Columbia Physics Overview

Pupin Hall, home of the physics department

The Physics Department at Columbia prides itself in a long and distinguished history in diverse and transformational physics research, credited with more than 10 Nobel Prize winners since 1944. Today, with more than 40 faculty, 60 post-doctoral research scientists, 100 Ph.D. students, and 100 undergraduate physics majors, it is ranked among the top physics departments in the nation. 

The research programs pursued by its vibrant community in Condensed Matter and Atomic, Molecular and Optical (AMO) PhysicsAstrophysics, Gravitational Waves and Cosmology, Biology and Physics, and High Energy Nuclear and Particle Physics, provide a wide range of opportunities to engage in world-class physics and multi-disciplinary research. The Department's academic and research community also benefits from strong research collaborations with AstronomyBiology, Chemistry, Math and numerous departments in the Fu Foundation School of Engineering and Applied Science

The Department's on-campus research is carried out primarily in Pupin Hall, Schapiro Hall, and the Northwest Corner Building.  The department's Nevis Laboratories, located about 20 miles north of the Morningside campus, additionally house research groups in High Energy Particle Physics and Astrophysics. Faculty and students also carry out research at state-of-the-art facilities and laboratories around the world, including CERN in Geneva, Brookhaven National Lab, Gran Sasso National Laboratory and Fermi National Accelerator Lab