Message from the department head: Welcome to the Physics and Astronomy Department at the University of British Columbia. We are a "full service" department of faculty, staff and students committed to serving Canada and the province of British Columbia by attracting and training outstanding local, national, and international students, and conducting forefront research that probes the big unsolved questions of life and the universe, and that provides practical solutions to earthly issues that impact the lives of everyone.

I encourage visitors to browse the information provided under the various links, to learn about the courses we offer, the research we conduct, the kudos our members have received, and descriptions of some major initiatives in the area of undergraduate education revision. For members of the general public, I particularly draw your attention to our Outreach link that describes annual and special events designed to be of interest to everyone.

Our undergraduate program offerings include Astronomy, Honours Biophysics, Engineering Physics, Majors Physics and Honours Physics and there are many opportunities for joint degrees with other departments and programs. We currently teach approximately 180 undergraduate Physics and Astronomy students in years 2-4, approximatley 240 Engineering Physics students in years 2-5, and over 3000 first year students destined for other programs. Our Graduate Program includes approximately 175 graduate students (roughly half MSc and half PhD), working on experiments and theory in research fields that include:

• Applied Physics
• Astronomy/Astrophysics
• Atomic/Molecular/Optics
• Biophysics
• Condensed Matter
• Cosmology
• Gravity
• Medical Physics
• Sub-atomic

We are very proud of our alumni, scattered around the globe, who have distinguished themselves in industry, the community, and academe.

Our faculty, which numbers ~ 50 professors and instructors, have won many awards for their research and teaching accomplishments, while they and our ~40 valued staff members have also received numerous awards for their outstanding service. The past decade has seen an almost complete turnover in faculty, so this is an exciting period of transition and new-growth.

We welcome feedback on our website, and of course we are happy to answer any questions you might have (please see the "Contacts" link).

Douglas Bonn
Professor and Head