Search within:
Edwards Accelerator Laboratory
Physics & Astronomy Department

Physics & Astronomy Department

Ranked Among the Best Global Universities for Physics

Ohio University is ranked among the Best Global Universities by U.S. News & World Report, with its physics program among the best in the world. Students explore yesterday, today and tomorrow in search of a deeper understanding of the natural world—from the mysteries of dark matter to the smallest machines possible, from the complexity of life to nature's strongest forces. 

Learn Why Physics & Astronomy Ranks!

140
Average number of 140 research articles published by faculty each year
$3.6 million
Average grant funding from external agencies each year
70
The average number of graduate students enrolled per year.

Explorations from Nano-Particles to the Stars

Our faculty and students leave a global footprint at national labs and research facilities around the world. 

They recently took the world's first X-ray of a single atom, helped DESI make the largest 3D map of our universe, and raced the world's tiniest monster truck made of just a few molecules.

More about Physics & Astronomy Research

Faculty Research Areas


Prospective graduate students or undergraduates interested in getting involved in research can explore our faculty research areas to find faculty working in areas that interest them.

Explore Faculty Research Areas

Facilities & Labs


Our researchers take advantage of the Edwards Accelerator Laboratory, Scanning Tunneling Microscopy, femtosecond lasers, and much more.

Physics & Astronomy Facilities

Centers & Institutes


Our students get hands-on experience working with faculty in the Astrophysical Institute, the Institute of Nuclear and Particle Physics, and the Institute of Nuclear and Particle Physics.

Physics & Astronomy Centers & Institutes

Alumni Success: Jairo Sinova Is 2026 European Physics Prize Co-Recipient

The 2026 Europhysics Prize of the EPS Condensed Matter Division was awarded to Jairo Sinova (Physics HTC’94) and co-recipients Dr. Libor Šmejkal and Prof. Tomas Jungwirth for "the discovery of altermagnetism, a third elementary magnetic class that combines ferromagnetic-like and antiferromagnetic-like characteristics considered for a century as mutually exclusive, and characteristics unprecedented in either of the two conventional magnetic classes," reports the European Physics Society. "This discovery has fundamentally changed the way we classify magnetic materials – requiring a rewriting of the introductory chapters of magnetism textbooks – and has launched an entirely new research field of unconventional magnetism with many implications in other areas of condensed matter physics."

About Their Discovery | Sinova Talks about His HTC Experience

Clippinger Laboratories
 

Alumni Success: Natalie Klco Wins CAREER & Lattice Field Theory Awards

Natalie Klco, BS HTC 2016, Assistant Professor of Physics at Duke University, received the 2026 Kenneth Wilson Award for Excellence in Lattice Field Theory at the 43rd International Symposium on Lattice Field Theory. This is the premier award in a branch of sub-atomic physics that involves computationally intensive simulations of fundamental particle interactions. She also received a prestigious National Science Foundation CAREER Award for her research "on the relationship between quantum information and the mathematical framework of quantum field theories," Duke reports.

About Her NSF CAREER Award | About the Wilson Award for Excellence

Natalie Klco

Prepare for Careers in High Tech, Industry, Research

Students studying physics and astronomy at OHIO get the experience they need to succeed in careers in science and technology, business and industry, government and public affairs—and even careers of the future that don't exist yet.

Physics & Astronomy Careers & Internships >

Amorphous graphite illustration

Alumni Engagement & Giving Opportunities

Alumni involvement drives innovation and impact in the Physics & Astronomy Department for both students and faculty. Explore the areas of highest need for our department, including undergraduate scholarships as well as travel funds and research support.

Physics & Astronomy Giving Opportunities

Physics & Astronomy Events

View All Events

INPP Seminar Series - Ruchi Mahajan, University of Kentucky Tuesday, October 20 4:00 PM — 5:00 PM Living Learning Center
NQPI Seminar 10/22/2026 - Pengpeng Zhang Thursday, October 22 4:10 PM — 5:00 PM Walter Hall