Department of Physics & Astronomy

The Department of Physics & Astronomy at UBC is noted for the excellence of its research and its high academic standards and integrity. We are one of the largest departments, and can offer a wide range of pure and applied research opportunities for students. Each year, our faculty bring over $20 million in research grants. This enables us to maintain world-class research laboratories and computational facilities, attract distinguished post-doctorate researchers, and support highly skilled engineers and technicians whose expertise is critical to our research.

We host a full range of presentations and seminars including many on current and emerging topics and technologies, and invite nationally and internationally renowned scientists to participate. We have weekly seminar series on Astronomy, Particle Physics, Condensed Matter, Biophysics, and Theoretical Physics. At our facilities at Vancouver General Hospital, TRIUMF, and AMPEL, seminars are held regularly for faculty and students.

59
Master's Students
139
Doctoral Students
44
Graduate Degrees Awarded

Research Supervisors

Name Research Interests
Aronson, Meigan heavy-ferromagnetic compounds; charge density waves; magnetic nanoparticles
Berciu, Mona Electronic and magnetic properties of condensed matter and supraconductivity; Physical sciences; condensed matter theory; polarons, bipolarons; strongly correlated systems
Boley, Aaron Astronomy and Astrophysics; Planet formation, protoplanetary disk evolution, formation of meteorite parent bodies
Bryman, Douglas Particle physics, experimental; Experimental Particle Physics; Applied physics; physics
Burke, Sarah Scanning probe microscopy, organic materials, nanoscale materials, surface physics, photovoltaics
Choptuik, Matthew Theoretical physics, Relativity/Computational Physics
Damascelli, Andrea Electronic and magnetic properties of condensed matter and supraconductivity; Electronic Structure of Quantum Materials
Dierker, Steve Physical sciences; Collective dynamics of condensed matter systems; Dependence on reduced dimensionality, strong interactions, disorder, and mesoscale structure
Folk, Joshua Physical sciences; 2D materials and Vanderwaals heterostructures; Quantum electronics; Thermodynamics of quantum systems; Strongly correlated phenomena; Topological phenomena; Quantum transport
Franz, Marcel Condensed matter theory
Gay, Colin Experimental subatomic physics, Beyond Standard Model physics, Extra dimensions
Gladman, Brett Astronomy, Planetary Science, meteorites, astrobiology, Solar system formation and evolution
Hallas, Alannah Condensed matter experiments; Solid state chemistry; Quantum materials; Materials design and discovery; magnetism; Disorder; superconductivity
Halpern, Mark Cosmology, Cosmic background radiation, history of star formation, measuring the geometry and contents of the Universe, satellites, balloon-borne telescopes, the physics of music, Physics of music, Cosmic Microwave Background, Physical Cosmology, Star formation history
Hasinoff, Michael Low-energy particle physics
Hearty, Christopher Particle physics, experimental; Experimental Particle Physics; e+e- collider; Physics beyond the Standard Model; Dark sector; dark matter
Heyl, Jeremy Astronomical and space sciences; Physical sciences; Astrophysics; Black Holes; Neutron Stars; quantum phenomena; Quantum-Field Theory; Stellar; Stellar Physics
Hickson, Paul cosmology, galaxies, telescopes, adaptive optics., Astronomy, astrophysics, Galaxies, clusters, instrumentation, adaptive optics
Hinshaw, Gary cosmology, cosmic background radiation, Cosmology, Measuring diffuse background radiations
Jones, David Atomic, optical and molecular physics,Ultrafast Optics, Spectroscopy
Karczmarek, Joanna Particle physics theory (including aspects of field theory and string theory); Physical sciences; Emergent spacetime and gravity; Matrix models; Noncommutative geometry; String theory
Kunimoto, Michelle exoplanet detection, characterization, and demographics
Lister, Alison Particle physics, experimental; Large Hadron Collier (LHC); ATLAS experiment; Search for physics beyond the standard model; top quarks; dark matter; Machine Learning; Long-lived particles
Madison, Kirk Atomic, molecular, and optical physics; Quantum sensors; Quantum Gases; Laser cooling; Bose-Einstein Condesation; Fermi-Degenerate Gases; Quantum optics; Laser physics
Man, Allison Cosmology and extragalactic astronomy; galaxy formation and evolution

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