Our new astronomical observatory will be built within the Cruickshank Botanic Garden, with a planned opening in 2026. It will strengthen the Department's work in astrophysics education, outreach, and research.
This four-day meeting brings together the UK’s plasma physics community at the University of Aberdeen between 7-10 April 2026, organised by the Institute of Physics Plasma Physics Group.
Find out about careers in Physics. What career paths do Physics graduates follow, and what have our graduates gone on to next?
View past entries to our undergraduate photography competition, the Geddes AEM Prize in Physics.
The Department of Physics is committed to excellence in research, teaching, and public engagement. We are located in the Meston Building on the historic Old Aberdeen campus in the northeast of Aberdeen.
Our department is a great environment for learning, with small class sizes and close relations between staff and students. We offer a traditional single-honours BSc Physics undergraduate degree, alongside a flexible range of joint degrees (e.g. BSc Mathematics and Physics) and combined major-minor degrees (e.g. BSc Physics with Astrophysics). Several of our undergraduate programmes are accredited by the Institute of Physics. Postgraduate degrees include the MSc Data Science and PhD in Physics.
We do world-class research in both experimental and theoretical areas. Our research themes cover applied mathematics, applied physics, astrophysics, data science, and the physics and mathematics of biological systems. We are particularly active in the fields of nonlinear dynamics and chaos, and mathematical modelling of biological systems. We have strong links with the University's Institute for Complex Systems and Mathematical Biology.
Banner image: An optical bench showing a dual-beam object trap. Image by David McGloin.
