The Department of Physics & Astronomy is an international leader in physics innovation and education. With approximately 100 regular faculty members, adjuncts, research staff and post-doctoral fellows, we are committed to educating the next generation of physicists and astronomers, facilitating leading edge research that probes the big and unsolved questions of life and the universe, and developing practical solutions to existing problems.

Our undergraduate programs are designed to provide students with the core competence needed to apply basic physical principles to almost any technical challenge they may face in their diverse careers. At the same time, we strive to expose students to the latest and greatest developments in the field by offering a wide range of specialized talks, special laboratory projects, and through the curriculum itself.

Welcome Message to Students from Colin Gay, Professor and Head

More than 100 years have passed since the publication (in 1905) of Einstein's celebrated papers on relativity and the particle nature of light that changed our view of the universe and everything in it. During the past century, advanced technologies based on these and other fundamental physics concepts have allowed experimental physicists and astronomers to catalogue an elegant group of sub-atomic particles, and to quantify the makeup of our universe. These advances have defined new frontiers in physics that span the very limits of space and time, reaching from the very smallest particles in nature to the largest object (our universe) as well as everything in between. It is remarkable that the same physical principles govern the behaviour of everything around us; from spider silk, to a cell phone, to a neutron star. All students of Physics and Astronomy, which includes the faculty at UBC, strive to understand these underlying principles and exploit this understanding to further our quest for new knowledge, and to develop new technologies.

Our undergraduate programs are designed to provide students with the core competence needed to apply basic physical principles to almost any technical challenge they may face in their diverse careers. At the same time, we strive to expose students to the latest and greatest developments in the field by offering a wide range of specialized talks, special laboratory projects, and through the curriculum itself.

Our faculty consists of researchers interested in everything from string theory to ultrafast laser development, and includes cosmologists, medical physicists, and people developing a wide range of novel materials.

On behalf of the faculty and staff of UBC Physics and Astronomy, I welcome you to learn more about the undergraduate programs we offer, about the faculty, and the world class research facilities that are associated with our department. Please explore our website, and don’t hesitate to contact me or any of our faculty and staff if you wish more information.

If you are interested in being a student of Physics and Astronomy we would very much like to see you at UBC!