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School of Physics & Astronomy - news

  • 15 Feb

    IGR MEMS gravimetry team

    Since building our first rapid prototype in December 2020, the MEMS group has fielded multiple devices around the world, under different partnerships and collaborations.
  • 31 Aug

    ISMD 2022 Conference

    The 51st meeting of the International Symposium on Multiparticle Dynamics was held in Pitlochry, Scotland from 1-5 August, two years after the meeting was originally meant to be hosted by the Universities of Glasgow and Edinburgh, and a year after the 50th edition was moved to a fully online form for the first (and hopefully only) time.
  • 30 Aug

    Fusion power for a resilient Scotland

    STEP – the Spherical Tokamak for Energy Production – will be built in the UK: the first fusion power station in the world. There is a chance that STEP will come to Ardeer, Ayrshire. It is on the shortlist of only 5 sites for the UK Government’s strategic investment in fusion, a decision is expected in Autumn 2022.
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We are proud of our record in both research and teaching. For several years the School has ranked in the top quartile of Russell Group UK Physics Departments in terms of our research income per academic FTE, and for many years the School has consistently scored highly for overall student satisfaction in the National Student Survey and other student barometers.

Our undergraduate and taught postgraduate courses and degree programmes are accredited by the Institute of Physics.

Studying with us offers you a fundamental understanding of the way the universe works, brings you to the forefront of technology, and provides the opportunity to work in world-leading research groups. Our outstanding research was recognised in the latest REF (2021) when 99% of our research was evaluated as ‘world-leading’ or ‘internationally excellent’.

Subject league tables

Times Good university guide
UK top 10

Times & Sunday Times Good University Guide [Physics & Astronomy]

Complete University Guide
UK top 15

Complete University Guide [Physics & Astronomy]

guardian newspaper
UK top 15

Guardian University Guide [Physics]

ShanghaiRanking of World Universities
World top 100

ShanghaiRanking's Global [Physics]

World-changing research

Discover some of Glasgow's world-changing Physics & Astronomy research.

Imaging experiment with laser and single pixel camera

Extreme Light

Imaging at a trillion frames per second allows us to see around corners and could even help read our thoughts

An artist's impression of the collision of two black holes to form an intermediate-mass black hole
An artist's impression of the collision of two black holes to form an intermediate-mass black hole

Most massive gravitational wave signal yet poses new mysteries

Wed, 02 Sep 2020 13:00:00 BST

The most massive gravitational-wave source yet has been detected – a binary black hole merger, which produced a blast equal to the energy of eight suns, sending shockwaves through the universe.

A photograph of the experimental setup for the 'twisted sound' experiment showing the ring of speakers
A photograph of the experimental setup for the 'twisted sound' experiment showing the ring of speakers

‘Twisted’ sound experiment helps confirm 50-year-old science theory

Mon, 22 Jun 2020 16:00:00 BST

A 50-year-old theory that began as speculation about how an alien civilisation could use a black hole to generate energy has been experimentally verified for the first time in a Glasgow research lab.

Gravitational waves

We were at the heart of one of the most exciting discoveries of the century, changing how we observe the universe.

Two versions of a phase image of two smiley faces side-by-side, which are a selection from the four images combined to create quantum holographs
Two versions of a phase image of two smiley faces side-by-side, which are a selection from the four images combined to create quantum holographs

Holography ‘quantum leap’ could revolutionise imaging

Thu, 04 Feb 2021 16:00:00 GMT

A new type of quantum holography which uses entangled photons to overcome the limitations of conventional holographic approaches could lead to improved medical imaging and speed the advance of quantum information science.

Engineers in cleansuits at the JWNC

James Watt Nanofabrication Centre

A profile of Glasgow's advanced facility for nano- and micro-fabrication.

University of Glasgow sign outside front entrance
University of Glasgow sign outside front entrance

UofG project will investigate impact of touch deprivation on deafblind community

Thu, 11 Mar 2021 09:00:00 GMT

A University of Glasgow collaborative research project will investigate the impact of touch deprivation on the deafblind community during the Covid pandemic.

Find out more: Glasgow Research Beacons: The Nano & Quantum World