UTK Department of Physics and Astronomy

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UTK Department of Physics and Astronomy

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From subatomic systems to supernovae, our faculty and students unravel the mysteries of the natural world.

We enjoy both a thriving campus environment and close ties to nearby Oak Ridge National Laboratory. Our research began in the 1930s with one spectrometer and has evolved into studies of complex materials, nuclear structure, the brilliant lives and violent deaths of stars, the mysteries of subatomic particles, the burgeoning territory between biology and physics, and innovative approaches to science education. Many of our students (both graduate and undergraduate) have rolled up their sleeves and gotten down to work in our campus labs and at ORNL (including the Spallation Neutron Source), U.S. and international synchrotron and collider facilities, and the Large Hadron Collider at CERN. Our faculty comprises outstanding theorists and experimentalists, including five AAAS Fellows and 11 APS Fellows and three NSF CAREER Awardees in the past three years.

10/27/2026

Congratulations to Graduate Students Johnny Lawless and Colby Thompson on their recent accolades!

Johnny is one of nine students to win the first-ever CMS Breakthrough Prize PhD Awards, which recognize outstanding early-career researchers and support their work at CERN.

Colby was selected for the latest cohort of the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Science Graduate Student Research (SCGSR) program, which gives graduate students world-class training and experience at DOE’s national laboratories. Johnny and Colby are part of the department’s collider physics group, using advanced tools all over the world to search for new physics!

https://tiny.utk.edu/cms-doe-honors

10/26/2026

In today’s colloquium Olivier Pfister of the University of Virginia reviews photonic quantum computing: basic concepts, progress, and prospects.
https://physics.utk.edu/news-events/colloquia-series/

10/26/2026

Undergraduate Mackenzie Henley helps light the way for anyone interested in the wonders of the universe. Learn more about her path to UT, the opportunities she’s enthusiastically embraced since joining the Volunteer Family, and her contributions to outreach and research!
https://giving.utk.edu/bringing-the-wonders-of-the-universe-to-everyone/

Mackenzie Henley has been a key part of UT’s astronomy program, sharing her passion for space. Support students in the It Takes a Volunteer Campaign.

10/21/2026

You never know who you’ll meet at the APS Division of Nuclear Physics meeting! Undergraduate Physics Major Evan Toon (right) shared his work with Director Jens Dilling at the Conference Experience for Undergraduates (CEU) Poster Session.

The physics department sends students to conferences like last week’s DNP 2026 meeting so they can learn about the latest developments in the field, network, hear from career panels, and present their own research. It’s another way we’re training the next generation of physicists!

10/19/2026

We were delighted to be part of the university’s Vol Family Reunion last weekend! We had a great time hosting solar observing from Nielsen’s rooftop and sharing our planetarium with the Vol Family!

https://studentlife.utk.edu/family/events/vol-family-reunions/

10/19/2026

Join us for today’s colloquium, when Chris Quigg, Distinguished Scientist Emeritus at Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory, presents "An Expansive Agenda for Particle Physics." This talk surveys themes that explore the breadth and depth of opportunities to enhance our understanding of the physical world, illustrated by examples from his research.

10/14/2026

We’re celebrating fall today in Nielsen and offering some creative stress relief! Students can hang out with Argus the therapy dog and show off their artistic (and physics) skills by painting pumpkins. No better way to kick off spooky season!

10/13/2026

Congratulations to Professor Nadia Fomin, who was elected a 2026 Fellow of the American Physical Society! She is the 11th member of our current physics faculty to win the honor. Professor Fomin was recognized for her contributions to nuclear physics research and her outstanding work as a mentor for young scientists.
https://physics.utk.edu/nadia-fomin-elected-aps-fellow/

10/12/2026

Join us for this afternoon’s colloquium, when Professor Robert Grzywacz describes the experiment yielding the first direct measurement of the ¹⁰⁴Te lifetime. The decay turns out to be even more enhanced than theory predicted, raising a basic question about how and where an α particle assembles inside a nucleus before it escapes, a question that reaches from nuclear structure to the physics of clustering in dense matter.
https://physics.utk.edu/news-events/colloquia-series/

10/12/2026

Congratulations to Francis Halzen on winning the 2026 Nobel Prize in Physics! We were delighted to host Professor Halzen of when he gave our physics colloquium on February 9 (IceCube: The First Decade of Neutrino Astronomy). He's pictured here in front of the SERF building on UT's campus with Alfredo Galindo-Uribarri (Adjunct Professor, ORNL) and Physics Graduate Student Diego Martinez Montiel.

These weekly colloquia, fully supported by our endowment funds, introduce our faculty and students to some of the most intriguing ideas in physics.
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1P2wxoJBNc/

Address

1408 Circle Drive, 401 Nielsen Physics Building
Knoxville, TN
37996

Website

http://www.phys.utk.edu/

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