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Physics is an exciting, living, discipline that continually moves in new directions: biophysics, nanophysics, and experimental cosmology are all areas which did not exist until relatively recently. Some of the greatest challenges we now face, such as how to manage our dwindling resources of fossil fuels and how to control/mitigate global warming, require a deep understanding of physics. Additionally, with the recent turn-on of the Large Hadron Collider, we are on the threshold of a new era of particle physics.
The graduate physics program at Cornell is multidisciplinary, broad and congenial, and has access to superb facilities. Explore the links below to learn more.
Studying physics at Cornell is a gateway to your future. For our alumni, a degree from Cornell has opened doors to employment with companies like Apple, careers in law, and research and faculty positions across the globe. Our combination of first-class research facilities and congenial atmosphere provide our students with the best environment to learn theoretical and experimental physics. At Cornell there is no need to limit yourself to coursework within our department. Many of our students choose to expand their education with coursework and research in complementary fields like Astronomy, Engineering, Biology and Computer Science.
Enabled by a custom thermometer, Cornell researchers have observed superfluid fluctuation effects, possibly gaining new insight for quantum computing and the physics of the early universe.
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Cornell researchers contributed critical knowledge in the early days of the LCLS-II project.
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Physicist Carl Wieman will visit campus Sept. 25-29 as an A.D. White Professor-at-Large, working with students and faculty and offering a public talk about his work in science education.
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A NIH-funded project, led by Itai Cohen, professor of physics, will use the fruit fly to study how the brain processes multisensory information involved in flight, possibly offering insight into human neurological function.
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Eighty-four students have been selected as National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship Program (NSF GRFP) fellows in 2023, comprising the largest group of new fellows Cornell has ever fielded in one year.
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A team of Cornell researchers unexpectedly discovered the presence of a “quantum spin-glass” while conducting research designed to learn more about quantum algorithms.
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Our 34 new faculty will enrich the College of Arts & Sciences with creative ideas in a vast array of topics.
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