PhD in Physics at Vanderbilt University

Physics and astronomy are driving intellectual forces that expand our understanding of the universe, discover the science that underlies new technologies, and applies these technologies to both curiosity-driven and applied research. In keeping with this role, the Department of Physics and Astronomy has active research groups studying the theoretical and experimental physics of elementary particles; nuclear structure, heavy-ion reactions, and relativistic heavy-ion physics; linear and nonlinear interactions of photons, electrons, atoms, and molecules with nanocrystals, surfaces, and interfaces; the electric, magnetic, and active mechanical properties of living systems; the structure and dynamics of biopolymers; the physics and technology of medical imaging; and computational physics.