Two students using lab equipment in the School of Physics & Astronomy

Study

School of Physics & Astronomy lab equipment

Explore

School of Physics & Astronomy - news

  • 05 Dec

    Scotland celebrates 70 years of particle physics at CERN

    On Sunday 6th October, the particle-physics research groups the the University of Glasgow and University of Edinburgh came together at Dynamic Earth in Edinburgh to celebrate 70 years of the CERN laboratory, with family-friendly events, games and research displays.
  • 13 Jun

    Scottish schools collide with Glasgow particle physics

    The University of Glasgow's particle-physics research groups experiment and theory have hosted 120 secondary-school students and staff for a "masterclass" in the frontiers of physics.
  • 01 Feb

    Glasgow P&A researchers to work on Open MetaAnalysis in Particle Physics (OpenMA

    The CHIST-ERA consortium, a coordination and co-operation activity of national and regional research funding organisations mainly in Europe, has announced the Open MetaAnalysis in Particle Physics (OpenMAPP) project involving Glasgow P&A researchers as one of nine multinational projects in its Open and Re-usable Research Data and Software (ORD) activity area.
Full News listings

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 15

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

Complete University Guide
UK top 15

Complete University Guide [Physics & Astronomy]

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