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Academics

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.

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Graduate Program Overview Undergraduate Program Overview Current Course Offerings Research, Outreach and Teaching Opportunities

Graduate Study

The graduate physics program at Cornell is multidisciplinary, broad and congenial, and has access to superb facilities. Explore the links below to learn more.

Undergraduate Study

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.

Physics News

semi-realistic image of a human hand reaching toward a robot hand through a screen

Testing large language models on scientific literature

3/10/2026

Cornell physicists and Google researchers engaged a panel of 12 human experts to test the ability of six LLM systems to understand scientific literature at the level of a specialist.

Person holding a microphone near a large screen projecting a slide about "Joint disease across the species"

Nine students advance to 2026 3MT finals

3/10/2026

Neti Bhatt, physics is one of nine Cornell research degree students who will advance to the final round of the 2026 Three Minute Thesis competition (3MT).

Light bulb growing out of a circuitboard with "AI" glowing in its center

Experts to examine the use of generative AI in science

3/04/2026

The Assessing and Imagining the Impact of Generative AI on Science Symposium, March 3-5, will feature experts from across academia and industry engaging in discussions on the use and implications of generative AI.

Holding chaos at bay in the quantum world

2/27/2026

Researchers have found that quantum systems in a frozen state can be stabilized long enough to be a useful strategy for preserving information before it disappears.

Clock tower in foreground, snowy college campus in the distance, seen from above in low light

Five from Cornell named 2026 Sloan Research Fellows

2/18/2026

Five Cornell faculty members are among 126 early-career researchers across North America who have won 2026 Sloan Research Fellowships from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation.

11 new researchers become Eric and Wendy Schmidt AI in Science Postdoctoral Fellows

2/06/2026

Cornell researchers interested in diverse topics ranging from peptide engineering and cellular metabolites to quantum physics and sustainable computing are among the newest cohort selected by the Eric and Wendy Schmidt AI in Science Postdoctoral Fellows program.

Two students connecting wires on a lab table

CTI’s ‘Art of the Lab’ faculty panel to highlight creative approaches to instruction

2/06/2026

CTI’s “The Art of Teaching” series returns Feb. 11 with “The Art of the Lab.” Faculty panelists will share creative instructional approaches for designing student-centered laboratory experiences.

Cornell's central campus with lake beyond

Four on faculty to receive DOE early-career grants

2/03/2026

Four Cornell faculty members are among 99 researchers across the U.S. who have been awarded grants by the U.S. Department of Energy as part of its Office of Science Early Career Research Program.

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