-Hamed)

KLEIN, MASON JOSEPH, B.S. (Calvin College) 2002. Slow and Stored Light in Atomic Vapor Cells . (Walsworth)

KRICH, JACOB JONATHAN, B.A. (Swarthmore College) 2000, MMath (Oxford University) 2003. (Harvard University) 2004. Electron and Nuclear Spins in Semiconductor Quantum Dots . (Halperin)

LAHIRI, SUBHANEIL, M.A. (Oxford University) 2003. Black holes from fluid mechanics. (Yin/Minwalla)

LIN, YI-CHIA, B.S. (National Taiwan Normal University) 1999. (National Tsing Hua University) 2001. Elasticity of Biopolymer Networks. (Weitz)

LUO, LINJIAO, B.S. (University of Science and Technology China) 2003. Thermotactic behavior in C. elegans and Drosophila larvae. (Samuel)

PADI, MEGHA, B.S. (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) 2003. A Black Hole Quartet: New Solutions and Applications to String Theory. (Strominger)

PASTRAS, GEORGIOS, DIPLOMA (University of Patras) 2002. (Harvard University) 2004. Thermal Field Theory Applications in Modern Aspects of High Energy Physics.  (Denef/Arkani-Hamed)

PEPPER, RACHEL E., B.S. (Cambridge) 2004. Splashing, Feeding, Contracting: Drop impact and fluid dynamics of Vorticella (Stone)

SHAFEE, REBECCA, B.S. (California Institute of Technology) 2002. (Harvard University) 2004. Measuring Black Hole Spin. (Narayan/McClintock)

WANG, CHRISTINE YI-TING, B.S. (National Taiwan University) 2002. (Harvard University) 2004. Multiode dynamics in Quantum Cascade Lasers: from coherent instability to mode locking. (Hoffman/Capasso)

ZHANG, YIMING, B.S. (Peking University) 2003. (Harvard University) 2006. Waves, Particles, and Interactions in Reduced Dimensions . (Marcus)

BARTHEL, CHRISTIAN, Diploma (University of Kaiserslautern) 2005. Control and Fast Measurement of Spin Qubits . (Marcus)

CAVANAUGH, STEVEN, B.S. (Rutgers College) 2005. (Harvard University) 2006. A Measurement of Electron Neutrino Appearance in the MINOS Experiment after Four Years of Data . (Feldman)

CHERNG, ROBERT, WEN-CHIEH, B.S. (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) 2004. Non-Equilibrium Dynamics and Novel Quantum Phases of Multicomponent Ultracold Atoms . (Demler)

FOLETTI, SANDRA ELISABETTA, Diploma (Federal Institute of Technology Zurich) 2004. Manipulation and Coherence of a Two-Electron Logical Spin Qubit Using GaAs Double Quantum Dots . (Yacoby)

GIRASH, JOHN ANDREW, B.S. (University of Western Ontario) 1990. (University of Western Ontario) 1993. A Fokker-Planck Study of Dense Rotating Stellar Clusters . (Stubbs/Field)

GOODSELL, ANNE LAUREL, B.A. (Bryn Mawr College) 2002. (Harvard University) 2004. Capture of Laser-Cooled Atoms with a Carbon Nanotube . (Hau)

GORSHKOV, ALEXEY VYACHESLAVOVICH, A.B. (Harvard College) 2004. (Harvard University) 2006. Novel Systems and Methods for Quantum Communication, Quantum Computation, and Quantum Simulation . (Lukin)

GUISE, NICHOLAS DAMIEN SUN-WO, B.S. (California Institute of Technology) 2003. Spin-Flip Resolution Achieved with a One-Proton Self-Excited Oscillator. (Gabrielse)

HARTMAN, THOMAS EDWARD, A.B. (Princeton University) 2004. Extreme Black Hole Holography. (Strominger)

HIGH, FREDRICK WILLIAM, B.A. (University of California Berkeley) 2004. The Dawn of Wide-Field Sunyaev-Zel’dovich Cluster Surveys: Efficient Optical Follow-Up. (Stubbs)

HOOGERHEIDE, DAVID PAUL, B.S. (Western Michigan University) 2004. Stochastic Processes in Solid State Nanoporers. (Golovchenko)

HUMMON, MATTHEW TAYLOR, B.A. (Amherst College) 2002, (Harvard University) 2005. Magnetic trapping of atomic nitrogen and cotrapping of NH. (Doyle)

KATS, YEVGENY, B.S. (Bar-Ilan University) 2003. (Bar-Ilan University) 2005. Physics of Conformal Field Theories. (Georgi/Arkani-Hamed)

KOROLEV, KIRILL SERGEEVICH, B.S. (Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology) 2004. Statistical Physics of Topological Emulsions and Expanding Populations. (Nelson)

LAIRD, EDWARD ALEXANDER, M.Phys (University of Oxford) 2002. (Harvard University) 2005. Electrical Control of Quantum Dot Spin Qubits . (Marcus)

LAROCHELLE, PHILIPPE, B.S. (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) 2003. Machines and Methods for Trapping Antihydrogen. (Gabrielse)

LI, GENE-WEI, B.S. (National Tsinghua University) 2004. Single-Molecule Spatiotemporal Dynamics in Living Bacteria. (Nelson/Xie)

MAZE RIOS, JERONIMO, B.S. (Pont Catholic University), 2002. (Pont Catholic University) 2004. Quantum Manipulation of Nitrogen-Vacancy Centers in Diamond: from Basic Properties to Applications. (Lukin)

PATTERSON, DAVID, A.B. (Harvard College) 1997. Buffer Gas Cooled Beams and Cold Molecular Collisions. (Doyle)  

PENG, AMY WAN-CHIH, B.Sc. (University of Auckland), (Australian National University) 2005. Optical Lattices with Quantum Gas Microscope . (Greiner)

QI, YANG, B.S. (Tsinghua University) 2005. Spin and Charge Fluctuations in Strongly Correlated Systems . (Sachdev)

ROJAS, ENRIQUE ROBERTSON, B.A. (University of Pennsylvania) 2003. The Physics of Tip-Growing Cells. (Nelson/Dumais)

SEO, JIHYE, B.S. (Korea Adv. Inst. of Science & Technology) 2003. (Harvard University) 2010. D-Branes, Supersymmetry Breaking, and Neutrinos . (Vafa)

SIMON, JONATHAN, B.S. (California Institute of Technology) 2004. Cavity QED with Atomic Ensembles. (Lukin/Vuletic)

SLATYER, TRACY ROBYN, Ph.B. (Australian National University) 2005. (Harvard University) 2008. Signatures of a New Force in the Dark Matter Sector. (Finkbeiner)

TAFVIZI, ANAHITA, B.S. (Sharif University of Technology) 2004. Single-Molecule and Computational Studies of Protein-DNA Interactions. (Cohen/Mirny/van Oijen)

WINKLER, MARK THOMAS, B.S.E. (Case Western Reserve) 2004. Non-Equilibrium Chalcogen Concentrations in Silicon: Physical Structure, Electronic Transport, and Photovoltaic Potential. (Mazur)

ANNINOS, DIONYSIOS Theodoros,B.A. (Cornell University) 2006, (Harvard University) 2008. Classical and Quantum Symmetries of de Sitter Space . (Strominger) >

BAKR, WASEEM S., B.S. (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) 2005. Microscopic studies of quantum phase transitions in optical lattices . (Greiner)

BARAK, GILAD, B.S. (Hebrew University) 2000, (Tel Aviv University) 2006. Momentum resolved tunneling study of interaction effects in ID electron systems .(Yacoby)

BARANDES, JACOB AARON, B.A. (ColumbiaUniversity) 2004. Exploring Supergravity Landscapes . (Denef)

BISWAS, RUDRO RANA, B.S. (Calcutta University) 2003, (Harvard University) 2011. Explorations in Dirac Fermions and Spin Liquids . (Sachdev)

CHEN, PEIQIU, B.S. (University of Science and Technology China) 2004, (Harvard University) 2005. Molecular evolution and thermal adaptation . (Nelson/Shakhnovich)

FREUDIGER, CHRISTIAN WILHELM, Diploma (Technische Universitat of München) 2005, (Harvard University) 2007. Stimulated Raman Scattering (SRS) Microscopy . (Zhuang/Xie)

GALLICCHIO, JASON RICHARD, B.S. (University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign) 1999, (University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign) 2001. A Multivariate Approach to Jet Substructure and Jet Superstructure . (Schwartz)

GLENDAY, ALEXANDER, B.A. (Williams College) 2002. Progress in Tests of Fundamental Physics Using  a 3He and 129Xe Zeeman Maser . (Stubbs/Walsworth)

GOLDMAN, JOSHUA DAVID, A.B. (Cornell University) 2002, (University of Cambridge) 2003, (Imperial College London) 2004. Planar Penning Traps with Anharmonicity Compensation for Single-Electron Qubits. (Gabrielse)

HUH, YEJIN, B.S. (Yale University) 2006, (Harvard University) 2008. Quantum Phase Transitions in d-wave Superconductors and Antiferromagnetic Kagome Lattices . (Sachdev)

KASHIF, LASHKAR, B.S. (Yale University) 2003. Measurement of the Z boson cross-section in the dimuon channel in pp collisions at sqrt{s} = 7 TeV . (Huth)

KAZ, DAVID MARTIN, B.S. (University of Arizona) 2003, (Harvard University) 2008. Colloidal Particles and Liquid Interfaces: A Spectrum of Interactions. (Manoharan)

KOLTHAMMER, WILLIAM STEVEN, B.S. (Harvey Mudd College) 2004, (Harvard University) 2006. Antimatter Plasmas Within a Penning-Ioffe Trap . (Gabrielse)

LEE-BOEHM, CORRY LOUISE, B.S.E. (University of Colorado) 2004, (Harvard University) 2011. B0 Meson Decays to rho0 K*0, f0 K*0, and rho- K*+, Including Higher K* Resonances . (Morii)

MARTINEZ-OUTSCHOORN, VERENA INGRID, B.A. (Harvard University) 2004, (Harvard University) 2007. Measurement of the Charge Asymmetry of W Bosons Produced in pp Collisions at sqrt(s) = 7 TeV with the ATLAS Detector . (Guimaraes da Costa)

MCCONNELL, ROBERT PURYEAR, B.S. (Stanford University) 2005, (Harvard University) 2007. Laser-Controlled Charge-Exchange Production of Antihydrogen . (Gabrielse)

MCGORTY, RYAN, B.S. (University of Massachusetts) 2005, (Harvard University) 2008. Colloidal Particles at Fluid Interfaces and the Interface of Colloidal Fluids . (Manoharan)

METLITSKI, MAXIM A., B.Sc. (University of British Columbia) 2003, (University of British Columbia) 2005. Aspects of Critical Behavior of Two Dimensional Electron Systems . (Sachdev)

MOON, EUN GOOK, B.S. (Seoul National University) 2005 Superfluidity in Strongly Correlated Systems . (Sachdev)

PETERSON, COURTNEY MARIE, B.S. (Georgetown University) 2002,(University of Cambridge) 2003, (Imperial College London) 2004, (Harvard University) 2007. Testing Multi-Field Inflation . (Stubbs/Tegmark)

PIELAWA, SUSANNE, Diploma (UNIVERSITY OF ULM) 2006, (Harvard University) 2009. Metastable Phases and Dynamics of Low-DimensionalStrongly-Correlated Atomic Quantum Gases . (Sachdev)

PRASAD, SRIVAS, A.B. (Princeton University) 2005, (Harvard University) 2007. Measurement of the Cross-Section of W Bosons Produced in pp Collisions at √s=7 TeV With the ATLAS Detector . (Guimaraes da Costa)

ROMANOWSKY, MARK, B.A. (Swarthmore College) 2003. High Throughput Microfluidics for Materials Synthesis . (Weitz)

SMITH, BEN CAMPBELL, B.A. (Harvard University) 2005. Measurement of the Transverse Momentum Spectrum of W Bosons Produced at √s = 7 TeV using the ATLAS Detector . (Morii)

TANJI, HARUKA, B.S. (University of Tokyo) 2002, (University of Tokyo) 2005, (Harvard University) 2009. Few-Photon Nonlinearity with an Atomic Ensemble in an Optical Cavity . (Lukin/Vuletic)

TRODAHL, HALVAR JOSEPH, B. Sc. (Victoria University) 2005, (Harvard University) 2008. Low Temperature Scanning Probe Microscope for Imaging Nanometer Scale Electronic Devices. (Westervelt)

WILLIAMS, TESS, B.Sc. (Stanford University) 2005. Nanoscale Electronic Structure of Cuprate Superconductors Investigated with Scanning Tunneling Spectroscopy. (Hoffman)

ANDERSEN, JOSEPH, B.S. (Univ. of Queensland) 1999. Investigations of the Convectively Coupled Equatorial Waves and the Madden-Julian Oscillation. (Huth)

BREDBERG, IRENE, M.PHYS., M.Sc. (Univ. of Oxford) 2006, 2007. The Einstein and the Navier-Stokes Equations:  Connecting the Two . (Strominger)

CHURCHILL, HUGH, B.A., B.M. (Oberlin College) 2006. Quantum Dots in Gated Nanowires and Nanotubes. (Marcus)

CONNOLLY, COLIN Inelastic Collisions of Atomic Antimony, Aluminum, Eerbium and Thulium Below . (Doyle)

CORDOVA, CLAY, B.A. (Columbia University) 2007. Supersymmetric Spectroscopy. (Vafa)

DILLARD, COLIN, S.B. (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) 2006. Quasiparticle Tunneling and High Bias Breakdown in the Fractional Quantum Hall Effect. (Kastner/Silvera)

DOWD, JASON, A.B. (Washington Univ.) 2006;(Harvard Univ.) 2008. Interpreting Assessments of Student Learning in the Introductory Physics Classroom and Laboratory. (Mazur)

GOLDSTEIN, GARRY Applications of Many Body Dynamics of Solid State Systems to Quantum Metrology and Computation (Chamon/Sachdev)

GUREVICH, YULIA, B.S. (Yale University) 2005. Preliminary Measurements for an Electron EDM Experiment in ThO. (Gabrielse)

KAGAN, MICHAEL, B.S. (Univ. of Michigan) 2006; (Harvard Univ.) 2008. Measurement of the W ± Z production cross section and limits on anomalous triple gauge couplings at √S = 7 TeV using the ATLAS detector. (Morii)

LIN, TONGYAN, S.B. (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) 2007; (Harvard Univ.) 2009. Signals of Particle Dark Matter. (Finkbeiner)

McCLURE, DOUGLAS, B.A. (Harvard University) 2006; (Harvard University) 2008. Interferometer-Based Studies of Quantum Hall Phenomena. (Marcus)

MAIN, ELIZABETH, B.S.(Harvey Mudd College) 2004; (Harvard Univ.) 2006. Investigating Atomic Scale Disordered Stripes in the Cuprate Superconductors with Scanning Tunneling Microscopy. (Hoffman)

MASON, DOUGLAS Toward a Design Principle in Mesoscopic Systems . (Heller/Kaxiras)

MULUNEH, MELAKU, B.A. (Swarthmore College) 2003. Soft colloids from p(NIPAm-co-AAc): packing dynamics and structure. (Weitz)

PIVONKA, ADAM Nanoscale Imaging of Phase Transitions with Scanning Force Microscopy . (Hoffman)

REAL, ESTEBAN, A.B. (Harvard University) 2002; (Harvard University) 2007. Models of visual processing by the retina. (Meister/Franklin)

RICHERME, PHILIP, S.B. (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) 2006; (Harvard University) 2008. Trapped Antihydrogen in Its Ground State. (Gabrielse)

SANTOS, LUIZ, B.S. (Univ. Fed. Do Espito Santo) 2004. Topological Properties of Interacting Fermionic Systems. (Chamon/Halperin)

SCHLAFLY, EDWARD, B.S. (Stanford University) 2007; (Harvard University) 2011. Dust in Large Optical Surveys. (Finkbeiner)

SETIAWAN, WIDAGDO, B.S. (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) 2007. Fermi Gas Microscope . (Greiner)

SHUVE, BRIAN, B.A.Sc. (University of Toronto) 2007; (Harvard University) 2011. Dark and Light: Unifying the Origins of Dark and Visible Matter. (Randall)

SIMMONS-DUFFIN, DAVID, A.B., A.M. (Harvard University) 2006. Carving Out the Space of Conformal Field Theories. (Randall)

TEMPEL, DAVID, B.A. (Hunter College) 2007. Time-dependent density functional theory for open quantum systems and quantum computation. (Aspuru-Guzik/Cohen)  

VENKATCHALAM, VIVEK, S.B. (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) 2006. Single Electron Probes of Fractional Quantum Hall States. (Yacoby)  

VLASSAREV, DIMITAR, B.S. (William and Mary) 2005; (Harvard University) 2007. DNA Characterization with Solid-State Nanopores and Combined Carbon Nanotube across Solid-State Nanopore Sensors . (Golovchenko)  

WANG, WENQIN, B.S. (Univ. of Science and Technology of China) 2006. Structures and dynamics in live bacteria revealed by super-resolution fluorescence microscopy. (Zhuang)

WANG, YIHUA Laser-Based Angle-Resolved Photoemission Spectroscopy of Topological Insulators. (Gedik / Hoffman)

WISSNER-GROSS, ZACHARY Symmetry Breaking in Neuronal Development. (Yanik /Levine)

YONG, EE HOU, B.Sc. (Stanford University) 2003. Problems at the Nexus of Geometry and Soft Matter: Rings, Ribbons and Shells. (Mahadevan)

ANOUS, TAREK Explorations in de Sitter Space and Amorphous Black Hole Bound States in String Theory . (Strominger)

BABADI, MEHRTASH Non-Equilibrium Dynamics of Artificial Quantum Matter . (Demler)

BRUNEAUX, LUKE Multiple Unnecessary Protein Sources and Cost to Growth Rate in E.coli. (Prentiss)

CHIEN, YANG TING Jet Physics at High Energy Colliders Matthew . (Schwartz)

CHOE, HWAN SUNG Choe Modulated Nanowire Structures for Exploring New Nanoprocessor Architectures and Approaches to Biosensing. (Lieber/Cohen)

COPETE, ANTONIO BAT Slew Survey (BATSS): Slew Data Analysis for the Swift-BAT Coded Aperture Imaging Telescope . (Stubbs)

DATTA, SUJIT Getting Out of a Tight Spot: Physics of Flow Through Porous Materials . (Weitz)

DISCIACCA, JACK First Single Particle Measurements of the Proton and Antiproton Magnetic Moments . (Gabrielse)

DORR, JOSHUA Quantum Jump Spectroscopy of a Single Electron in a New and Improved Apparatus . (Gabrielse )

DZYABURA, VASILY Pathways to a Metallic Hydrogen . (Silvera)

ESPAHBODI, SAM 4d Spectra from BPS Quiver Dualities. (Vafa)

FANG, JIEPING New Methods to Create Multielectron Bubbles in Liquid Helium . (Silvera)

FELDMAN, BEN Measurements of Interaction-Driven States in Monolayer and Bilayer Graphene . (Yacoby)

FOGWELL HOOGERHEIDE, SHANNON Trapped Positrons for High-Precision Magnetic Moment Measurements . (Gabrielse)

FUNG, JEROME Measuring the 3D Dynamics of Multiple Colloidal Particles with Digital Holographic Microscopy . (Manoharan)

GULLANS, MICHAEL Controlling Atomic, Solid-State and Hybrid Systems for Quantum Information Processing. (Lukin)

JAWERTH, LOUISE MARIE The Mechanics of Fibrin Networks and their Alterations by Platelets . (Weitz)

JEANTY, LAURA Measurement of the WZ Production Cross Section in Proton-Proton Collision at √s = 7 TeV and Limits on Anomalous Triple Gauge Couplings with the ATLAS Detector . (Franklin)

JENSEN, KATHERINE Structure and Defects of Hard-Sphere Colloidal Crystals and Glasses . (Weitz)

KAHAWALA, DILANI S Topics on Hadron Collider Physics . (Randall)

KITAGAWA, TAKUYA New Phenomena in Non-Equilibrium Quantum Physics . (Demler)

KOU, ANGELA Microscopic Properties of the Fractional Quantum Hall Effect . (Halperin)

LIN, TINA Dynamics of Charged Colloids in Nonpolar Solvents . (Weitz)

MCCORMICK, ANDREW Discrete Differential Geometry and Physics of Elastic Curves . (Mahadevan)

REDDING, JAMES Medford Spin Qubits in Double and Triple Quantum Dots . (Marcus/Yacoby)

NARAYAN, GAUTHAM Light Curves of Type Ia Supernovae and Preliminary Cosmological Constraints from the ESSENCE Survey . (Stubbs)

PAN, TONY Properties of Unusually Luminous Supernovae . (Loeb)

RASTOGI, ASHWIN Brane Constructions and BPS Spectra . (Vafa)

RUEL, JONATHAN Optical Spectroscopy and Velocity Dispersions of SZ-selected Galaxy Clusters . (Stubbs)

SHER, MENG JU Intermediate Band Properties of Femtosecond-Laser Hyperdoped Silicon . (Mazur)

TANG, YIQIAO Chirality of Light and Its Interaction with Chiral Matter . (Cohen)

TAYCHATANAPAT, THITI From Hopping to Ballistic Transport in Graphene-Based Electronic Devices . (Jarillo-Herrero/Yacoby)

VISBAL, ELI  Future Probes of Cosmology and the High-Redshift Universe . (Loeb)

ZELJKOVIC, ILIJA Visualizing the Interplay of Structural and Electronic Disorders in High-Temperature Superconductors using Scanning Tunneling Microscopy . (Hoffman)

ZEVI DELLA PORTA, GIOVANNI Measurement of the Cross-Section for W Boson Production in Association With B-Jets in Proton-Proton Collisions at √S = 7 Tev at the LHC Using the ATLAS Detector . (Franklin)

AU, YAT SHAN LinkInelastic collisions of atomic thorium and molecular thorium monoxide with cold helium-3. (Doyle)

BARR, MATTHEW Coherent Scattering in Two Dimensions: Graphene and Quantum Corrals . (Heller)

CHANG, CHI-MING Higher Spin Holography. (Yin)

CHU, YIWEN Quantum optics with atom-like systems in diamond. (Lukin)

GATANOV, TIMUR Data-Driven Analysis of Mitotic Spindles . (Needleman/Kaxiras)

GRINOLDS, MICHAEL Nanoscale magnetic resonance imaging and magnetic sensing using atomic defects in diamond. (Yacoby)

GUERRA, RODRIGO Elasticity of Compressed Emulsions . (Weitz)

HERRING, PATRICK LinkLow Dimensional Carbon Electronics. (Jarillo-Herrero/Yacoby)

HESS, PAUL W. LinkImproving the Limit on the Electron EDM: Data Acquisition and Systematics Studies in the ACME Experiment. (Gabrielse)

HOU, JENNIFER Dynamics in Biological Soft Materials . (Cohen)

HUBER, FLORIAN Site-Resolved Imaging with the Fermi Gas Microscope. (Greiner)

HUTZLER, NICHOLAS A New Limit on the Electron Electric Dipole Moment . (Doyle)

KESTIN, GREG Light-Shell Theory Foundations. (Georgi)

LYSOV, VYACHESLAV From Petrov-Einstein to Navier-Stokes. (Strominger)

MA, RUICHAO Engineered Potentials and Dynamics of Ultracold Quantum Gases under the Microscope. (Greiner)

MAURER, PETER Coherent control of diamond defects for quantum information science and quantum sensing. (Lukin)

NG, GIM SENG Aspects of Symmetry in de Sitter Space. (Strominger)

NICOLAISEN, LAUREN Distortions in Genealogies due to Purifying Selection. (Desai)

NURGALIEV, DANIYAR A Study of the Radial and Azimuthal Gas Distribution in Massive Galaxy Clusters. (Stubbs)

RUBIN, DOUGLAS Properties of Dark Matter Halos and Novel Signatures of Baryons in Them . (Loeb)

RUSSELL, EMILY Structure and Properties of Charged Colloidal Systems. (Weitz)

SHIELDS, BRENDAN Diamond Platforms for Nanoscale Photonics and Metrology. (Lukin)

SPAUN, BENJAMIN A Ten-Fold Improvement to the Limit of the Electron Electric Dipole Moment. (Gabrielse)

YAO, NORMAN Topology, Localization, and Quantum Information in Atomic, Molecular and Optical Systems. (Lukin)

YEE, MICHAEL Scanning Tunneling Spectroscopy of Topological Insulators and Cuprate Superconductors. (Hoffman)

BENJAMIN, DAVID ISAIAH Impurity Physics in Resonant X-Ray Scattering and Ultracold Atomic Gases . (Demler)

BEN-SHACH, GILAD Theoretical Considerations for Experiments to Create and Detect Localised Majorana Modes in Electronic Systems. (Halperin/Yacoby)

CHANG, WILLY Superconducting Proximity Effect in InAs Nanowires . (Marcus/Yacoby)

CHUNG, HYEYOUN Exploring Black Hole Dynamics . (Randall)

INCORVIA, JEAN ANNE CURRIVAN Nanoscale Magnetic Materials for Energy-Efficient Spin Based Transistors. (Westervelt)

FEIGE, ILYA ERIC ALEXANDER Factorization and Precision Calculations in Particle Physics. (Schwartz)

FRENZEL, ALEX Terahertz Electrodynamics of Dirac Fermions in Graphene. (Hoffman)

HSU, CHIA WEI Novel Trapping and Scattering of Light in Resonant Nanophotonic Structures. (Cohen)

JORGOLLI, MARSELA Integrated nanoscale tools for interrogating living cells. (Park)

KALRA, RITA RANI An Improved Antihydrogen Trap. (Gabrielse)

KOLKOWITZ, SHIMON JACOB Nanoscale Sensing with Individual Nitrogen-Vacancy Centers in Diamond. (Lukin)

LAVRENTOVICH, MAXIM OLEGOVICH Diffusion, Absorbing States, and Nonequilibrium Phase Transitions in Range Expansions and Evolution. (Nelson)

LIU, BO Selected Topics in Scattering Theory: From Chaos to Resonance. (Heller)

LOCKHART, GUGLIELMO PAUL Self-Dual Strings of Six-Dimensional SCFTs . (Vafa)

MAGKIRIADOU, SOFIA Structural Color from Colloidal Glasses. (Manoharan)

MCIVER, JAMES W. Nonlinear Optical and Optoelectronic Studies of Topological Insulator Surfaces. (Hoffman)

MEISNER, AARON MICHAEL Full-sky, High-resolution Maps of Interstellar Dust. (Finkbeiner)

MERCURIO, KEVIN MICHAEL A Search for the Higgs Boson Produced in Association with a Vector Boson Using the ATLAS Detector at the LHC. (Huth)

NOWOJEWSKI, ANDRZEJ KAZIMIERZ Pathogen Avoidance by Caenorhabditis Elegans is a Pheromone-Mediated Collective Behavior. (Levine)

PISKORSKI, JULIA HEGE Cooling, Collisions and non-Sticking of Polyatomic Molecules in a Cryogenic Buffer Gas Cell. (Doyle)

SAJJAD, AQIL An Effective Theory on the Light Shell. (Georgi)

SCHADE, NICHOLAS BENJAMIN Self-Assembly of Plasmonic Nanoclusters for Optical Metafluids. (Manoharan)

SHULMAN, MICHAEL DEAN Entanglement and Metrology with Singlet-Triplet Qubits. (Yacoby)

SPEARMAN, WILLIAM R. Measurement of the Mass and Width of the Higgs Boson in the H to ZZ to 4l Decay Channel Using Per-Event Response Information. (Guimaraes da Costa)

THOMPSON, JEFFREY DOUGLAS A Quantum Interface Between Single Atoms and Nanophotonic Structures. (Lukin)

WANG, TOUT TAOTAO Small Diatomic Alkali Molecules at Ultracold Temperatures. (Doyle)

WONG, CHIN LIN Beam Characterization and Systematics of the Bicep2 and Keck Array Cosmic Microwave Background Polarization Experiments. (Kovac)

AGARWAL, KARTIEK Slow Dynamics in Quantum Matter: the Role of Dimensionality, Disorder and Dissipation. (Demler)

ALLEN, MONICA Quantum electronic transport in mesoscopic graphene devices. (Yacoby)

CHAE, EUNMI Laser Slowing of CaF Molecules and Progress towards a Dual-MOT for Li and CaF. (Doyle)

CHOTIBUT, THIPARAT Aspects of Statistical Fluctuations in Evolutionary and Population Dynamics. (Nelson)

CHOWDHURY, DEBANJAN Interplay of Broken Symmetries and Quantum Criticality in Correlated Electronic Systems. (Sachdev)

CLARK, BRIAN Search for New Physics in Dijet Invariant Mass Spectrum. (Huth)

FARHI, DAVID Jets and Metastability in Quantum Mechanics and Quantum Field Theory. (Schwartz)

FORSYTHE, MARTIN Advances in Ab Initio Modeling of the Many-Body Effects of Dispersion Interactions in Functional Organic Materials. (Aspuru-Guzik/Ni)

GOOD, BENJAMIN Molecular evolution in rapidly evolving populations. (Desai)

HART, SEAN Electronic Phenomena in Two-Dimensional Topological Insulators. (Yacoby)

HE, YANG Scanning Tunneling Microscopy Study on Strongly Correlated Materials. (Hoffman)

HIGGINBOTHAM, ANDREW Quantum Dots for Conventional and Topological Qubits. (Marcus/Westervelt)

HUANG, DENNIS Nanoscale Investigations of High-Temperature Superconductivity in a Single Atomic Layer of Iron Selenide. (Hoffman)

ISAKOV, ALEXANDER The Collective Action Problem in a Social and a Biophysical System. (Mahadevan)

KLALES, ANNA A classical perspective on non-diffractive disorder. (Heller)

KOBY, TIMOTHY Development of a Trajectory Model for the Analysis of Stratospheric Water Vapor. (Anderson/Heller)

KOMAR, PETER Quantum Information Science and Quantum Metrology: Novel Systems and Applications. (Lukin)

KUCSCKO, GEORG Coupled Spins in Diamond: From Quantum Control to Metrology and Many-Body Physics. (Lukin)

LAZOVICH, TOMO Observation of the Higgs boson in the WW* channel and search for Higgs boson pair production in the bb ̅bb ̅ channel with the ATLAS detector. (Franklin)

LEE, JUNHYUN Novel quantum phase transitions in low-dimensional systems. (Sachdev)

LIN, YING-HSUAN Conformal Bootstrap in Two Dimensions. (Yin)

LUCAS, ANDREW Transport and hydrodynamics in holography, strange metals and graphene. (Sachdev)

MACLAURIN, DOUGAL Modeling, Inference and Optimization with Composable Differentiable Procedures. (Adams/Cohen)

PARSONS, MAXWELL Probing the Hubbard Model with Single-Site Resolution. (Greiner)

PATEJ, ANNA Distributions of Gas and Galaxies from Galaxy Clusters to Larger Scales. (Eisenstein/Loeb/Finkbeiner)

PITTMAN, SUZANNE The Classical-Quantum Correspondence of Polyatomic Molecules. (Heller)

POPA, CRISTINA Simulating the Cosmic Gas: From Globular Clusters to the Most Massive Haloes. (Randall)

PORFYRIADIS, ACHILLEAS Gravitational waves from the Kerr/CFT correspondence . (Strominger)

PREISS, PHILIPP Atomic Bose-Hubbard systems with single-particle control. (Greiner)

SHAO, SHU-HENG Supersymmetric Particles in Four Dimensions. (Yin)

YEN, ANDY Search for Weak Gaugino Production in Final States with One Lepton, Two b-jets Consistent with a Higgs Boson, and Missing Transverse Momentum with the ATLAS detector. (Huth)

BERCK, MATTHEW ELI Reconstructing and Analyzing the Wiring Diagram of the Drosophila Larva Olfactory System. (Samuel)

COUGHLIN, MICHAEL WILLIAM Gravitational Wave Astronomy in the LSST Era. (Stubbs)

DIMIDUK, THOMAS Holographic Microscopy for Soft Matter and Biophysics. (Manoharan)

FROST, WILLIAM THOMAS Tunneling in Quantum Field Theory and the Fate of the Universe. (Schwartz)

JERISON, ELIZABETH Epistasis and Pleiotropy in Evolving Populations. (Desai)

KAFKA, GARETH A Search for Sterile Neutrinos at the NOνA Far Detector. (Feldman)

KOSHELEVA, EKATERINA Genetic Draft and Linked Selection in Rapidly Adapting Populations. (Desai)

KOSTINSKI, SARAH VALERIE Geometrical Aspects of Soft Matter and Optical Systems. (Brenner)

KOZYRYEV, IVAN Laser Cooling and Inelastic Collisions of the Polyatomic Radical SrOH. (Doyle)

KRALL, REBECCA Studies of Dark Matter and Supersymmetry. (Reece)

KRAMER, ERIC DAVID Observational Constraints on Dissipative Dark Matter. (Randall)

LEE, LUCY EUNJU Network Analysis of Transcriptome to Reveal Interactions Among Genes and Signaling Pathways. (Levine)

LOVCHINSKY, IGOR Nanoscale Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy Using Individual Spin Qubits. (Lukin)

LUPSASCA, ALEXANDRU The Maximally Rotating Black Hole as a Critical Point in Astronomy. (Strominger)

MANSURIPUR, TOBIAS The Effect of Intracavity Field Variation on the Emission Properties of Quantum Cascade Lasers. (Capasso/Yacoby)

MARANTAN, ANDREW WILLIAM The Roles of Randomness in Biophysics: From Cell Growth to Behavioral Control. (Mahadevan)

MASHIAN, NATALIE Modeling the Constituents of the Early Universe. (Loeb/Stubbs)

MAZURENKO, ANTON Probing Long Range Antiferromagnetism and Dynamics in the Fermi-Hubbard Model. (Greiner)

MITRA, PRAHAR Asymptotic Symmetries in Four Dimensional Gauge and Gravity Theories. (Strominger)

NEAGU, IULIA ALEXANDRA Evolutionary Dynamics of Infection. (Nowak/Prentiss)

PETRIK WEST, ELIZABETH A Thermochemical Cryogenic Buffer Gas Beam Source of ThO for Measuring the Electric Dipole Moment of the Electron. (Doyle)

RUDELIUS, THOMAS Topics in the String Landscape and the Swampland. (Vafa)

SAKLAYEN, NABIHA Laser-Activated Plasmonic Substrates for Intracellular Delivery. (Mazur)

SIPAHIGIL, ALP Quantum Optics with Diamond Color Centers Coupled to Nanophotonic Devices. (Lukin)

SUN, SIYUAN Search for the Supersymmetric Partner to the Top Quark Using Recoils Against Strong Initial State Radiation. (Franklin)

TAI, MING ERIC Microscopy of Interacting Quantum Systems. (Greiner)

TOLLEY, EMMA Search for Evidence of Dark Matter Production in Monojet Events with the ATLAS Detector. (Morii)

WILSON, ALYSSA MICHELLE New Insights on Neural Circuit Refinement in the Central Nervous System: Climbing Fiber Synapse Elimination in the Developing Mouse Cerebellum Studied with Serial-Section Scanning Electron Microscopy. (Lichtman/Samuel)

BAUCH, ERIK Optimizing Solid-State Spins in Diamond for Nano- to Millimeter scale Magnetic Field Sensing. (Walsworth)

BRACHER, DAVID OLMSTEAD Development of photonic crystal cavities to enhance point defect emission in silicon carbide. (Hu: SEAS)

CHAN, STEPHEN KAM WAH Orthogonal Decompositions of Collision Events and Measurement Combinations in Standard Model $VH\left(b\bar{b}\right)$ Searches with the ATLAS Detector. (Huth)

CHATTERJEE, SHUBHAYU Transport and symmetry breaking in strongly correlated matter with topological order. (Sachdev)

CHOI, SOONWON Quantum Dynamics of Strongly Interacting Many-Body Systems. (Lukin)

CONNORS, JAKE Channel Length Scaling in Microwave Graphene Field Effect Transistors. (Kovac)

DAHLSTROM, ERIN KATRINA Quantifying and modeling dynamics of heat shock detection and response in the intestine of Caenorhabditis elegans. (Levine)

DAYLAN, TANSU A Transdimensional Perspective on Dark Matter. (Finkbeiner)

DOVZHENKO, YULIYA Imaging of Condensed Matter Magnetism Using an Atomic-Sized Sensor. (Yacoby)

EVANS, RUFFIN ELEY An integrated diamond nanophotonics platform for quantum optics. (Lukin)

FLEMING, STEPHEN Probing nanopore - DNA interactions with MspA. (Golovchenko)

FRYE, CHRISTOPHER Understanding Jet Physics at Modern Particle Colliders. (Schwartz)

FU, WENBO The Sachdev-Ye-Kitaev model and matter without quasiparticles. (Sachdev)

GOLDMAN, MICHAEL LURIE Coherent Optical Control of Atom-Like Defects in Diamond: Probing Internal Dynamics and Environmental Interactions. (Lukin)

HE, TEMPLE MU On Soft Theorems and Asymptotic Symmetries in Four Dimensions. (Strominger)

HOYT, ROBERT Understanding Catalysts with Density Functional Theory and Machine Learning. (Kaxiras)

KAPEC, DANIEL STEVEN Aspects of Symmetry in Asymptotically Flat Spacetimes. (Strominger)

LEE, ALBERT Mapping the Relationship Between Interstellar Dust and Radiation in the Milky Way. (Finkbeiner)

LEE, JAEHYEON Prediction and Inference Methods for Modern Astronomical Surveys (Eisenstein, Finkbeiner)

LUKIN, ALEXANDER Entanglement Dynamics in One Dimension -- From Quantum Thermalization to Many-Body Localization (Greiner)

NOVITSKI, ELISE M. Apparatus and Methods for a New Measurement of the Electron and Positron Magnetic Moments. (Gabrielse)

PATHAK, ABHISHEK Holography Beyond AdS/CFT: Explorations in Kerr/CFT and Higher Spin DS/CFT. (Strominger)

PETERMAN, NEIL Sequence-function models of regulatory RNA in E. coli. (Levine)

PICK, ADI Spontaneous Emission in Nanophotonics. (Johnson: MIT)

PO, HOI CHUN Keeping it Real: An Alternative Picture for Symmetry and Topology in Condensed Matter Systems. (Vishwanath)

REN, HECHEN Topological Superconductivity in Two-Dimensional Electronic Systems. (Yacoby)

ROXLO, THOMAS Opening the black box of neural nets: case studies in stop/top discrimination. (Reece)

SHTYK, OLEKSANDR Designing Singularities in Electronic Dispersions (Chamon, Demler)

TONG, BAOJIA Search for pair production of Higgs bosons in the four b quark final state with the ATLAS detector. (Franklin)

WHITSITT, SETH Universal non-local observables at strongly interacting quantum critical points. (Sachdev)

YAN, KAI Factorization in hadron collisions from effective field theory. (Schwartz)

AMATOGRILL, JESSE A Fast 7Li-based Quantum Simulator (Ketterle, Greiner)

BARON, JACOB Tools for Higher Dimensional Study of the Drosophila Larval Olfactory System (Samuel)

BUZA, VICTOR Constraining Primordial Gravitational Waves Using Present and Future CMB Experiments (Kovac)

CHAEL, ANDREW Simulating and Imaging Supermassive Black Hole Accretion Flows (Narayan, Dvorkin)

CHIU, CHRISTIE Quantum Simulation of the Hubbard Model (Greiner)

DIPETRILLO, KARRI Search for Long-Lived, Massive Particles in Events with a Displaced Vertex and a Displaced Muon Using sqrt{s} = 13 TeV pp-Collisions with the ATLAS Detector (Franklin)

FANG, SHIANG Multi-scale Theoretical Modeling of Twisted van der Waals Bilayers (Kaxiras)

GAO, PING Traversable Wormholes and Regenesis (Jafferis)

GONSKI, JULIA Probing Natural Supersymmetry with Initial State Radiation: the Search for Stops and Higgsinos at ATLAS (Morii)

HARVEY, SHANNON Developing Singlet-Triplet Qubits in Gallium Arsenide as a Platform for Quantum Computing (Yacoby)

JEFFERSON, PATRICK Geometric Deconstruction of Supersymmetric Quantum Field Theories (Vafa)

KANG, MONICA JINWOO Two Views on Gravity: F-theory and Holography (Jafferis)

KATES-HARBECK, JULIAN Tackling Complexity and Nonlinearity in Plasmas and Networks Using Artificial Intelligence and Analytical Methods  (Desai, Nowak)

KLEIN, ELLEN Structure and Dynamics of Colloidal Clusters (Manoharan)

LEVIN, ANDREI Single-Electron Probes of Two-Dimensional Materials (Yacoby)

LIU, XIAOMENG Correlated Electron States in Coupled Graphene Double-Layer Heterostructures (Kim)

LIU, LEE Building Single Molecules – Reactions, Collisions, and Spectroscopy of Two Atoms (Ni)

MARABLE, KATHRYN Progress Towards a Sub-ppb Measurement of the Antiproton Magnetic Moment (Gabrielse)

MARSHALL, MASON New Apparatus and Methods for the Measurement of the Proton and Antiproton Magnetic Moments (Gabrielse)

MCNAMARA, HAROLD Synthetic Physiology: Manipulating and Measuring Biological Pattern Formation with Light (Cohen)

MEMET, EDVIN Parking, Puckering, and Peeling in Small Soft Systems (Mahadevan)

MUKHAMETZHANOV, BAURZHAN Bootstrapping High-Energy States in Conformal Field Theories (Jafferis)

OLSON, JOSEPH Plasticity and Firing Rate Dynamics in Leaky Integrate-and-Fire Models of Cortical Circuits (Kreiman)

PANDA, CRISTIAN Order of Magnitude Improved Limit on the Electric Dipole Moment of the Electron (Gabrielse)

PASTERSKI, SABRINA Implications of Superrotations (Strominger)

PATE, MONICA Aspects of Symmetry in the Infrared (Strominger)

PATEL, AAVISHKAR Transport, Criticality, and Chaos in Fermionic Quantum Matter at Nonzero Density (Sachdev)

PHELPS, GREGORY A Dipolar Quantum Gas Microscope (Greiner)

RISPOLI, MATTHEW Microscopy of Correlations at a Non-Equilibrium Phase Transition (Greiner)

ROLOFF, JENNIFER Exploring the Standard Model and beyond with jets from proton-proton collisions at sqrt(s)=13 TeV with the ATLAS Experiment (Huth)

ROWAN, MICHAEL Dissipation of Magnetic Energy in Collisionless Accretion Flows (Narayan and Morii)

SAFIRA, ARTHUR NV Magnetic Noise Sensing and Quantum Information Processing, and Llevitating Micromagnets over Type-II Superconductors (Lukin)

SHI, YICHEN Analytical Steps Towards the Observation of High-Spin Black Holes (Strominger)

THOMSON, ALEXANDRA Emergent Dapless Fermions in Strongly-Correlated Phases of Matter and Quantum Critical Points (Sachdev)

WEBB, TATIANA The Nanoscale Structure of Charge Order in Cuprate Superconductor Bi2201 (Hoffman)

WESSELS, MELISSA Progress Toward a Single-Electron Qubit in an Optimized Planar Penning Trap (Gabrielse)

WILLIAMS, MOBOLAJI Biomolecules, Combinatorics, and Statistical Physics (Shakhnovich, Manoharan)

XIONG, ZHAOXI Classification and Construction of Topological Phases of Quantum Matter (Vishwanath)

ZOU, LIUJUN An Odyssey in Modern Quantum Many-Body Physics (Todadri, Sachdev)

ANDEREGG, LOÏC Ultracold molecules in optical arrays: from laser cooling to molecular collisions (Doyle)

BALTHAZAR, BRUNO 2d String Theory and the Non-Perturbative c=1 Matrix Model (Yin)

BAUM, LOUIS Laser cooling and 1D magneto-optical trapping of calcium monohydroxide (Doyle)

CARR, STEPHEN Moiré patterns in 2D materials (Kaxiras)

COLLIER, SCOTT Aspects of local conformal symmetry in 1+1 dimensions (Yin)

DASGUPTA, ISHITA Algorithmic approaches to ecological rationality in humans and machines (Mahadevan)

DILLAVOU, SAMUEL Hidden Dynamics of Static Friction (Manoharan)

FLAMANT, CEDRIC Methods for Converging Solutions of Differential Equations: Applying Imaginary Time Propagation to Density Functional Theory and Unsupervised Neural Networks to Dynamical Systems (Kaxiras)

HUANG, KO-FAN (KATIE) Superconducting Proximity Effect in Graphene (Kim)

JONES, NATHAN Toward Antihydrogen Spectroscopy (Gabrielse)

KABCENELL, AARON Hybrid Quantum Systems with Nitrogen Vacancy Centers and Mechanical Resonators (Lukin)

KATES-HARBECK, JULIAN Tackling complexity and nonlinearity in plasmas and networks using artificial intelligence and analytical methods (Desai)

KIVLICHAN, IAN Faster quantum simulation of quantum chemistry with tailored algorithms and Hamiltonian s (Aspuru-Guzik, Lukin)

KOSOWSKY, MICHAEL Topological Phenomena in Two-Dimensional Electron Systems (Yacoby)

KUATE DEFO, RODRICK Modeling Formation and Stability of Fluorescent Defects in Wide-Bandgap Semiconductors (Kaxiras)

LEE, JONG YEON Fractionalization, Emergent Gauge Dynamics, and Topology in Quantum Matter (Vishwanath)

MARABLE, KATHRYN Progress towards a sub-ppb measurement of the antiproton magnetic moment (Gabrielse)

MCNAMARA, HAROLD Synthetic Physiology: Manipulating and measuring biological pattern formation with light (Cohen)

MEMET, EDVIN Parking, puckering, and peeling in small soft systems (Mahadevan)

NGUYEN, CHRISTIAN Building quantum networks using diamond nanophotonics (Lukin)

OLSON, JOSEPH Plasticity and Firing Rate Dynamics in Leaky Integrate-and-Fire Models of Cortical Circuits (Samuel)

ORONA, LUCAS Advances In The Singlet-Triplet Spin Qubit (Yacoby)

RACLARIU, ANA-MARIA On Soft Symmetries in Gravity and Gauge Theory (Strominger)

RAVI, AAKASH Topics in precision astrophysical spectroscopy (Dvorkin)

SHI, JING Quantum Hall Effect-Mediated Josephson Junctions in Graphene (Kim)

SHI, ZHUJUN Manipulating light with multifunctional metasurfaces (Capasso, Manoharan)

STEINBERG, JULIA Universal Aspects of Quantum-Critical Dynamics In and Out of Equilibrium  (Sachdev)

WILD, DOMINIK Algorithms and Platforms for Quantum Science and Technology (Lukin)

WU, HAI-YIN Biophysics of Mitotic Spindle Positioning in Caenorhabditis elegans Early Embryos (Needleman)

YU, LI Quantum Dynamics in Various Noise Scenarios (Heller)

BARKLEY, SOLOMON Applying Bayesian Inference to Measurements of Colloidal Dynamics (Manoharan)

BHASKAR, MIHIR Diamond Nanophotonic Quantum Networks (Lukin)

BINTU, BOGDAN Genome-scale imaging: from the subcellular structure of chromatin to the 3D organization of the peripheral olfactory system (Dulac,  Zhuang,  Nelson)

CHEN, MINGYUE On knotted surfaces in R 4   (Taubes,  Vafa)

CHO, MINJAE Aspects of string field theory (Yin)

DIAZ RIVERO, ANA Statistically Exploring Cracks in the Lambda Cold Dark Matter Model (Dvorkin)

DWYER, BO NV centers as local probes of two-dimensional materials (Lukin)

GATES, DELILAH Observational Electromagnetic Signatures of Spinning Black Holes (Strominger)

HANNESDOTTIR, HOFIE Analytic Structure and Finiteness of Scattering Amplitudes (Schwartz)

HART, CONNOR Experimental Realization of Improved Magnetic Sensing and Imaging in Ensembles of Nitrogen Vacancy Centers in Diamond (Walsworth, Park)

HÉBERT, ANNE A Dipolar Erbium Quantum Gas Microscope (Greiner)

JI, GEOFFREY Microscopic control and dynamics of a Fermi-Hubbard system (Greiner)

JOE, ANDREW Interlayer Excitons in Atomically Thin van der Waals Semiconductor Heterostructures (Kim)

KEESLING, ALEXANDER Quantum Simulation and Quantum Information Processing with Programmable Rydberg Atom Arrays (Lukin)

KRAHN, AARON Erbium gas quantum microscope (Greiner)

LANGELLIER, NICHOLAS Analytical and Statistical Models for Laboratory and Astrophysical Precision Measurements (Walsworth, Dvorkin)

LEMMA, BEZIA Hierarchical phases of filamentary active matter  (Dogic, Needleman)

LEVINE, HARRY Quantum Information Processing and Quantum Simulation with Programmable Rydberg Atom Arrays (Lukin)

LEVONIAN, DAVID A Quantum Network Node Based on the Silicon Vacancy Defect in Diamond (Lukin)

LIN, ALBERT Characterizing chemosensory responses of C. elegans with multi-neuronal imaging (Samuel)

LIU, SHANG Symmetry, Topology and Entanglement in Quantum Many-Body Systems (Vishwanath)

LIU, YU Bimolecular chemistry at sub-microkelvin temperatures (Ni)

MACHIELSE, BART Electronic and Nanophotonic Integration of a Quantum Network Node in Diamond (Lukin)

MELISSA, MATTHEW Divergence and diversity in rapidly evolving populations (Desai)

MILBOURNE, TIMOTHY All Features Great and Small: Distinquishing the effects of specific magnetically active features on radial-velocity exoplanet detections  (Walsworth)

MITCHELL, JAMES Investigations into Resinicolous Fungi (Pfister, Samuel)

MONDRIK, NICHOLAS Calibration Hardware and Methodology for Large Photometric Surveys (Stubbs)

NANDE, ANJALIKA Mathematical modeling of drug resistance and the transmission of SARS-CoV-2 (Hill, Desai)

PLUMMER, ABIGAIL Reactions and instabilities in fluid layers and elastic sheets (Nelson)

RODRIGUEZ, VICTOR Perturbative and Non-Perturbative Aspects of Two-Dimensional String Theory (Yin)

ROSENFELD, EMMA Novel techniques for control and transduction of solid-state spin qubits (Lukin)

SAMUTPRAPHOOT, POLNOP A quantum network node based on a nanophotonic interface for atoms in optical tweezers (Lukin)

SCHITTKO, ROBERT A method of preparing individual excited eigenstates of small quantum many-body systems  (Greiner)

SCHNEIDER, ELLIOT Stringy ER = EPR (Jafferis)

SONG, XUE-YANG Emergent and topological phenomena in many-body systems: Quantum spin liquids and beyond  (Vishwanath)

ST. GERMAINE, TYLER Beam Systematics and Primordial Gravitational Wave Constraints from the BICEP/Keck Array CMB Experiments (Kovac)

TORRISI, STEVEN Materials Informatics for Catalyst Stability & Functionality (Kaxiras, Kozinsky)

TURNER, MATTHEW Quantum Diamond Microscopes for Biological Systems and Integrated Circuits (Walsworth)

URBACH, ELANA Nanoscale Magnetometry with Single Spin Qubits in Diamond  (Lukin)

VENKAT, SIDDHARTH Modeling Excitons in Transition Metal Dichalcogenide Monolayers (Heller)

VENKATRAMANI, ADITYA Quantum nonlinear optics: controlling few-photon interactions (Lukin, Vuletić)

WANG, ANN A search for long-lived particles with large ionization energy loss in the ATLAS silicon pixel detector using 139 fb^{−1} of sqrt{s} = 13 TeV pp collisions (Franklin)

WILBURN, GREY An Inverse Statistical Physics Method for Biological Sequence Analysis (Eddy, Nelson)

XU, LINDA Searching for Dark Matter in the Early and Late Universe (Randall)

YI, KEXIN Neural Symbolic Machine Reasoning in the Physical World (Mahadevan, Finkbeiner)

YIN, JUN Improving our view of the Universe using Machine Learning  (Finkbeiner)

YU, YICHAO Coherent Creation of Single Molecules from Single Atoms (Ni)

ZHANG, JESSIE Assembling an array of polar molecules with full quantum-state control (Ni)

ZHAO, FRANK The Physics of High-Temperature Superconducting Cuprates in van der Waals Heterostructures (Kim)

ZHOU, LEO Complexity, Algorithms, and Applications of Programmable Quantum Many-Body Systems (Lukin)

ANDERSEN, TROND Local electronic and optical phenomena in two-dimensional materials (Lukin)

ANDERSON, LAUREL Electrical and thermoelectric transport in mixed-dimensional graphitic mesoscopic systems (Kim)

AUGENBRAUN, BENJAMIN Methods for Direct Laser Cooling of Polyatomic Molecules (Doyle)

BALL, ADAM Aspects of Symmetry in Four Dimensions (Strominger)

BOETTCHER, CHARLOTTE New avenues in circuit QED: from quantum information to quantum sensing (Yacoby)

BORGNIA, DAN The Measure of a Phase (Vishwanath)

BROWNSBERGER, SASHA Modest Methods on the Edge of Cosmic Revolution: Foundational Work to Test Outstanding Peculiarities in the ΛCDM Cosmology (Randall, Stubbs)

BULLARD, BRENDON The first differential cross section measurements of tt̅ produced with a W boson in pp collisions (Morii)

CANATAR, ABDULKADIR Statistical Mechanics of Generalization in Kernel Regression and Wide Neural Networks (Pehlevan)

CESAROTTI, CARI Hints of a Hidden World (Reece)

CHALUPNIK, MICHELLE Quantum and photonic information processing with non-von Neumann architectures (Lončar)

CHEN, YU-TING A Platform for Cavity Quantum Electrodynamics with Rydberg Atom Arrays (Vuletić)

CONWAY, WILL Biophysics of Kinetochore Microtubules in Human Mitotic Spindles (Needleman)

DIETERLE, PAUL Diffusive waves, dynamic instability, and chromosome missegregation: dimensionality, discreteness, stochasticity (Amir)

DORDEVIC, TAMARA A nanophotonic quantum interface for atoms in optical tweezers (Lukin)

ENGELKE, REBECCA Structure and Properties of Moiré Interfaces in Two Dimensional Materials (Kim)

FAN, XING An Improved Measurement of the Electron Magnetic Moment (Gabrielse)

FOPPIANI, NICOLÒ Testing explanations of short baseline neutrino anomalies (Guenette)

GHEORGHE, ANDREI Methods for inferring dynamical systems from biological data with applications to HIV latency and genetic drivers of aging (Hill)

HAEFNER, JONATHAN Improving Kr-83m Calibration and Energy Resolution in NEXT Neutrinoless Double Beta Decay Detectors (Guenette)

KOLCHMEYER, DAVID Toy Models of Quantum Gravity (Jafferis)

MCNAMARA, JAKE The Kinematics of Quantum Gravity (Vafa)

MENKE, TIM Classical and quantum optimization of quantum processors (Aspuru-Guzik, Oliver)

MICHAEL, MARIOS Parametric resonances in Floquet materials (Demler)

OBIED, GEORGES String Theory and its Applications in Cosmology and Particle Physics (Dvorkin, Vafa)

PARIKH, ADITYA Theoretical & Phenomenological Explorations of the Dark Sector (Reece)

PATTI, TAYLOR Quantum Systems for Computation and Vice Versa (Yelin)

PIERCE, ANDREW Local thermodynamic signatures of interaction-driven topological states in graphene (Yacoby)

PIRIE, HARRIS Interacting quantum materials and their acoustic analogs (Hoffman)

REZAI, KRISTINE Probing dynamics of a two-dimensional dipolar spin ensemble (Sushkov)

SAMAJDAR, RHINE Topological and symmetry-breaking phases of strongly correlated systems: From quantum materials to ultracold atoms (Sachdev)

SCURI, GIOVANNI Quantum Optics with Excitons in Atomically Thin Semiconductors (Park)

SHEN, YINAN Mechanics of Interpenetrating Biopolymer Networks in the Cytoskeleton and Biomolecular Condensates (Weitz)

SON, HYUNGMOK Collisional Cooling and Magnetic Control of Reactions in Ultracold Spin-polarized NaLi+Na Mixture (Ketterle)

SUSHKO, ANDREY Structural imaging and electro-optical control of two dimensional semiconductors (Lukin)

TANTIVASADAKARN, NATHANAN Exploring exact dualities in lattice models of topological phases of matter (Vishwanath)

VANDERMAUSE, JONATHAN Active Learning of Bayesian Force Fields (Kozinsky)

ZHOU, HENGYUN Quantum Many-Body Physics and Quantum Metrology with Floquet-Engineered Interacting Spin Systems (Lukin)

ZHU, ZOE Multiscale Models for Incommensurate Layered Two-dimensional Materials (Kaxiras)

AGMON, NATHAN D-instantons and String Field Theory (Yin)

ANG, DANIEL Progress towards an improved measurement of the electric dipole moment of the electron (Gabrielse)

BADEA, ANTHONY Search for massive particles producing all hadronic final states in proton-proton collisions at the LHC with the ATLAS detector (Huth)

BEDROYA, ALEK The Swampland: from macro to micro (Vafa)

BURCHESKY, SEAN Engineered Collisions, Molecular Qubits, and Laser Cooling of Asymmetric Top Molecules (Doyle)

CONG, IRIS Quantum Machine Learning, Error Correction, and Topological Phases of Matter (Lukin)

DAVENPORT, IAN Optimal control and reinforcement learning in simple physical systems (Mahadevan)

DEPORZIO, NICK Dark Begets Light: Exploring Physics Beyond the Standard Model with Cosmology (Dvorkin, Randall)

FAN, RUIHUA Quantum entanglement and dynamics in low-dimensional quantum many-body systems (Vishwanath)

FORTMAN, ANNE Searching for heavy, charged, long-lived particles via ionization energy loss and time-of-flight in the ATLAS detector using 140.1 fb-1 of √s = 13 TeV proton-proton collision data (Franklin)

GABAI, BARAK From the S-matrix to the lattice: bootstrapping QFTs (Yin)

GARCIA, ROY Resource theory of quantum scrambling (Jaffe)

GELLY, RYAN Engineering the excitonic and photonic properties of atomically thin semiconductors (Park)

GUO, HAOYU Novel Transport Phenomena in Quantum Matter (Sachdev)

HIMWICH, MINA Aspects of Symmetry in Classical and Quantum Gravity (Strominger)

HU, YAOWEN Coupled-resonators on thin-film lithium niobate: Photonic multi-level system with electro-optic transition (Lončar)

KHABIBOULLINE, EMIL Quantum Communication and Thermalization, From Theory to Practice (Lukin)

KIM, SOOSHIN Quantum Gas Microscopy of Strongly Correlated Bosons (Greiner)

KING, ELLA Frankenstein's Tiniest Monsters: Inverse Design of Bio-inspired Function in Self-Assembling Materials (Brenner)

LIN, ROBERT Finding and building algebraic structures in finite-dimensional Hilbert spaces for quantum computation and quantum information (Jaffe)

LIU, YU Spin-polarized imaging of interacting fermions in the magnetic phases of Weyl semimetal CeBi (Hoffman)

LU, QIANSHU Cosmic Laboratory of Particle Physics (Reece)

MEISENHELDER, COLE Advances in the Measurement of the Electron Electric Dipole Moment (Gabrielse)

MENDOZA, DOUGLAS Optimization Algorithms for Quantum and Digital Annealers (Aspuru-Guzik)

MILLER, OLIVIA Measuring and Assessing Introductory Students' Physics Problem-Solving Ability (Mazur)

MORRISON, THARON Towards antihydrogen spectroscopy and CW Lyman-alpha via four-wave mixing in mercury (Gabrielse)

NARAYANAN, SRUTHI Soft Travels to the Celestial Sphere (Strominger)

NIU, LAUREN Patterns and Singularities in Elastic Shells (Mahadevan)

OCOLA, PALOMA A nanophotonic device as a quantum network node for atoms in optical tweezers (Lukin)

RABANAL BOLAÑOS, GABRIEL Measuring the production of three massive vector bosons in the four-lepton channel in pp collisions at √s= 13 TeV with the ATLAS experiment at the LHC (Franklin)

SENGUL, CAGAN Studying Dark Matter at Sub-Galactic Scales with Strong Gravitational Lensing (Dvorkin)

SHU, CHI Quantum enhanced metrology in the optical lattice clock (Vuletić)

SPITZIG, ALYSON Using non-contact AFM to study the local doping and damping through the transition in an ultrathin VO2 film (Hoffman)

TARAZI, HOURI UV Completeness: From Quantum Field Theory to Quantum Gravity (Vafa)

WILLIAMS, LANELL What goes right and wrong during virus self assembly? (Manoharan)

YODH, JEREMY Flow of colloidal and living suspensions in confined geometries (Mahadevan)

ZHANG, GRACE Fluctuations, disorder, and geometry in soft matter (Nelson)

AGIA, NICHOLAS On Low-Dimensional Black Holes in String Theory (Jafferis)

BAO, YICHENG Ultracold molecules in an optical tweezer array: From dipolar interaction to ground state cooling (Doyle)

BLOCK, MAXWELL Dynamics of Entanglement with Applications to Quantum Metrology (Yao)

CONTRERAS, TAYLOR Toward Tonne-Scale NEXT Detectors: SiPM Energy-Tracking Planes and Metalenses for Light Collection (Guenette)

DOYLE, SPENCER From Elements to Electronics: Designing Thin Film Perovskite Oxides for Technological Applications (Mundy)

EBADI, SEPEHR Quantum simulation and computation with two-dimensional arrays of neutral atoms (Greiner)

FRASER, KATIE Probing Undiscovered Particles with Theory and Data-Driven Tools (Reece)

GHOSH, SOUMYA Nonlinear Frequency Generation in Periodically Poled Thin Film Lithium Niobate (Lončar)

HAO, ZEYU Emergent Quantum Phases of Electrons in Multilayer Graphene Heterostructures (Kim)

HARTIG, KARA Wintertime Cold Extremes: Mechanisms and Teleconnections with the Stratosphere (Tziperman)

LEE, SEUNG HWAN Spin Waves as New Probes for Graphene Quantum Hall Systems (Yacoby)

LEEMBRUGGEN, MADELYN Buckling, wrinkling, and crumpling of simulated thin sheets (Rycroft)

LI, CHENYUAN Quantum Criticality and Superconductivity in Systems Without Quasiparticles (Sachdev)

MILLER, NOAH Gravity and Lw_{1 + infinity} symmetry (Strominger)

OZTURK, SUKRU FURKAN A New Spin on the Origin of Biological Homochirality (Sasselov)

PAN, GRACE Atomic-scale design and synthesis of unconventional superconductors (Mundy)

POLLACK, DANIEL Synthesis, characterization, and chemical stability analysis of quinones for aqueous organic redox flow batteries (Gordon)

SAYDJARI, ANDREW Statistical Models of the Spatial, Kinematic, and Chemical Complexity of Dust (Finkbeiner)

SHACKLETON, HENRY Fractionalization and disorder in strongly correlated systems (Sachdev)

SKRZYPEK, BARBARA The Case of the Missing Neutrino: Astrophysical Messengers of Planck-Scale Physics (Argüelles-Delgado)

TSANG, ARTHUR Strong Lensing, Dark Perturbers, and Machine Learning (Dvorkin)

XU, MUQING Quantum phases in Fermi Hubbard systems with tunable frustration (Greiner)

YE, BINGTIAN Out-of-equilibrium many-body dynamics in Atomic, Molecular and Optical systems (Yao)

ZAVATONE-VETH, JACOB Statistical mechanics of Bayesian inference and learning in neural networks (Pehlevan)

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Astrophysics, Fusion and Plasma Physics

Cornell’s research programs in planetary astronomy, infrared astronomy, theoretical astrophysics, and radio astronomy are internationally recognized. Plasma physics is the science of electrically conducting fluids and high-temperature ionized gases. While the best-known research impetus is controlled fusion as a potential source of electric power, plasma physics also underlies many solar, astrophysical, and ionospheric phenomena as well as industrial applications of plasmas.

Nanoscience and Nanotechnology

Nanoscience, the behavior of physical systems when confined to near atomic, nanoscale ( 100 nm) dimensions together with the physical phenomena that occur at the nanoscale, is currently one of the most dynamic and rapidly developing areas of interdisciplinary research in applied physics.

Condensed Matter and Materials  Physics

Research topics in this diverse area range from innovative studies of the basic properties of condensed-matter systems to the nanofabrication and study of advanced electronic, optoelectronic, spintronic, and quantum-superconductor devices.

Energy Systems

The need for future renewable sources of energy and ways to minimize consumption is leading to a growing emphasis on new concepts for the generation, storage, and transportation of energy. Cornell faculty are involved in developing a wide range of energy-related materials, such as photovoltaic materials, thermoelectrics, advanced battery materials and catalysts, membranes and supports for mobile fuel cells. Research is also conducted on materials processing that minimizes environmental impact.

Biophysics is a broad field, ranging from fundamental studies of macromolecules or cells, through the design of state of the art diagnostic or medical tools. A number of AEP research groups are pushing the limits in biophysical studies by developing instruments that provide new insight into the physics that drives biological processes or developing new methods for manipulating biomolecules for biotechnological or biomedical applications.

Microfluidics and Microsystems

Researchers in this field use their knowledge of microfluidics to create microsystems useful both in research and real-world applications in a variety of fields, including chemistry, biology, agriculture, and biomedical engineering.

Optical Physics

Photonics researchers focus on the applications of the particle properties of light; optoelectronics has to do with the study and application of effects related to the interaction of light and electronic signals.

Quantum Information Science

QIS research studies the application of quantum physics to information science and technology. AEP has research groups spanning quantum sensing, communications, simulation, and computing, with experimental approaches including superconducting circuits, trapped ions, photonics, and semiconductor devices.

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PhD Program

A PhD degree in Physics is awarded in recognition of significant and novel research contributions, extending the boundaries of our knowledge of the physical universe. Selected applicants are admitted to the PhD program of the UW Department of Physics, not to a specific research group, and are encouraged to explore research opportunities throughout the Department.

Degree Requirements

Typical timeline, advising and mentoring, satisfactory progress, financial support, more information.

Applicants to the doctoral program are expected to have a strong undergraduate preparation in physics, including courses in electromagnetism, classical and quantum mechanics, statistical physics, optics, and mathematical methods of physics. Further study in condensed matter, atomic, and particle and nuclear physics is desirable. Limited deficiencies in core areas may be permissible, but may delay degree completion by as much as a year and are are expected to remedied during the first year of graduate study.

The Graduate Admissions Committee reviews all submitted applications and takes a holistic approach considering all aspects presented in the application materials. Application materials include:

• Resume or curriculum vitae, describing your current position or activities, educational and professional experience, and any honors awarded, special skills, publications or research presentations.
• Statement of purpose, one page describing your academic purpose and goals.
• Personal history statement (optional, two pages max), describing how your personal experiences and background (including family, cultural, or economic aspects) have influenced your intellectual development and interests.
• Three letters of recommendation: submit email addresses for your recommenders at least one month ahead of deadline to allow them sufficient time to respond.
• Transcripts (unofficial), from all prior relevant undergraduate and graduate institutions attended. Admitted applicants must provide official transcripts.
• English language proficiency is required for graduate study at the University of Washington. Applicants whose native language is not English must demonstrate English proficiency. The various options are specified at: https://grad.uw.edu/policies/3-2-graduate-school-english-language-proficiency-requirements/ Official test scores must be sent by ETS directly to the University of Washington (institution code 4854) and be received within two years of the test date.

For additional information see the UW Graduate School Home Page , Understanding the Application Process , and Memo 15 regarding teaching assistant eligibility for non-native English speakers.

The GRE Subject Test in Physics (P-GRE) is optional in our admissions process, and typically plays a relatively minor role.  Our admissions system is holistic, as we use all available information to evaluate each application. If you have taken the P-GRE and feel that providing your score will help address specific gaps or otherwise materially strengthen your application, you are welcome to submit your scores. We emphasize that every application will be given full consideration, regardless of whether or not scores are submitted.

Applications are accepted annually for autumn quarter admissions (only), and must be submitted online. Admission deadline: DECEMBER 15, 2024.

Department standards

Course requirements.

Students must plan a program of study in consultation with their faculty advisor (either first year advisor or later research advisor). To establish adequate breadth and depth of knowledge in the field, PhD students are required to pass a set of core courses, take appropriate advanced courses and special topics offerings related to their research area, attend relevant research seminars as well as the weekly department colloquium, and take at least two additional courses in Physics outside their area of speciality. Seeking broad knowledge in areas of physics outside your own research area is encouraged.

The required core courses are:

In addition, all students holding a teaching assistantship (TA) must complete Phys 501 / 502 / 503 , Tutorials in Teaching Physics.

Regularly offered courses which may, depending on research area and with the approval of the graduate program coordinator, be used to satisfy breadth requirements, include:

• Phys 506 Numerical Methods
• Phys 555 Cosmology & Particle Astrophysics
• Phys 507 Group Theory
• Phys 557 High Energy Physics
• Phys 511 Topics in Contemporary Physics
• Phys 560 Nuclear Theory
• Phys 520 Quantum Information
• Phys 564 General Relativity
• Phys 550 Atomic Physics
• Phys 567 Condensed Matter Physics
• Phys 554 Nuclear Astrophysics
• Phys 570 Quantum Field Theory

Graduate exams

Master's Review:   In addition to passing all core courses, adequate mastery of core material must be demonstrated by passing the Master's Review. This is composed of four Master's Review Exams (MREs) which serve as the final exams in Phys 524 (SM), Phys 514 (EM), Phys 518 (QM), and Phys 505 (CM). The standard for passing each MRE is demonstrated understanding and ability to solve multi-step problems; this judgment is independent of the overall course grade. Acceptable performance on each MRE is expected, but substantial engagement in research allows modestly sub-par performance on one exam to be waived. Students who pass the Master's Review are eligible to receive a Master's degree, provided the Graduate School course credit and grade point average requirements have also been satisfied.

General Exam:   Adequate mastery of material in one's area of research, together with demonstrated progress in research and a viable plan to complete a PhD dissertation, is assessed in the General Exam. This is taken after completing all course requirements, passing the Master's Review, and becoming well established in research. The General Exam consists of an oral presentation followed by an in-depth question period with one's dissertation committee.

Final Oral Exam:   Adequate completion of a PhD dissertation is assessed in the Final Oral, which is a public exam on one's completed dissertation research. The requirement of surmounting a final public oral exam is an ancient tradition for successful completion of a PhD degree.

Graduate school requirements

Common requirements for all doctoral degrees are given in the Graduate School Degree Requirements and Doctoral Degree Policies and Procedures pages. A summary of the key items, accurate as of late 2020, is as follows:

• A minimum of 90 completed credits, of which at least 60 must be completed at the University of Washington. A Master's degree from the UW or another institution in physics, or approved related field of study, may substitute for 30 credits of enrollment.
• At least 18 credits of UW course work at the 500 level completed prior to the General Examination.
• At least 18 numerically graded UW credits of 500 level courses and approved 400 level courses, completed prior to the General Examination.
• At least 60 credits completed prior to scheduling the General Examination. A Master's degree from the UW or another institution may substitute for 30 of these credits.
• A minimum of 27 dissertation (or Physics 800) credits, spread out over a period of at least three quarters, must be completed. At least one of those three quarters must come after passing the General Exam. Except for summer quarters, students are limited to a maximum of 10 dissertation credits per quarter.
• A minimum cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 3.00 must be maintained.
• The General Examination must be successfully completed.
• A thesis dissertation approved by the reading committee and submitted and accepted by the Graduate School.
• The Final Examination must be successfully completed. At least four members of the supervisory committee, including chair and graduate school representative, must be present.
• Registration as a full- or part-time graduate student at the University must be maintained, specifically including the quarter in which the examinations are completed and the quarter in which the degree is conferred. (Part-time means registered for at least 2 credits, but less than 10.)
• All work for the doctoral degree must be completed within ten years. This includes any time spend on leave, as well as time devoted to a Master's degree from the UW or elsewhere (if used to substitute for credits of enrollment).
• Pass the required core courses: Phys 513 , 517 , 524 & 528 autumn quarter, Phys 514 , 518 & 525 winter quarter, and Phys 515 , 519 & 505 spring quarter. When deemed appropriate, with approval of their faculty advisor and graduate program coordinator, students may elect to defer Phys 525 , 515 and/or 519 to the second year in order to take more credits of Phys 600 .
• Sign up for and complete one credit of Phys 600 with a faculty member of choice during winter and spring quarters.
• Pass the Master's Review by the end of spring quarter or, after demonstrating substantial research engagement, by the end of the summer.
• Work to identify one's research area and faculty research advisor. This begins with learning about diverse research areas in Phys 528 in the autumn, followed by Phys 600 independent study with selected faculty members during winter, spring, and summer.
• Pass the Master's Review (if not already done) by taking any deferred core courses or retaking MREs as needed. The Master's Review must be passed before the start of the third year.
• Settle in and become fully established with one's research group and advisor, possibly after doing independent study with multiple faculty members. Switching research areas during the first two years is not uncommon.
• Complete all required courses. Take breadth courses and more advanced graduate courses appropriate for one's area of research.
• Perform research.
• Establish a Supervisory Committee within one year after finding a compatible research advisor who agrees to supervise your dissertation work.
• Take breadth and special topics courses as appropriate.
• Take your General Exam in the third or fourth year of your graduate studies.
• Register for Phys 800 (Doctoral Thesis Research) instead of Phys 600 in the quarters during and after your general exam.
• Take special topics courses as appropriate.
• Perform research. When completion of a substantial body of research is is sight, and with concurrence of your faculty advisor, start writing a thesis dissertation.
• Establish a dissertation reading committee well in advance of scheduling the Final Examination.
• Schedule your Final Examination and submit your PhD dissertation draft to your reading committee at least several weeks before your Final Exam.
• Take your Final Oral Examination.
• After passing your Final Exam, submit your PhD dissertation, as approved by your reading committee, to the Graduate School, normally before the end of the same quarter.

This typical timeline for competing the PhD applies to students entering the program with a solid undergraduate preparation, as described above under Admissions. Variant scenarios are possible with approval of the Graduate Program coordinator. Two such scenarios are the following:

• Students entering with insufficient undergraduate preparation often require more time. It is important to identify this early, and not feel that this reflects on innate abilities or future success. Discussion with one's faculty advisor, during orientation or shortly thereafter, may lead to deferring one or more of the first year required courses and corresponding Master's Review Exams. It can also involve taking selected 300 or 400 level undergraduate physics courses before taking the first year graduate level courses. This must be approved by the Graduate Program coordinator, but should not delay efforts to find a suitable research advisor. The final Master's Review decision still takes place no later than the start of the 3rd year and research engagement is an important component in this decision.
• Entering PhD students with advanced standing, for example with a prior Master's degree in Physics or transferring from another institution after completing one or more years in a Physics PhD program, may often graduate after 3 or 4 years in our program. After discussion with your faculty advisor and with approval of the Graduate Program coordinator, selected required classes may be waived (but typically not the corresponding Master's Review Exams), and credit from other institutions transferred.
• Each entering PhD student is assigned a first year faculty advisor, with whom they meet regularly to discuss course selection, general progress, and advice on research opportunities. The role of a student's primary faculty advisor switches to their research advisor after they become well established in research. Once their doctoral supervisory committee is formed, the entire committee, including a designated faculty mentor (other than the research advisor) is available to provide advice and mentoring.
• The department also has a peer mentoring program, in which first-year students are paired with more senior students who have volunteered as mentors. Peer mentors maintain contact with their first-year mentees throughout the year and aim to ease the transition to graduate study by sharing their experiences and providing support and advice. Quarterly "teas" are held to which all peer mentors and mentees are invited.
• While academic advising is primarily concerned with activities and requirements necessary to make progress toward a degree, mentoring focuses on the human relationships, commitments, and resources that can help a student find success and fulfillment in academic and professional pursuits. While research advisors play an essential role in graduate study, the department considers it inportant for every student to also have available additional individuals who take on an explicit mentoring role.
• Students are expected to meet regularly, at a minimum quarterly, with their faculty advisors (either first year advisor or research advisor).
• Starting in the winter of their first year, students are expected to be enrolled in Phys 600 .
• Every spring all students, together with their advisors, are required to complete an annual activities report.
• The doctoral supervisory committee needs to be established at least by the end of the fourth year.
• The General Exam is expected to take place during the third or fourth year.
• Students and their advisors are expected to aim for not more than 6 years between entry into the Physics PhD program and completion of the PhD. In recent years the median time is close to 6 years.

Absence of satisfactory progress can lead to a hierarchy of actions, as detailed in the Graduate School Memo 16: Academic Performance and Progress , and may jeopardize funding as a teaching assistant.

The Department aims to provide financial support for all full-time PhD students making satisfactory progress, and has been successful in doing so for many years. Most students are supported via a mix teaching assistantships (TAs) and research assistantships (RAs), although there are also various scholarships, fellowships, and awards that provide financial support. Teaching and research assistanships provide a stipend, a tuition waiver, and health insurance benefits. TAs are employed by the University to assist faculty in their teaching activities. Students from non-English-speaking countries must pass English proficiency requirements . RAs are employed by the Department to assist faculty with specified research projects, and are funded through research grants held by faculty members.

Most first-year students are provided full TA support during their first academic year as part of their admission offer. Support beyond the second year is typically in the form of an RA or a TA/RA combination. It is the responsibility of the student to find a research advisor and secure RA support. Students accepting TA or RA positions are required to register as full-time graduate students (a minimum of 10 credits during the academic year, and 2 credits in summer quarter) and devote 20 hours per week to their assistantship duties. Both TAs and RAs are classified as Academic Student Employees (ASE) . These positions are governed by a contract between the UW and the International Union, United Automobile, Aerospace and Agricultural Implement Workers of America (UAW), and its Local Union 4121 (UAW).

Physics PhD students are paid at the "Assistant" level (Teaching Assistant or Research Assistant) upon entry to the program. Students receive a promotion to "Associate I" (Predoctoral Teaching Associate I or Predoctoral Research Associate I) after passing the Master's Review, and a further promotion to "Associate II" (Predoctoral Teaching Associate II or Predoctoral Research Associate II) after passing their General Examination. (Summer quarter courses, and summer quarter TA employment, runs one month shorter than during the academic year. To compendate, summer quarter TA salaries are increased proportionately.)

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PhD in Physics

Program requirements and policies.

• Graduate TA should register on SIS for PHY 405; Graduate RA should register on SIS for PHY 406 .
• Students who are working on a thesis or dissertation project for their doctoral degree should also register for PHY 502 FT (Doctoral Degree Continuation) in each semester.

I. Proficiency in four core fields

• Classical mechanics
• Classical electromagnetism
• Statistical mechanics
• Quantum mechanics

Students can demonstrate proficiency through:

• PHY 131: Advanced Classical Mechanics
• PHY 145: Classical Electromagnetic Theory I
• PHY 146: Classical Electromagnetic Theory II
• PHY 153: Statistical Mechanics
• PHY 163: Quantum Theory I
• PHY 164: Quantum Theory II
• A final grade of A- or better in PHY 131: Advanced Classical Mechanics meets the proficiency requirement for classical mechanics.
• An average combined final grade of A- or better in PHY 145: Classical Electromagnetic Theory I and PHY 146: Classical Electromagnetic Theory II meets the proficiency requirement for classical electromagnetism.
• A final grade of A- or better in PHY 153: Statistical Mechanics meets the proficiency requirement for statistical mechanics.
• An average combined final grade of A- or better in PHY 163: Quantum Theory I and PHY 146: Quantum Theory II meets the proficiency requirement for quantum mechanics.
• Passing a written qualifying exam in the subject(s).

Assessment policy for proficiency in the core courses for first year students

II. At least one course from any two of the following specialized fields

• AST 121: Galactic Astronomy
• AST 122: Extragalactic Astronomy
• Any graduate level courses, including Special Topics courses, in Astronomy/Astrophysics
• PHY 173: Solid State Physics I
• PHY 174: Solid State Physics II
• Any graduate level courses, including Special Topics courses, in Condensed Matter Physics
• PHY 183: Particle Physics I
• PHY 184: Particle Physics II
• Any graduate level courses, including Special Topics courses, in Particle Physics
• PHY 167: General Relativity
• PHY 268: Cosmology
• Any graduate level courses, including Special Topics courses, in General Relativity and Cosmology
• PHY 263: Advanced Quantum Mechanics
• Any graduate level courses, including Special Topics courses, in Quantum Mechanics or Quantum Information

III. Oral qualifying examination

By the end of the third year, the student must complete an oral qualifying examination in his/her chosen specialized field. The purpose of the oral qualifying examination is threefold:

• to provide the student with an opportunity to apply his/her fundamental knowledge of physics to a specific topic in his/her field of interest;
• to evaluate the student's ability to carry that skill forward into his/her dissertation research, and
• to provide practice in the presentation of scientific material.

The topic should be selected by the student in consultation with his/her research advisor, in order best to advance that student's progress. It could be a review of research relevant to the student's intended research project, a proposal for a possible research topic, or another topic in the general area of the student's research, but not directly related to that research. It should be sufficiently well defined that the student can achieve substantial mastery and depth of understanding in a period of 4-6 weeks. In general, depth is more important than breadth.

The student shall prepare and deliver a public presentation of 30-45 minutes duration, with the expectation that during that period the audience and guidance committee will freely ask questions. The form of the presentation will be determined by the student's advisor and guidance committee, but regardless of the format, the student must be prepared to depart from the prepared material to answer questions.

Following the presentation and an open question period, the audience will be asked to leave, and the student's guidance committee will pose additional questions. While some questions will be directly related to the topic of the presentation, others will probe fundamental physics underlying or related to the topic. The student's ability to respond appropriately, exhibiting both understanding of the relevant physics and the ability to apply it to the topic at hand, is at least as important as the prepared presentation.

While the primary function of the examination is educational rather than evaluative, if the guidance committee does not find the student's performance to be satisfactory, it may:

• Fail the student, resulting in his/her administrative withdrawal from the doctoral program;
• Require the student to submit to another oral examination covering the same or different material;
• Require other remedial work, which may include preparing and presenting a written or oral explanation of some topic, or such other steps as the committee deems appropriate.

In cases (2) and (3), the requirement must be completed successfully within two months after the original examination, but no later than the beginning of the student's fourth year. In no case will the student receive a third opportunity to fulfill the requirement.

IV. Independent research

After satisfactory performance on the oral qualifying exam, the candidate undertakes a program of independent research under the guidance of their research advisor, culminating in the preparation and defense of a doctoral dissertation. Students must register for one credit of PHY 0297: Graduate Research and one credit of PHY 0298: Graduate Research in their final two semesters of the program.

Physics Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) Degree

Request Info about graduate study Visit Apply

RIT’s physics Ph.D. combines our interdisciplinary approach, renowned faculty, and cutting-edge facilities to empower you to excel in your research and shape the future of physics.

STEM-OPT Visa Eligible

Overview for Physics Ph.D.

Physics plays a crucial role in advancing various scientific and technological fields. Through experimentation, observation, and mathematical analysis, physicists strive to unravel the mysteries of the universe and contribute to the advancement of scientific knowledge.

The physics Ph.D. program fosters a creative and innovative approach to physics education and knowledge expertise. Graduates of the physics Ph.D. become leaders in their field, shaping and improving the world with the knowledge gained at RIT.

Ph.D. Program in Physics at RIT

RIT's physics Ph.D. program offers various research areas, allowing students to pursue their passion and delve into cutting-edge scientific investigations. As a physics doctoral student, you will have the opportunity to work alongside world-class faculty members at the forefront of their respective fields. Our distinguished professors are dedicated to mentorship, ensuring each student receives personalized guidance and support throughout their academic journey.

The physics Ph.D. program offers a comprehensive and rigorous curriculum designed to provide you with a deep understanding of fundamental physics principles, advanced research skills, and specialized knowledge in your chosen areas of focus. The program combines core courses, electives, research work, and professional development activities.

Students are also interested in: Physics MS , Materials Science and Engineering MS

A significant component of the physics doctorate involves conducting original research under the guidance of faculty advisors. You will work on research projects aligned with your interests, contributing to the advancement of scientific knowledge. This research culminates in completing a doctoral dissertation, which involves original findings and a written thesis.

You will have abundant access to innovative and exciting research. We know that involvement in original research helps prepare our students for their future careers. The physics Ph.D. program offers a diverse range of research areas, allowing students to explore and specialize in various fields of physics.

Physics Research Areas:

• Faculty: Mishkat Bhattacharya , Edwin Hach III , Gregory Howland , Nicola Lanata , Stefan Preble
• Faculty: Jairo Diaz Amaya , Moumita Das , Scott Franklin , Michael Kotlarchyk , Lishibanya Mohapatra , Shima Parsa , Poornima Padmanabhan , George Thurston
• Faculty: Michael Cromer , Pratik Dholabhai , Nicola Lanata , Casey Miller , Michael Pierce , Steven Weinstein , Ke Xu
• Faculty: Manuela Campanelli , Joshua Faber , Jeyhan Kartaltepe , Carlos Lousto , Richard O’Shaughnessy , John Whelan , Michael Zemcov , Yosef Zlochower
• Faculty: Seth Hubbard , Santosh Kurinec , Parsian Mohseni , Michael Pierce , Patricia Taboada-Serrano , Ke Xu
• Faculty: Donald Figer , Edwin Hach III , Gregory Howland , Seth Hubbard , Stefan Preble
• Faculty: Scott Franklin , Benjamin Zwickl
• Faculty: Pratik Dholabhai , Seth Hubbard , Santosh Kurinec , Nishant Malik
• Faculty: Charles Bachmann , Gregory Howland , Stefan Preble , Jie Qiao

You will have the opportunity to collaborate with faculty members and engage in cutting-edge research projects aligned with your interests and career aspirations. The physics program encourages interdisciplinary research and the exploration of new frontiers in physics, fostering innovation and scientific discovery.

Seth Hubbard

Mishkat Bhattacharya

Moumita Das

Shima Parsa

Lishibanya Mohapatra

Curriculum Update in Process for 2024-2025 for Physics Ph.D.

Current Students: See Curriculum Requirements

Physics, Ph.D. degree, typical course sequence

Physics (or closely-related) Electives*

* This list is representative and not exhaustive.

Admissions and Financial Aid

This program is available on-campus only.

Full-time study is 9+ semester credit hours. International students requiring a visa to study at the RIT Rochester campus must study full‑time.

Application Details

To be considered for admission to the Physics Ph.D. program, candidates must fulfill the following requirements:

• Complete an online graduate application .
• Submit copies of official transcript(s) (in English) of all previously completed undergraduate and graduate course work, including any transfer credit earned.
• Hold a baccalaureate degree (or US equivalent) from an accredited university or college in the physical sciences or engineering.
• A recommended minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 (or equivalent).
• Submit a current resume or curriculum vitae.
• Submit a statement of purpose for research which will allow the Admissions Committee to learn the most about you as a prospective researcher.
• Submit two letters of recommendation .
• Entrance exam requirements: GRE, both General and Physics, are optional. No minimum score requirement.
• Writing samples are optional.
• Submit English language test scores (TOEFL, IELTS, PTE Academic), if required. Details are below.

English Language Test Scores

International applicants whose native language is not English must submit one of the following official English language test scores. Some international applicants may be considered for an English test requirement waiver .

International students below the minimum requirement may be considered for conditional admission. Each program requires balanced sub-scores when determining an applicant’s need for additional English language courses.

How to Apply   Start or Manage Your Application

Cost and Financial Aid

An RIT graduate degree is an investment with lifelong returns. Ph.D. students typically receive full tuition and an RIT Graduate Assistantship that will consist of a research assistantship (stipend) or a teaching assistantship (salary).

The School is committed to a diverse applications pool and alleviating any financial burden of application. For information, please contact the Program Director.

Additional Information

Foundation courses.

Physics forms the backbone of many scientific and engineering disciplines, thus candidates from diverse backgrounds are encouraged to apply. However, applicants to the doctoral program are typically expected to have some undergraduate preparation in physics, including courses in electromagnetism, classical and quantum mechanics, statistical physics, and mathematical methods of physics. If applicants have not taken the expected background coursework, the program director may require the student to successfully complete foundational courses prior to matriculating into the Ph.D. program. A written agreement between the candidate and the program director will identify the required foundation courses, which must be completed with an overall B average before a student can matriculate into the graduate program. Note that this can lead to a delay in degree completion by as much as a year.

Department of Physics

PhD. Theses

Fpo pictures 2024.

Nicholas Quirk - FPO; Committee: Professors Phuan Ong, Biao Lian, and Lyman Page

Leander Thiele - FPO; Committee: Professors David Spergel, Jo Dunkley, and Lyman Page

Jingyao Wang- FPO; Committee: Professors Michael Romalis, Waseem Bakr, and (not pictured) Mariangela Lisanti

Remy Delva- FPO; Committee: Professors Jason Petta, David Huse, and Chris Tully

Saumya Shivam - FPO; Committee: Professors Shivaji Sondhi, Biao Lian and Frans Pretorius

Cheng-Li Chiu - FPO; Committee: Professors Ali Yazdani, Lawrence Cheuk, Sanfeng Wu, and Biao Lian

Charlie Guinn - FPO; Committee: Professors Andrew Houck, Lawrence Cheuk, and Sarang Gopalakrishnan

Kaiwen Zheng - FPO; Committee: Professors Suzanne Staggs, Jo Dunkley and Chris Tully

Stephanie Kwan - FPO; Committee: Professors Isobel Ojalvo, Mariangela Lisanti and Jim Olsen

Nicholas Haubrich - FPO; Committee: Professors Jim Olsen, Isobel Ojalvo, Mariangela Lisanti

Roman Kolevatov - FPO; Committee: Professors Lyman Page, Paul Steinhardt, Frans Pretorius, and Saptarshi Chaudhuri

Gillian Kopp - FPO; Committee: Professors Chris Tully, Isobel Ojalvo, Mariangela Lisanti, and Andrew Leifer

Zheyi Zhu - FPO; Committee: Professors Phuan Ong, Sanfeng Wu, and Silviu Pufu

Yuhan Wang- FPO; Committee: Professors Suzanne Staggs, Jo Dunkley, Isobel Ojalvo, and Lyman Page

Benjamin Spar - FPO; Committee: Professors Waseem Bakr, Lawrence Cheuk, and David Huse

Shuo Ma - FPO; Committee: Professors Jeffrey Thompson, Waseem Bakr, Lawrence Cheuk, and David Huse

PhD. Theses 2024

View past theses (2011 to present) in the Dataspace Catalog of Ph.D Theses in the Department of Physics

View past theses (1996 to present) in the ProQuest Database

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Research topics

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Here are the four major areas where one can find research proposals for a PhD thesis in Physics:   

Experimental Physics of Matter 

Magnetization dynamics in thin films and nanostructures

Investigation of magnetization processes of bulk superconducting materials for the development of devices for shielding and production/optimization of magnetic fields 

Control of the properties of two-dimensional materials by electric field effect

Experimental investigation of the order parameter in unconventional superconductors   

Quantum technologies in the frame of quantum optics

Evaluation of the therapeutic and imaging properties of stimuli-activated semiconducting nanocrystals against cancer cells 

Memristors and Mechanical resonators

Materials and processes for micro & nano technologies

Modeling and experiments of elastic wave propagation in complex media and acoustic/elastic metamaterials

NanoPhotonics for Quantum Optics

Theoretical Physics of Matter 

Microscopic theory and simulation of electronic quantum nanodevices

Disorder operators and topological orders in strongly correlated quantum matter

Quantum mixture formed by two bosonic components 

Numerical Monte Carlo simulation of strongly correlated electronic models

Out of equilibrium properties of quantum systems: investigation of topological materials 

Exploring the power of Entanglement for information processing: quantum information theory for quantum technologies

Interaction of mesoscopic quantum systems with gravity

Physics of Complex Systems 

Non equilibrium Statistical Mechanics

Statistical physics of the living cell

High Energy Physics

Supergravity and String Theory

Nuclear matter under extreme conditions and high energy astrophysics

Physics, PHD

On this page:, at a glance: program details.

• Location: Tempe campus
• Second Language Requirement: No

Program Description

Degree Awarded: PHD Physics

The PhD program in physics is intended for highly capable students who have the interest and ability to follow a career in independent research.

The recent advent of the graduate faculty initiative at ASU extends the spectrum of potential physics doctoral topics and advisors to include highly transdisciplinary projects that draw upon:

• biochemistry
• electrical engineering
• materials science
• other related fields

Consequently, students and doctoral advisors can craft novel doctoral projects that transcend the classical palette of physics subjects. Transdisciplinary expertise of this nature is increasingly vital to modern science and technology.

Current areas of particular emphasis within the department include:

• biological physics
• electron diffraction and imaging
• nanoscale and materials physics
• particle physics and astrophysics

The department has more than 90 doctoral students and more than 40 faculty members.

Degree Requirements

Curriculum plan options.

• 84 credit hours, a written comprehensive exam, an oral comprehensive exam, a prospectus and a dissertation

Required Core (18 credit hours) PHY 500 Research Methods (6) PHY 521 Classical and Continuum Mechanics (3) PHY 531 Electrodynamics (3) PHY 541 Statistical Physics (3) PHY 576 Quantum Theory (3)

Electives or Research (54 credit hours)

Culminating Experience (12 credit hours) PHY 799 Dissertation (12)

Additional Curriculum Information Of particular note within the core courses are the PHY 500 Research Methods rotations, which are specifically designed to engage doctoral students in genuine, faculty-guided research starting in their first semester. Students complete three credit hours of PHY 500 in both their fall and spring semesters of their first year, for a total of six credit hours.

Coursework beyond the core courses is established by the student's doctoral advisor and supervisory committee, working in partnership with the student. The intent is to tailor the doctoral training to the specific research interests and aptitudes of the student while ensuring that each graduating student emerges with the expertise, core knowledge and problem-solving skills that define having a successful doctoral degree in physics.

When approved by the student's supervisory committee and the Graduate College, this program allows 30 credit hours from a previously awarded master's degree to be used for this degree. If students do not have a previously awarded master's degree, the 30 credit hours of coursework are made up of electives to reach the required 84 credit hours.

Admission Requirements

Applicants must fulfill the requirements of both the Graduate College and The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.

Applicants are eligible to apply to the program if they have earned a bachelor's or master's degree in physics or a closely related area from a regionally accredited institution. Applicants must have had adequate undergraduate preparation equivalent to an undergraduate major of 30 credit hours in physics and 20 credit hours in mathematics. Courses in analytic mechanics, electromagnetism and modern physics, including quantum mechanics, are particularly important.

Applicants must have a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.00 (scale is 4.00 = "A") in the last 60 hours of their first bachelor's degree program or a minimum GPA of 3.00 (scale is 4.00 = "A") in an applicable master's degree program.

All applicants must submit:

• graduate admission application and application fee
• official transcripts
• personal statement
• three letters of recommendation
• proof of English proficiency

Additional Application Information An applicant whose native language is not English must provide proof of English proficiency regardless of their current residency.

Applicants requesting credit for prior graduate courses, taken either at ASU or elsewhere, must demonstrate mastery of the relevant course material to the graduate-level standards of the Department of Physics.

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As professional physicists, graduates can advance the frontiers of physics by generating new knowledge in their subfields while working on the most challenging scientific problems at the forefront of human understanding. Graduates find positions in a variety of settings, such as administration, government labs, industrial labs and management, and as academic faculty.

Physicists are valued for their analytical, technical and mathematical skills and find employment in a vast array of employment sectors, including:

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Program Contact Information

If you have questions related to admission, please click here to request information and an admission specialist will reach out to you directly. For questions regarding faculty or courses, please use the contact information below.

• [email protected]
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Department of Physics

As a premier research department, the University of Chicago does world-class research on a broad spectrum of subjects. A distinguishing feature of Chicago's department is our commitment to surmount disciplinary barriers in our pursuit of research goals. This commitment dates back to the Manhattan Project of World War II. At that time, a diverse team from nuclear physics, metallurgy and chemical engineering scored a major success on an urgent national problem. From this effort came the realization that the organization of doctoral education by disciplines was not necessarily optimal for the advancement of knowledge. Thus the university created a network of research institutes, coexisting with the academic departments such as physics. Research is done under the aegis of the Institutes (including the initial two, the Enrico Fermi Institute and the James Franck Institute) and the Centers; degrees are granted by the Departments. The University of Chicago established formal affiliations with Argonne National Laboratory, Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory and the Marine Biological Laboratory to strengthen and build upon the institutions' combined eminence in research and education. More information on research institutes and centers and affiliated laboratories can be found here.

The interdisciplinary spirit of the physics department extends to the training of Ph.D. students. Ten to twenty percent of physics PhD's are supervised by members of other academic departments, chiefly the Astronomy & Astrophysics Department, the Chemistry Department, and the Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering. A significant number of physics PhD committees include at least one member in another academic discipline. The faculty's commitment to dialog and collaboration with other disciplines is now deeply rooted and ingrained.

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Condensed Matter Physics

Condensed Matter Physics (CMP) is by far the largest field of contemporary physics—by one estimate, one third of all American physicists identify themselves as condensed matter physicists. CMP studies the “condensed” phases that appear whenever the number of constituents in a system is extremely large and the interactions between them are strong.

Learn more about research in this area.

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Condensed phases range from normal solids and liquids to the Bose-Einstein condensate found in certain atomic systems at very low temperatures. Other examples include superconducting phase exhibited by conduction electrons in certain materials, or the ferromagnetic and antiferromagnetic phases of electron spins on atomic lattices. More recently “soft” condensed matter systems including polymeric, colloidal and biological materials are also categorized in CMP.

CMP is frequently associated with materials research, an application-oriented interdisciplinary field which involves the study of the synthesis, properties, and structure of a wide range of materials, many of practical or technological importance. The field draws contributions from CMP, chemistry and engineering and, more recently, from biology.

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Princeton Quantum Initiative

Quantum Science and Engineering PhD Program

PQI is launching a new PhD program in Quantum Science and Engineering, accepting applications in Fall 2023.

Find full information about the program structure and requirements  from Princeton Graduate School. The application for the program can be found through the Graduate School portal .

The PhD program in Quantum Science and Engineering provides graduate training in a new discipline at the intersection of quantum physics and information theory. Just as the 20th century witnessed a technological and scientific revolution ushered in by our newfound understanding of quantum mechanics, the 21st century now offers the promise of a new class of technologies and lines of scientific inquiry that take full advantage of the more fragile and intricate consequences of quantum mechanics: coherent superposition, projective measurement, and entanglement. This field has broad implications ranging from many-body physics and the creation of new forms of matter to our understanding of the emergence of the classical world and our basic understanding of space and time.  It enables fundamentally new technological applications, including new types of computers that can solve currently intractable problems, communication channels whose security is guaranteed by the laws of physics, and sensors that offer unprecedented sensitivity and spatial resolution.

The Princeton Quantum Science and Engineering community is unique in its interdisciplinary breadth combined with foundational research in quantum information and quantum matter. Research at Princeton comprises every layer of the quantum technology stack, bringing together many body physics, materials, devices, new quantum hardware platforms, quantum information theory, metrology, algorithms, complexity theory, and computer architecture. This vibrant environment allows for rapid progress at the frontiers of quantum science and technology, with cross pollination among quantum platforms and approaches. The research community strongly values interdisciplinarity, collaboration, depth, and fostering a close-knit community that enables fundamental and impactful advances.

Our curriculum places students in an excellent position to build new quantum systems, discover new technological innovations, become leaders in the emergent quantum industry, and make deep, lasting contributions to quantum information science. The QSE graduate program aims to provide a strong foundation of fundamentals through a three-course core, as well as opportunities to explore the frontiers of current research through electives. First year students are also required to take a seminar course that is associated with the Princeton Quantum Colloquium, in which they closely read the associated literature and discuss the papers. Our curriculum has a unique emphasis on learning how to read and understand current literature over a large range of topics. The curriculum is complemented by many opportunities at PQI for scientific interaction and professional development. A major goal of the program is to help form a tight-knit graduate student cohort that spans disciplines and research topics, united by a common language. 

Most students enter the program with an undergraduate degree in physics, electrical engineering, computer science, chemistry, materials science, or a related discipline. When you apply, you should indicate what broad research areas you are interested in: Quantum Systems Experiment, Quantum Systems Theory, Quantum Materials Science, or Quantum Computer Science.

• Doing a PhD in Physics
• Doing a PhD

What Is It Like to Do a PhD in Physics?

Physics is arguably the most fundamental scientific discipline and underpins much of our understanding of the universe. Physics is based on experiments and mathematical analysis which aims to investigate the physical laws which make up life as we know it.

Due to the large scope of physics, a PhD project may focus on any of the following subject areas:

• Thermodynamics
• Cosmology and Astrophysics
• Nuclear Physics
• Solid State Physics
• Condensed matter Physics
• Particle Physics
• Quantum mechanics
• Computational Physics
• Theoretical Physics
• Electromagnetism and photonics
• Molecular physics
• And many more

Compared to an undergraduate degree, PhD courses involve original research which, creates new knowledge in a chosen research area. Through this you will develop a detailed understanding of applicable techniques for research, become an expert in your research field, and contribute to extending the boundaries of knowledge.

During your postgraduate study you will be required to produce a dissertation which summarises your novel findings and explains their significance. Postgraduate research students also undertake an oral exam, known as the Viva, where you must defend your thesis to examiners.

Browse PhDs in Physics

Decoherence due to flux noise in superconducting qubits at microkelvin temperatures, in-situ disposal of cementitious wastes at uk nuclear sites, coventry university postgraduate research studentships, discovery of solid state electrolytes using deep learning, observing the black hole mergers in the early universe with next-generation gravitational wave observatories, hear from phd students and doctorates:.

To get a better perspective of what life is really like doing a Physics PhD, read the interview profiles below, from those that have been there before, and are there now:

How Long Does It Take to Get a PhD in Physics?

The typical full-time programme has a course length of 3 to 4 years . Most universities also offer part-time study . The typical part-time programme has a course length of 5 to 7 years.

The typical Physics PhD programme sees PhD students study on a probationary basis during their first year. Admission to the second year of study and enrolment onto the PhD programme is subject to a successful first year review. The format of this review varies across organisations but commonly involves a written report of progress made on your research project and an oral examination.

Additional Learning Modules:

Most Physics PhD programme have no formal requirement for students to attend core courses. There are, however, typically several research seminars, technical lectures, journal clubs and other courses held within the Physics department that students are expected to attend.

Research seminars are commonly arranged throughout your programme to support you with different aspects of your study, for example networking with other postgraduates, guidelines on working with your supervisor, how to avoid bias in independent research, tips for thesis writing, and time management skills.

Doctoral training and development workshops are commonly organised both within and outside of the department and aim to develop students’ transferrable skills (for example communication and team working). Information on opportunities for development that exist within the University and explored and your post doctorate career plans will be discussed.

Lectures run by department staff and visiting scholars on particular subject matters relevant to your research topic are sometimes held, and your supervisor (or supervisory committee) is likely to encourage you to attend.

Typical Entry Requirements:

A UK Physics PhD programme normally requires a minimum upper second-class (2:1) honours undergraduate or postgraduate degree (or overseas equivalent) in physics, or a closely related subject. Closely related subjects vary depending on projects, but mathematics and material sciences are common. Graduate students with relevant work experience may also be considered.

Funded PhD programmes (for examples those sponsored by Doctoral Training Partnerships or by the university school) are more competitive, and hence entry requirements tend to be more demanding.

English Language Requirements:

Universities typically expect international students to provide evidence of their English Language ability as part of their applications. This is usually benchmarked by an IELTS exam score of 6.5 (with a minimum score of 6 in each component), a TOEFL (iBT) exam score 92, a CAE and CPE exam score of 176 or another equivalent. The exact score requirements for the different English Language Qualifications may differ across different universities.

Tips to Improve Your Application:

If you are applying to a Physics PhD, you should have a thorough grasp of the fundamentals of physics, and also appreciate the concepts within the focus of your chosen research topic. Whilst you should be able to demonstrate this through either your Bachelors or Master’s degree, it is also beneficial to also be able to show this through extra-curricular engagement, for example attending seminars or conferences. This will also get across your passion for Physics – a valuable addition to your application as supervisors are looking for committed students.

It is advisable to make informal contact with the project supervisors for any positions you are interested in prior to applying formally. This is a good chance for you to understand more about the Physics department and project itself. Contacting the supervisor also allows you to build a rapport, demonstrate your interest, and see if the project and potential supervisor are a good fit for you. Some universities require you to provide additional evidence to support your application. These can include:

• University certificates and transcripts (translated to English if required)
• Academic CV
• Covering Letter
• English certificate – for international students

How Much Does a Physics PhD Degree Typically Cost?

Annual tuition fees for a PhD in Physics in the UK are approximately £4,000 to £5,000 per year for home (UK) students and are around £22,000 per year for overseas students. This, alongside the standard range in tuition fees that you can expect, is summarised below:

Note: The EU students are considered International from the start of the 2021/22 academic year.

Due to the experimental nature of Physics programmes, research students not funded by UK research councils may also be required to pay a bench fee . Bench fees are additional fees to your tuition, which covers the cost of travel, laboratory materials, computing equipment or resources associated with your research. For physics research students in particular this is likely to involve training in specialist software, laboratory administration, material and sample ordering, and computing upkeep.

What Specific Funding Opportunities Are There for A PhD in Physics?

As a PhD applicant, you may be eligible for a loan of up to £25,700. You can apply for a PhD loan if you’re ordinarily resident in the UK or EU, aged 60 or under when the course starts and are not in receipt of Research Council funding.

Research Councils provide funding for research in the UK through competitive schemes. These funding opportunities cover doctoral students’ tuition fees and sometimes include an additional annual maintenance grant. The Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) is a government agency that funds scientific research in the UK. Applications for EPSRC funding should be made directly to the EPSRC, but some Universities also advertise EPSRC funded PhD studentships on their website. The main funding body for Physics PhD studentships is EPSRC’s group on postgraduate support and careers, which has responsibility for postgraduate student support.

The Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC) funds a large range of projects in Physics and Astronomy. To apply for funding students must locate the relevant project, contact the host institution for details of the postdoctoral researcher they wish to approach and then apply directly to them.

You can use DiscoverPhD’s database to search for a PhD studentship in Physics now.

What Specific Skills Will You Get from a PhD in Physics?

PhD doctorates possess highly marketable skills which make them strong candidates for analytical and strategic roles. The following skills in particular make them attractive prospects to employers in research, finance and consulting:

• Strong numerical skills
• Strong analytical skills
• Laboratory experience
• Application of theoretical concepts to real world problems

Aside from this, postgraduate students will also get transferable skills that can be applied to a much wider range of careers. These include:

• Excellent oral and written communication skills
• Great attention to detail
• Collaboration and teamwork
• Independent thinking

What Jobs Can I Get with a PhD in Physics?

The wide range of specialties within Physics courses alone provides a number of job opportunities, from becoming a meteorologist to a material scientist. However, one of the advantages Physics doctorates have over other doctorates is their studies often provide a strong numerical and analytical foundation. This opens a number of career options outside of traditional research roles. Examples of common career paths Physics PostDocs take are listed below:

Academia – A PhD in Physics is a prerequisite for higher education teaching roles in Physics (e.g. University lecturer). Many doctorates opt to teach and supervise students to continue their contribution to research. This is popular among those who favour the scientific nature of their field and wish to pursue theoretical concepts.

PostDoc Researcher – Other postdoctoral researchers enter careers in research, either academic capacity i.e. researching with their University, or in industry i.e. with an independent organisation. Again, this is suited to those who wish to continue learning, enjoy collaboration and working in an interdisciplinary research group, and also offers travel opportunities for international conferences.

Astronomy – Astronomers study the universe and often work with mathematical formulas, computer modelling and theoretical concepts to predict behaviours. A PhD student in this field may work as astrobiologists, planetary geologists or government advisors.

Finance – As mentioned previously, analytical and numerical skills are the backbone of the scientific approach, and the typical postgraduate research programme in Physics is heavily reliant on numeracy. As such, many PostDocs are found to have financial careers. Financial roles typically offer lucrative salaries.

Consulting – Consulting firms often consider a doctoral student with a background in Physics for employment as ideal for consultancy, based on their critical thinking and strategic planning skills.

How Much Can You Earn with A PhD in Physics?

Data from the HESA is presented below which presents the salary band of UK domiciled leaver (2012/13) in full-time paid UK employment with postgraduate qualifications in Physical Studies:

With a doctoral physics degree, your earning potential will mostly depend on your chosen career path. Due to the wide range of options, it’s impossible to provide an arbitrary value for the typical salary you can expect. However, if you pursue one of the below paths or enter their respective industry, you can roughly expect to earn:

Academic Lecturer

• Approximately £30,000 – £35,000 starting salary
• Approximately £40,000 with a few years experience
• Approximately £45,000 – £55,000 with 10 years experience
• Approximately £60,000 and over with significant experience and a leadership role. Certain academic positions can earn over £80,000 depending on the management duties.

Actuary or Finance

• Approximately £35,000 starting salary
• Approximately £45,000 – £55,000 with a few years experience
• Approximately £70,000 and over with 10 years experience
• Approximately £180,000 and above with significant experience and a leadership role.

Aerospace or Mechanical Engineering

• Approximately £28,000 starting salary
• Approximately £35,000 – £40,000 with a few years experience
• Approximately £60,000 and over with 10 years experience

Data Analyst

• Approximately £45,000 – £50,000 with a few years experience
• Approximately £90,000 and above with significant experience and a leadership role.

Geophysicist

• Approximately £28,000 – £35,000 starting salary
• Approximately £40,000 – £65,000 with a few years’ experience
• Approximately £80,000 and over with significant experience and a leadership role

Medical Physicist

• Approximately £27,500 – £30,000 starting salary
• Approximately £30,000 – £45,000 with a few years’ experience
• Approximately £50,000 and over with significant experience and a leadership role

Meteorologist

• Approximately £20,000 – £25,000 starting salary
• Approximately £25,000 – £35,000 with a few years’ experience
• Approximately £45,000 and over with significant experience and a leadership role

Again, we stress that the above are indicative values only. Actual salaries will depend on the specific organisation and position and responsibilities of the individual.

UK Physics PhD Statistics

The Higher Education Statistics Agency has an abundance of useful statistics and data on higher education in the UK. We have looked at the data from the Destination of Leavers 2016/17 survey to provide information specific for Physics Doctorates:

The graph below shows the destination of 2016/17 leavers with research based postgraduate qualifications in physical sciences. This portrays a very promising picture for Physics doctorates, with 92% of leavers are in work or further study.

The table below presents the destination (sorted by standard industrial classification) of 1015 students entering employment in the UK with doctorates in Physical Studies, from 2012/13 to 2016/17. It can be seen that PhD postdocs have a wide range of career paths, though jobs in education, professional, scientific and technical activities, and manufacturing are common.

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Stanford Biomedical Physics (BMP) PhD Program

Medical Physics Track Under BMP PhD Program

Program Overview

The Departments of Radiology and Radiation Oncology are proud to offer a new PhD program in Biomedical Physics (BMP). This program, supported by and integrating faculty from these two departments, was formally approved by the university in May 2021 and welcomed its first class of students in fall 2022. This program aims to offer unique interdisciplinary training in physics and engineering applied to solve clinical problems. This burgeoning translational field integrates topics including medical physics, diagnostic imaging, and molecular imaging and diagnostics. Synergistic with multiple departments and institutes from the School of Medicine, Engineering, and Humanities and Sciences, the BMP program leverages Stanford’s outstanding faculty, research, and resources to create a world-class training program. It targets physics, bioscience, and engineering students seeking to become the next generation of leaders focused on addressing the technical challenges of clinical medicine.

Students admitted to the BMP PhD program can choose to complete a CAMPEP curriculum that will allow them to pursue medical physics residencies and certification by the American Board of Radiology (ABR) in preparation for a career in clinical physics. This subtrack of BMP is offered in collaboration with the Medical Physics Certificate Program.

Admission Requirements and Process

Prerequisites

All students pursuing the BMP PhD program will have to complete the requirements for the BMP PhD program. Undergraduates with a major or minor in physics or equivalent of a minor in physics are encouraged to apply if interested in pursuing the Medical Physics Track.

Degree Requirements

• The Medical Physics Track follows the BMP PhD degree requirement described on Stanford Bulletin , but with different course requirements. In addition to 3 listed core courses, students are required to finish 4 more courses including:
• BMP 251 Medical Physics and Dosimetry
• BMP 252 Radiation Therapy Physics
• BMP 269A Medical Imaging Systems l, and
• BMP 269B Medical Imaging Systems lI

Students must complete the BMP requirements and also take the required CAMPEP courses.

Medical Physics CAMPEP students

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Admissions and Graduation Data

Why Interdisciplinary Research Deserves Your Attention

Centuries ago, all scientists were interdisciplinary. we can learn from that approach today..

A few years ago, I gave a talk at a university’s physics department about my “alternative” career. I was the editor for a physics magazine, and I frequently got requests to explain how — and why — I left active research.

After the talk, my host leaned on the podium and, with eyebrow raised, said, “So, you traded depth for breadth?” He was right: I was happier knowing a bit about many topics than a lot about just one. Seeing the connections between research — from the impossibly fine precision of nanotechnology to the mysteries of dark matter — made me feel closer to science, and it was one of the reasons I left what had become an overly specialized science career.

I’m sharing this story because it explains why I find interdisciplinary research so attractive. Whether you think of it as applying the tools of one field to understand another, or discovering problems that only live at the boundaries of different fields, there’s a need to think broadly, see a problem from multiple angles, and collaborate. You can’t get locked into a narrow view. Instead, diverse scientific perspectives need to work seamlessly together.

The challenges facing us are too complex to solve with a single viewpoint. Look, for example, at the National Academy of Engineering’s “Grand Challenges” list : making solar energy economical, advancing health informatics, developing carbon sequestration methods, and more. Not a single one could be solved within one discipline. One of the biggest research funding agencies in the U.S. — the National Science Foundation — prioritizes interdisciplinary work , noting that “support of interdisciplinary research and education is essential for accelerating scientific discovery and preparing a workforce that addresses scientific challenges in innovative ways.”

Specialized, field-specific research is, of course, still essential. Without that specialist focus, we wouldn’t have the knowledge base to tackle big problems. The ideal interdisciplinary team of the future will need to have a mixture of these specialists and researchers who can build connections between them. That connector-builder is a special skill because you need to speak the languages of many fields and ask questions that pull people into new ways of thinking.

Another reason to champion interdisciplinary research is that it can prepare students for fulfilling careers in various sectors of the workforce. Interdisciplinary research is inherently relatable, and that simple fact can be a compelling reason to choose science as a profession. Returning to the grand challenges list, you see things like making better medicines, understanding the brain, or improving how we learn. These are problems that matter to humans, and solving them can be a fulfilling career.

And careers in various sectors are increasingly valuing interpersonal skills like communication, collaboration, and team building. In recent years, close to a third of U.S. physics Ph.D.s who remained in the U.S. went into the private sector within a year of earning their doctorates. Large fractions of Ph.D.s in other science and engineering fields are finding jobs in the private sector as well. Working within an interdisciplinary team trains you to think broadly and collaboratively — desirable skills wherever you work, and especially valued in the private sector. Encouraging those skills through interdisciplinary projects at the graduate school level allows universities to better prepare their students for their careers.

I love physics because it trains you to simplify complicated problems to their essence. That simplifying mindset is an asset. But the joke about physicists is that they sometimes take the simplification too far — using a sphere to model a porcupine. Meaningful approaches to solving a problem require the expertise of environmentalists, biologists, doctors, engineers, and so on to know where that simplifying is okay and where it’s not. For a physicist, that means learning not only a new language but even a new mindset about how to add detail to theory.

We see that intersection occurring at the interface between physics and biology. Traditional areas of physics — like mechanics, collective motion, complexity, statistical physics, and fluid dynamics — are merging with fundamental questions in biology, like cell migration, cell motility, epidemiology, and population dynamics. Universities and research labs are creating centers to support interdisciplinary work. At the American Physical Society, we launched a new journal, PRX Life , in 2023 to feature exactly that kind of research.

Another interdisciplinary avenue is the intersection of materials discovery with artificial intelligence. Researchers have nosed around for new materials for decades, using theory and intuition to identify the right blend and arrangement of atomic elements. They then painstakingly tweak the recipe. That approach led to high-temperature superconductors and the materials used in airplanes and lightweight batteries. Today, AI is able to predict hundreds of thousands of new materials at once — a scale far beyond what humans were able to do before. The people who predict and search for materials must work with those who know how to design and train these AI tools to fully take advantage of this new technology.

Finding research outside of your specialty isn’t necessarily hard, but you have to make the time to look. One tip is to skip your department colloquium every once in a while for a seminar in another area. Science journalists also offer a lot of great stuff to read. The APS online magazine, Physics , makes a point of highlighting interdisciplinary research for its readers. All of the articles are free, and there’s a mixture of easy reading and more in-depth analysis of new results.

Published research is easier to find now that more of it is available in open-access journals, which don’t require a subscription to read. Two journals from APS — Physical Review X and Physical Review Research — offer exclusively open-access studies that cover all of physics and research that physics touches. Anyone can check out the cool stuff that editors have labeled “interdisciplinary physics” in PRX . The list includes new approaches to understanding cancer cells, climate, and animal behavior.

A thousand years ago, all scientists were interdisciplinary. Now, we’re in a new era where specialists need to diversify. There’s inertia to doing that because it means moving out of your comfort zone and often learning a new language and way of thinking. That’s the challenge — and appeal — of working in any diverse group.

From SWE Magazine ©2024. Reprinted with permission from the Society of Women Engineers

Jessica Thomas

Jessica Thomas is the executive editor at APS.

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Abstract: National Science Foundation (NSF) funded Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REUs) are explicitly intended to reach minoritized students in STEM and those who have few research opportunities. Many undergraduates are encouraged to seek them out, but their actual efficacy is not well-established, and the out-of-state travel required for many attendees may prove a significant barrier for the very students REUs wish to reach. We interviewed physics graduate students who attended REUs as undergrauates, focusing on how the REUs benefitted them, barriers they faced attending REUs, and their relationship with their REU mentors. Interviewees reported benefits that aligned with the NSF goals: skills, enculturation, and knowledge they had not received in their undergraduate institutions. They also reported financial barriers they faced which they were able to overcome due to their financial privilege. Participants also reported widely varying experiences with their mentors. Some mentors did and some did not meet their mentees where they were at in their career and skill levels. Some students did not know how to approach their mentors with their questions or needs.

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Professor James Kakalios   has been appointed   as the new department head for the School of Physics and Astronomy. Kakalios started his five-year term on July 1, 2024.

Since joining the School of Physics and Astronomy in 1988, Kakalios has built a research program in experimental condensed matter physics, with particular emphasis on complex and disordered systems. His research ranges from the nano to the neuro with experimental investigations of the electronic and optical properties of nanostructured semiconductors and fluctuation phenomena in neurological systems.

During his time at the University of Minnesota, Kakalios has served as both director of undergraduate studies and director of graduate studies. He has received numerous awards and professorships including the University’s Taylor Distinguished Professorship, Andrew Gemant Award from the American Institute of Physics, and the Award for Public Engagement with Science from the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). He is a fellow of both the American Physical Society and AAAS. 

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His research focuses on polymer physics and microfluidics, with applications in self-assembly and biotechnology. He is particularly well known for his integrated experimental and computational work on DNA confinement in nanochannels and its application towards genome mapping. Dorfman’s research has been recognized by numerous national awards including the AIChE Colburn Award, Packard Fellowship in Science and Engineering, NSF CAREER Award, and DARPA Young Faculty Award.

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Ghate’s research in optimization spans areas as varied as health care, transportation and logistics, manufacturing, economics, and business analytics. He also served as a principal research scientist at Amazon working on supply chain optimization technologies. 

Ghate received bachelor’s and master’s degrees, both in chemical engineering, from the Indian Institute of Technology. He also received a master’s degree in management science and engineering from Stanford University and a Ph.D. in industrial and operations engineering from the University of Michigan.

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Professor Chris Hogan has been appointed as the new department head for the Department of Mechanical Engineering. Hogan started his five-year term on July 1, 2024.

Hogan, who currently holds the Carl and Janet Kuhrmeyer Chair, joined the University of Minnesota in 2009, and since then has taught fluid mechanics and heat transfer to nearly 1,000 undergraduates, advised 25+ Ph.D. students and postdoctoral associates, and served as the department’s director of graduate studies from 2015-2020. He most recently served as associate department head. 

He is a leading expert in particle science with applications including supersonic-to-hypersonic particle impacts with surfaces, condensation and coagulation, agricultural sprays, and virus aerosol sampling and control technologies. He has authored and co-authored more than 160 papers on these topics. He currently serves as the editor-in-chief of the Journal of Aerosol Science . Hogan received the University of Minnesota College of Science and Engineering’s George W. Taylor Award for Distinguished Research in 2023.

Hogan holds a bachelor’s degree Cornell University and a Ph.D. from Washington University in Saint Louis.

Rhonda Zurn, College of Science and Engineering,  [email protected]

University Public Relations,  [email protected]

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• NEWS FEATURE
• 09 July 2024
• Correction 12 July 2024

How PhD students and other academics are fighting the mental-health crisis in science

• Shannon Hall

You can also search for this author in PubMed   Google Scholar

Illustration: Piotr Kowalczyk

You have full access to this article via your institution.

On the first day of her class, Annika Martin asks the assembled researchers at the University of Zurich in Switzerland to roll out their yoga mats and stand with their feet spread wide apart. They place their hands on their hips before swinging their torsos down towards the mat and back up again. The pose, called ‘wild goose drinking water’ is from Lu Jong, a foundational practice in Tantrayana Buddhism.

Martin, a health psychologist, can sense that some students are sceptical. They are academics at heart, many of whom have never tried yoga, and registered for Martin’s course to learn how to deal with the stress associated with academic research. Over the course of a semester, she teaches her students about stress and its impact on the body before giving them the tools to help cope with it — from yoga, meditation and progressive muscle relaxation to journalling.

It is one of many initiatives designed to combat the mental-health crisis that is gripping science and academia more broadly. The problems are particularly acute for students and early-career researchers, who are often paid meagre wages, have to uproot their lives every few years and have few long-term job prospects. But senior researchers face immense pressure as well. Many academics also experience harassment, discrimination , bullying and even sexual assault . The end result is that students and academics are much more likely to experience depression and anxiety than is the general population.

But some universities and institutions are starting to fight back in creative ways.

The beginning of a movement

The University of Zurich now offers academics several popular courses on mental health. Beyond Martin’s class, called ‘Mindfulness and Meditation’, one helps students learn how to build resilience and another provides senior researchers with the tools they need to supervise PhD candidates.

The courses are in high demand. “We have way more registrations than we have actual course spots,” says Eric Alms, a programme manager who is responsible for many of the mental-health courses at the University of Zurich. “I’m happy that my courses are so successful. On the other hand, it’s a sign of troubling times when these are the most popular courses.”

Several studies over the past few years have collectively surveyed tens of thousands of researchers and have documented the scope and consequences of science’s mental-health crisis.

In 2020, the biomedical research funder Wellcome in London, surveyed more than 4,000 researchers (mostly in the United Kingdom) and found that 70% felt stressed on the average work day . Specifically, survey respondents said that they felt intense pressure to publish — so much so that they work 50–60 hours per week, or more. And they do so for little pay, without a sense of a secure future. Only 41% of mid-career and 31% of early-career researchers said that they were satisfied with their career prospects in research.

The International Max Planck Research School for Intelligent Systems run bootcamps involving activities such as painting. Credit: Alejandro Posada

A survey designed by Cactus Communications , a science-communication and technology company headquartered in Mumbai, India, analysed the opinions of 13,000 researchers in more than 160 countries in 2020 and found that 37% of scientists experienced discrimination, harassment or bullying in their work environment. This was especially true for researchers from under-represented groups and was the case for 42% of female researchers, 45% of homosexual researchers and 60% of multiracial researchers.

Yet some experts are hopeful that there is change afoot. As well as the University of Zurich, several other institutions have started to offer courses on mental health. Imperial College London, for example, conducts more than two dozen courses, workshops and short webinars on topics as diverse as menstrual health and seasonal depression. Most of these have been running for at least five years, but several were developed in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. “At that time, the true dimension of the mental-health crisis in science was unveiled and potentially exacerbated by the lockdowns,” says Ines Perpetuo, a research-development consultant for postdocs and fellows at Imperial College London.

Desiree Dickerson, a clinical psychologist with a PhD in neuroscience who leads workshops at the University of Zurich, Imperial College London and other institutes around the world, says she has a heavier workload than ever before. “Before COVID, this kind of stuff wasn’t really in the spotlight,” she says. “Now it feels like it is gaining a solid foothold — that we are moving in the right direction.”

A mental-health crisis is gripping science — toxic research culture is to blame

Some of this change has been initiated by graduate students and postdocs. When Yaniv Yacoby was a graduate student in computer science at Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts, for example, he designed a course to teach the “hidden curriculum of the PhD”. The goal was to help students to learn how to succeed in science (often by breaking down preconceived ideas), while creating an inclusive and supportive community. An adapted form of that course is now offered by both Cornell University in Ithaca, New York, and the University of Washington in Seattle. And Yacoby has worked with other universities to develop single-session workshops to jump-start mental-health advocacy and normalize conversations about it in academia.

Similarly, Jessica Noviello, a planetary scientist at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, built a workshop series designed to target a key stressor for academics’ mental health: job insecurity, or specifically, the ability to find a job that aligns with career plans and life goals. She argues that most advisers lack experience outside academia, “making it hard for them to advise students about other career options”, and most institutes don’t have the resources to bring in outside speakers. Yet it is a key issue. The 2020 Wellcome survey found that nearly half of the respondents who had left research reported difficulty in finding a job.

So Noviello established the Professional Advancement Workshop Series (PAWS) in August 2021. The programme has run workshops and panel discussions about careers at national laboratories and in science journalism and media communications, science policy, data science, NASA management and more. And it has hosted two sessions on mental-health topics. “PAWS isn’t a programme that specifically set out to improve mental health in the sciences, but by building a community and having conversations with each other, the experts, and ourselves, I think we are giving ourselves tools to make choices that benefit us, and that is where mental health begins,” Noviello says.

Beyond the classroom

Although these courses and workshops mark a welcome change, say researchers, many wonder whether they are enough.

Melanie Anne-Atkins, a clinical psychologist and the associate director of student experience at the University of Guelph in Canada, who gives talks on mental health at various universities, says that she rarely sees universities follow through after her workshops. “People are moved to tears,” she says. “But priorities happen afterward. And even though they made a plan, it never rises to that. Because dollars will always come first.”

David Trang, a planetary geologist based in Honolulu, Hawaii, at the Space Science Institute, is currently working towards a licence in mental-health counselling to promote a healthier work environment in the sciences. He agrees with Anne-Atkins — arguing that even individual researchers have little incentive to make broad changes. “Caring about mental health, caring about diversity, equity and inclusion is not going to help scientists with their progress in science,” he says. Although they might worry about these matters tremendously, Trang argues, mental-health efforts won’t help scientists to win a grant or receive tenure. “At the end of the day, they have to care about their own survival in science.”

Still, others argue that these workshops are a natural and crucial first step — that people need to de-stigmatize these topics before moving forward. “It is quite a big challenge,” Perpetuo says. “But you have to understand what’s under your control. You can control your well-being, your reactions to things and you can influence what’s around you.”

PhD students compete in a team-building relay race at a bootcamp run by the International Max Planck Research School for Intelligent Systems. Credit: Alejandro Posada

That is especially pertinent to the typical scientist who tends to see their work as a calling and not just a job, argues Nina Effenberger, who is studying computer science at the University of Tübingen in Germany. The Wellcome survey found that scientists are often driven by their own passion — making failure deeply personal. But a solid mental-health toolkit (one that includes the skills taught in many of the new workshops) will help them to separate their work from their identity and understand that a grant denial or a paper rejection is not the end of their career. Nor should it have any bearing on their self-worth, Effenberger argues. It is simply a part of a career in science.

Moreover, Dickerson argues that although systemic change is necessary, individuals will drive much of that change. “My sense is that if I can empower the individual, then that individual can also push back,” she says.

Many researchers are starting to do just that through efforts aimed at improving working conditions for early-career researchers, an area of widespread concern. The Cactus survey found that 38% of researchers were dissatisfied with their financial situation. And another survey of 3,500 graduate students by the US National Science Foundation in 2020 (see go.nature.com/3xbokbk) found that more than one-quarter of the respondents experienced food insecurity, housing insecurity or both.

In the United States, efforts to organize unions have won salary increases and other benefits, such as childcare assistance, at the University of California in 2022, Columbia University in New York City in 2023 and the University of Washington in 2023. These wins are part of a surge in union formation. Last year alone, 26 unions representing nearly 50,000 graduate students, postdocs and researchers, formed in the United States.

There has also been collective action in other countries. In 2022, for example, graduate students ran a survey on their finances, and ultimately won an increase in pay at the International Max Planck Research School for Intelligent Systems (IMPRS-IS), an interdisciplinary doctoral programme within the Max Planck Society in Munich, Germany.

Why the mental cost of a STEM career can be too high for women and people of colour

Union drives are only part of the changes that are happening beyond the classroom. In the past few years, Imperial College London has revamped its common rooms, lecture halls and other spaces to create more places in which students can congregate. “If they have a space where they can go and chat, it is more conducive to research conversations and even just personal connection, which is one of the key aspects of fostering mental health,” Perpetuo says. Imperial also introduced both one-day and three-day voluntary retreats for postdocs and fellows to build personal relationships.

The IMPRS-IS similarly runs ‘bootcamps’ or retreats for many of its doctoral students and faculty members. Dickerson spoke at the one last year. The programme also mandates annual check-ins at which students can discuss group dynamics and raise any issues with staff. It has initiated thesis advisory committees so that no single academic supervisor has too much power over a student. And it plans to survey its students’ mental health twice a year for the next three years to probe the mental health of the institute. The institute has even set various mental-health goals, such as high job satisfaction among PhD students regardless of gender.

Dickerson applauds this change. “One of the biggest problems that I see is a fear of measuring the problem,” she says. “Many don’t want to ask the questions and I think those that do should be championed because I think without measuring it, we can’t show that we are actually changing anything.”

She hopes that other universities will follow suit and provide researchers with the resources that they need to improve conditions. Last year, for example, Trang surveyed the planetary-science community and found that imposter syndrome and feeling unappreciated were large issues — giving him a focus for many future workshops. “We’re moving slowly to make changes,” he says. “But I’m glad we are finally turning the corner from ‘if there is a problem’ to ‘let’s start solving the problem.’”

Nature 631 , 496-498 (2024)

doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-024-02225-8

Updates & Corrections

Correction 12 July 2024 : An earlier version of this story incorrectly said that Nina Effenberger was involved in a survey on graduate-student finances that won an increase in pay.

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Kenyan crop contamination outbreak inspires grad student to improve rice storage

by Maddie Johnson, University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture

While half the global population relies on rice as a staple, about 15% of rice produced each year is contaminated by potentially fatal aflatoxins. Seeing this threaten lives in her home country of Kenya prompted a graduate research assistant to focus on eradicating the risk through safer storage methods.

Faith Ouma, a Ph.D. student in the food science department at the University of Arkansas, was the lead author of " Investigating safe storage conditions to mitigate aflatoxin contamination in rice ." It was published in the journal Food Control .

Ouma completed her undergraduate studies in biochemistry in Kenya before earning a master's and pursuing a doctoral degree at the University of Arkansas. Her study was conducted through the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station, the research arm of the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture. The food science department is part of the Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences.

When exposed to poor storage conditions such as high temperatures and humidity, rice can become contaminated with fungi. Fungi can then produce naturally occurring toxic compounds called mycotoxins though researchers have yet to discover why they create the toxins.

Aflatoxins, a family of mycotoxins, are poisonous compounds that have been designated by the International Agency for Research on Cancer as Group 1 carcinogens, meaning there is sufficient evidence they can cause cancer in humans. Aflatoxins also pose a greater risk to children by threatening their immune systems and growth.

"Aflatoxins in the U.S. are not much of a big problem because of development," Ouma said. "But where I come from in Kenya, it is one of the hotspots. There was a time people died because they consumed corn contaminated with aflatoxins."

According to research published in 2020 by the Journal of Young Investigators, in 2004, Kenya saw the most extreme aflatoxin outbreak in the world, which included 317 cases and 125 deaths.

Griffiths Atungulu, food science associate professor and director of the Arkansas Rice Processing Program, serves as Ouma's adviser and co-author. Other co-authors included Kaushik Luthra, a food science postdoctoral fellow, and Abass Oduola, a former food science doctoral student.

The project is part of Ouma's larger research objective on the safety of ready-to-eat rice products, such as instant rice, that she will maintain as she pursues her doctorate. For her rice safety research, she earned the first-place award from the Arkansas Association for Food Protection for her poster in the Interventions, Pre- and Post-Harvest division in 2022. She was also recognized as outstanding presenter at the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers Annual International Meeting for her oral presentation the same year.

Aflatoxin contamination poses an even greater risk with products such as instant rice and rice cakes. Atungulu noted that a producer's window for mitigating this risk is in the early stages of rice processing. In later processing to create products such as instant rice and rice cakes, even high temperatures reaching 200 degrees Celsius, or 392 degrees Fahrenheit, won't eliminate aflatoxins once they are produced. Even if high temperatures were effective in destroying the aflatoxin, they would likely degrade nutritional quality.

"Once the toxin's been formed, the grain becomes almost useless," Atungulu said.

Investigating growth conditions

Researchers set out to understand how to prevent aflatoxin formation by measuring how temperature, humidity, storage time and moisture impacted the toxin's growth.

Rice from a farm in Hazen was collected and divided into rough, brown and milled rice fractions. Rough rice is unprocessed and still has its hull, or hard protective covering, while brown rice does not. Milled rice has its hull and bran layers removed. Samples of each type of rice were then divided into autoclaved, or steam-sterilized, and non-autoclaved. All samples were inoculated with Aspergillus flavus, a type of fungus that produces aflatoxins, and the team then tracked aflatoxin levels.

"We were looking at what the environments are that would make these fungi feel so confident to start producing the toxin," Atungulu said.

The researchers measured ergosterol, a substance in the fungus cell walls, and the quantity of Aflatoxin B1, a potent toxin linked to liver cancer and immune system suppression. Researchers found that temperature and relative humidity levels had the most significant impacts on fungal growth, and they had an even greater impact when present together. They also found that brown rice had notably high Aflatoxin B1 levels due to the fats in its bran, which can provide carbon for increased fungal growth and aflatoxin production.

Ouma's study showed that proper rice storage conditions to reduce aflatoxin risk after harvest include a temperature below 20 degrees Celsius, or 68 degrees Fahrenheit, and relative humidity below 75%. While the research involved careful measurements of fungal and aflatoxin levels at various temperatures, humidity levels, and other parameters, Ouma said she hopes the impact of her work is twofold.

"As much as I want to publish data, I also want to come up with something that can help solve a real-world problem when I go back home," Ouma said.

Provided by University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture

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Investigating the genesis of hurricanes

Quinton Lawton, who flew aboard a NASA DC-8 aircraft as part of a field campaign out of Cabo Verde to study aerosols and winds, studies Kelvin waves and their impact on tropical cyclone genesis.  Image courtesy of Quinton Lawton 

By Robert C. Jones Jr. [email protected] 07-12-2024

From afar, Quinton Lawton could only watch with angst as the first hurricane to strike the coast of his home state of Texas in nine years turned the communities of his childhood into muddy lakes. 

It was late August of 2017, and Lawton was an undergraduate living in College Station, Texas, watching video news feeds of the damage powerful Hurricane Harvey had wrought in his hometown of Houston, 95 miles away. 

“Many of the neighborhoods where I grew up were underwater, and the National Guard was staging rescue missions out of some of the schools I had attended,” he recalled. “My entire family was living in Houston, and all I could think about was helping in some way to mitigate the impacts of extreme weather on people and communities.” 

It was then that Lawton, long enamored with the field of meteorology, decided to immerse himself in tropical cyclone research. 

He completed his undergraduate studies in College Station in 2019, then discovered the world-class hurricane research program at the University of Miami Rosenstiel School of Marine, Atmospheric, and Earth Science . He moved to South Florida from the Lone Star State to pursue a Ph.D. in atmospheric sciences and delve deeply into the field of tropical cyclone genesis. 

“It’s still an area we struggle with—the timing of and how hurricanes form,” Lawton said. “We’ve gotten a lot better in track and intensity forecasts of hurricanes, and we’re getting a slightly better handle on rapid intensification. But hurricane genesis is still something that often takes us by surprise, especially when we look beyond a few days.” 

To help solve the conundrum, Lawton has looked closely at African easterly waves (AEWs), which propagate westward across the Atlantic Ocean and are a key factor in the formation of tropical cyclones and Atlantic hurricanes. “They’re the primary seed of storms that typically form in the Atlantic,” said Lawton, who recently published a study focusing on Kelvin waves and their impact on extreme weather events. 

Approximately 60 African easterly waves track across the Atlantic each year, but most never develop into tropical cyclones at all. 

Lawton wanted to get a better understanding of why. So, he has looked closely at how AEWs interact with other phenomena in the tropical atmosphere, one of those phenomena being convectively coupled Kelvin waves. 

Over 1,000 miles long, Kelvin waves travel in Earth’s atmosphere along the equator and significantly influence global rainfall patterns. Some scientists had long believed that they might affect African easterly waves, but prior to Lawton’s comprehensive Ph.D. studies on the subject, only a handful of studies explored that possibility. 

So, during the first phase of his doctoral research, Lawton used reanalysis data of past weather and climate to statistically isolate the role Kelvin waves play in affecting the strength of AEWs. He also conducted controlled experiments with an advanced weather model, testing whether he could strengthen or weaken Kelvin waves in a simulated format. 

“The end goal, of course, is that if we can understand the dynamics of these waves, we can build better forecasts and give communities and emergency managers better lead time to prepare,” said Lawton, a former recipient of a prestigious National Science Foundation (NSF) Graduate Research Fellowship. “But we’re equally interested in the role Kelvin waves play in the tropical weather system. In addition to affecting hurricanes, they also bring torrential rainfall and can contribute to major flooding events, especially in Africa.” 

Lawton has reported extensively on his findings. In a previous study , for example, he and his faculty advisor, Rosenstiel School professor of atmospheric sciences Sharanya Majumdar , explained how Kelvin waves can encourage tropical cyclone formation in the Atlantic. 

And in another, he collaborated with scientists from the NSF National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) to show how increased atmospheric moisture may alter critical weather patterns over Africa, making it more difficult for the predecessors of some Atlantic hurricanes to form. 

His work has taken him out into the field. As part of NASA’s recent Convective Processes Experiment airborne field campaign, conducted out of the West African island country of Cabo Verde, he assisted in investigating atmospheric dynamics, marine boundary layer properties, convection, the dust-laden Saharan air layer, and their interactions across various spatial scales. These efforts aim to improve the understanding and predictability of process-level lifecycles in the data-sparse tropical East Atlantic. 

“He thinks in great depth about scientific problems, always wanting to understand things to the best level that he possibly can,” Majumdar said of Lawton. 

Outreach has been just as important to Lawton as conducting research. He participated in the organization ’Canes on ’Canes during his time at the University, giving scientific talks focusing on meteorology to elementary, middle, and high school students as well as community residents. 

With his doctoral degree now secured, Lawton will soon begin a postdoctoral fellowship at NCAR, where he will continue his research in African easterly and Kelvin waves. “I’ll also explore more of the details of the atmospheric complexities that occur off the coast of Africa—work that has been inspired by the NASA field campaign in Cabo Verde,” he said. 

The physics of tropical cyclone genesis is an area of investigation without end, Lawton said. 

“It’s amazing to me even to this day, long after Hurricane Harvey and actually an earlier storm, Ike, that I experienced as an 11-year-old,” he said. “Hurricane Beryl is a great example of a humbling storm where you think you have all this knowledge, you think you know everything, yet it still finds a way to defy your expectations and to prove you wrong. And that’s because cyclone genesis is so complicated. We’ll discover something, but it will lead to five or six more questions.”

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