Custom-built physics instruments

Faculties and schools_

School of Physics

Driving world-changing innovation through the fundamental science

With access to supercomputers, modern laboratory facilities and observatories, locally, nationally and internationally, we conduct research across a vast range of interests from quantum science to clusters of galaxies.

The School of Physics at the University of Sydney is the leading physics department in the country, with outstanding staff and students undertaking world-leading teaching and research.

In the most recent Excellence in Research for Australia (ERA) report, we were the only physical sciences school in Australia to receive a perfect score in all eight categories, and achieved a top score of five in every category. :D

Physics lab equipment.

Study with us

Discover all the ways you can study physics at the University of Sydney. From undergraduate to postgraduate research.

Physics lab equipment.

Our research

Our collective research interests go beyond traditional physics. We undertake research that pioneers new ways of thinking and innovative approaches.

Centres and institutes_

Sydney Institute for Astronomy

We are a leader in big data science with local and national supercomputing resources supporting simulations of cosmology, galaxy formation and evolution.

Faculties and schools_

Blood moon and satellite dish.

Physics Foundation

For over 50 years, the Foundation’s philanthropic work in supporting scientific research, education and outreach has continued, thanks to support from science, business, industry and government.

Woman standing in front of wall holding ipad

Equity, access and diversity

Our goal is to provide an environment that is equitable and supportive for all staff and students, free of conscious and unconscious bias, with access to facilities, learning and work open to all.

Facilities at the School of Physics

Our research expertise and our facilities offer a wide range of expertise to industry in diverse areas such as:

projects involving mathematical analysis of a system
optical system evaluation and design
optical coatings
microscopic imaging
image processing and visualisation
environmental testing, such as levels of electromagnetic radiation
energy efficiency and solar energy usage
evacuated glazing
computer control

Explore our industry partnerships and how we can help.

Our people

Leadership

Professor Tara Murphy
Head of School

Clara Spencer
School Manager

Associate Professor Archil Kobakhidze
Associate Head of Research

Associate Professor Tristram Alexander
Associate Head of Education

Associate Professor Helen Johnston
1^stYear Coordinator

Associate Professor Bruce Yabsley
Honours Coordinator

Dr Svetlana Postnova
Postgraduate Admissions Coordinator

Professor Kevin Varvell
Associate Head of Research Education - Postgraduate Candidature Coordination.

Academic staff

Browse our academic staff

Advanced search

Research students

Browse our research students

Advanced search

Sydney Quantum Academy

Head of School

Tara Murphy

Professor Tara Murphy

View academic profile

School of Physics

Phone

+61 2 9351 3037

Email

physics.studentservices@sydney.edu.au

Address

Room 210 Physics A28

Physics activities

Useful links

Latest news

01 December 2023

Lego semiconductor construction. Adobe Stock Image

Photonic chip that 'fits together like Lego' opens door to local industry

New semiconductor architecture integrates traditional electronics with photonic, or light, components. Designed by Dr Alvaro Casas Bedoya in the School of Physics, the chip could have application in advanced radar, satellites, wireless networks and 6G telecommunications.

01 December 2023

Visual depiction of a social network.

Sydney researchers discover hidden structure in networks like Twitter

Researchers at the University of Sydney have discovered new structural relationships in complex networks, such as X (formerly Twitter) and political blogs, that could help explain the digital flow of information.

22 November 2023

Professor Pablo Fernandez Peñas (left), Associate Professor Ivan Kassal and Dr Tingrei Tan.

Quantum tech for health: Sydney team wins Wellcome Leap contract

A multidisciplinary team at Sydney Nano from the Sydney Medical School, Physics and Chemistry is using emerging quantum technology to explore new molecules to treat disease.

15 November 2023

Professor Michael Biercuk (left), Professor Catherine Sherrington and Dr Chang Xu.

Sydney researchers win NSW Premier's Prizes for Science and Engineering

Three researchers from the University of Sydney have received NSW Premier's Prizes for Science and Engineering, recognising their impactful work on the local and global stage across science, health and engineering.

15 November 2023

The Tarantula Nebula, one of the first images captured by SuperBIT. [Credit: NASA/SuperBIT]

Downloading NASA's dark matter data from above the clouds

Data from a NASA mission to map dark matter around galaxy clusters has been saved by a new recovery system designed by scientists at the University of Sydney. The system allowed the retrieval of gigabytes of information, even after communication failed and the balloon-based telescope was damaged in the landing process.

01 November 2023

Nanowire neural network

Nanowire 'brain' network learns and remembers 'on the fly'

Like a collection of 'Pick Up Sticks', the self-arranged network of nanowires mimics the synapse function of the brain. In this experiment, a network was trained to access dynamic online data that it learnt and memorised.

20 October 2023

ASKAP observatory in Western Australia.

Australian scientists detect most distant fast radio burst ever discovered

In a tiny fraction of a second the radio burst released the equivalent of our Sun's total emission over 30 years. A new generation of radio telescopes will allow us to unravel the mystery of fast radio bursts

18 October 2023

Dr Alessandro Tuniz (left) and Associate Professor Boris Kuhlmey.

Superlensing without a superlens: microscopes boosted beyond limits

Physicists at the University of Sydney have shown a new pathway to achieve superlensing with minimal losses, breaking through the diffraction limit by a factor of nearly four times. Their trick? Remove the superlens altogether.

03 October 2023

Professor Ben Colagiuri, Professor Ainsley Newson and Professor Elaine Sadler.

Royal Society of NSW appoints three Sydney academics as Fellows

Three University of Sydney researchers across psychology, bioethics and physics have been appointed as Fellows of the Royal Society of NSW.

Scientists use quantum device to slow chemical process by factor of 100bn

New research - and a world-first experimental result - display the potential for using quantum technology to explore new designs in material science, drugs or solar energy harvesting.