The University of Sheffield
Department of Physics and Astronomy

Why study our degrees?

Highly satisfied

94% of our 2012 graduating students were satisfied with their course. Our National Student Survey score places us in the top five research intensive (Russel Group) universities for overall student satisfaction. In addition, 96% of our graduating students said that their course was intellectually stimulating.

Our degrees are designed for those with a strong general interest in modern physics and related subjects who want to study at the forefront of the discipline. It provides a thorough background to the subject as well as opportunities to work with world-class scientists doing research in a range of subjects including particle physics, nanotechnology, astrophysics, polymer and biophysics. Our students have an excellent employability record in a wide range of graduate careers. Many enter science-related industries such as working for renewable energy, nanotechnology, space exploration industries and telecommunications companies. Others go into non-science graduate careers, using the graduate level skills they gained from their degree. Many choose further study, doing masters and PhDs in the UK and abroad, and teaching.

World class teaching

All our staff, in addition to being experts in their research field, have a passion for delivering high quality teaching which will expose you to major developments in their field. Examples below show the diversity of expertise in various branches of physics and astrophysics available at our Department.

Mark FoxProfessor Mark Fox is a semiconductor physicist with a particular interest in quantum optics. He is currently working on a £5M EPSRC programme grant on "Semiconductor Integrated Quantum Optical Circuits." He has authored two best-selling text books in the Oxford Masters Series. "Optical properties of solids" was published in 2001 and has sold over 9,000 copies. The second edition came out in 2010, and has recently been translated into German. "Quantum optics - an introduction" was published in 2006 and has sold over 5000 copies. French and Japanese translations are now available. Prof Fox teaches Atomic and Laser Physics in the third year, and Optical Properties of Solids in the fourth.

Vik DhillonProfessor Vik Dhillon is an observational astrophysicist who specialises in the design and construction of high-speed optical cameras, which are mounted on some of the largest telescopes in the world. He uses these cameras to study rapid variability in the Universe, enabling the study of all classes of compact astronomical objects, including white dwarfs, neutron stars, black holes, brown dwarfs, extrasolar planets and the minor bodies of the Solar System. In 2013 he was awarded the Jackson-Gwilt medal of the Royal Astronomical Society for the development and operation of the high-speed camera ULTRACAM: the photo shows Prof Dhillon (on the right) receiving this medal. Recently Prof Dhillon has been awarded a European grant for 3.5 million Euros to construct the next-generation camera HiPERCAM. As well as lecturing on stellar structure and astronomical techniques, Prof Dhillon is tutor for second-year astronomy, leads the annual week-long field trip to La Palma for third-year astronomers, and administers the year-abroad scheme on La Palma for fourth-year astronomers.

Paul CrowtherProfessor Paul Crowther is an observational astronomer, with extensive use of the largest ground-based and space-based observatories including the Very Large Telescope and Hubble Space Telescope. In 2010 he led the team behind the identification of the most massive star ever discovered. Prof Crowther teaches a second year course on the interstellar medium, a third year course on stellar atmospheres and a masters level course on stellar evolution, and is our undergraduate Director for Learning and Teaching.

Rhoda HawkinsDr Rhoda Hawkins is a theoretical physicist who works on the physics of biological systems. She is particularly interested in how biological cells exert forces and move. She moved to Sheffield in 2011 after working in various places including Amsterdam and Paris. She is a visiting lecturer at the African Institute for Mathematical Sciences. In Sheffield she is our tutor for international students, and teaches second year classical physics and a fourth year course on biological physics.

Stathes PaganisDr Stathes Paganis is a member of the ATLAS experiment at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at CERN and is a member of the team of international scientists who recently announced the discovery of the Higgs boson. He has served as the coordinator of the Higgs search to 4-leptons and is presently coordinating the key search for the Higgs to a Z-boson and a photon. In the Sheffield high energy physics (HEP) research labs, Dr Paganis has joined forces with other HEP academics to develop novel particle detectors for medical imaging. A significant part of this research is performed by Sheffield undergraduates in the 3rd and 4th year projects. In addition to being head of our year 2 physics laboratory, Dr Paganis teaches a first year course in electromagnetism and a fourth year course in particle physics.

Mark GeogheganProfessor Mark Geoghegan is interested in the physics of soft matter and nanotechnology. He works with colleagues in different departments across the University and beyond in the investigation of material properties, the understanding of adhesion in synthetic and biological systems, and research into polymers for electronics applications. For example, Prof Geoghegan's team demonstrated the world's first water-based reversible and reusable adhesive. Prof Geoghegan teaches a fourth year course in soft matter and one for our nanoscale science and technology MSc. He co-edited and contributed to a Masters-level textbook on Nanoscale Science and Technology. His book on Polymer Electronics aimed at final year undergraduates to beginning level PhD students was published in 2013.

Pieter KokDr Pieter Kok is an internationally recognised expert on how to build quantum computers, machinery set to revolutionise the world of computing and telecommunications. He wrote the textbook "Introduction to Optical Quantum Information Processing" as well as contributed in a major way to the development of the new Institute of Physics curriculum for teaching quantum mechanics in the first year of any university in Britain. In Sheffield, he teaches Advanced Electrodynamics in the third year, and Advanced Quantum Mechanics in the fourth year.

What our students say

Our students are surrounded by "a very passionate atmosphere which acts as an inspiration and provides a rich learning environment for both undergraduates and postgraduates" and think that our Department is "a wonderful place to study." Read more on this below.

Katherine Chapman"When I started my undergraduate in Physics and Philosophy at the University of Sheffield, I would not have believed that I would be working at CERN at the time of one of the most significant announcements for science in the century; the discovery of the Higgs-like-Boson. However, this is exactly where I have found myself this summer after completing two of my three years, I am spending 4 months over the summer working as Science Communication student in the EU projects group at CERN. I have had the opportunity to organise an event at CERN; the first ever CERN Tweetup, write published articles, make a presentation in the CERN auditorium and met many interesting and important people."

Katherine Chapman (BSc Physics and Philosophy)

Read more about Katherine's summer placement here.

Yannis Petrides"Being an international student, I was a bit shy at first. After spending some time in the department though, all my fears vanished. The warmth radiated by department’s friendly folks truly made me feel like home. Teachers were really amicable, always leaving their door open for students; whether it was about physics matters, or even for a friendly chat. The various topics covered throughout the degree made me realize that physics underlies almost every aspect of life. The vast choices I had and the variety of research being done in Sheffield gave me the opportunity to paddle in a sea of possibilities and ultimately find what best suits my interests. The world-class degree offered by Sheffield granted me the power to compete for a position at the world’s best universities. Eventually I was offered a place at ETH Zurich where I will continue my studies and seek the research career that I desire."

Yannis Petrides (BSc Physics)

David Draper Physics student"After first hearing about the department of Physics and Astronomy at Sheffield from a friend, I can honestly say that coming here was the best decision of my life. Upon visiting on one of the UCAS Open Days, I loved the friendly feel in the department, and especially how enthusiastic the lectures were about the research being carried out in areas including inorganic semiconductors and astronomy and astrophysics. The shear range of topics available makes it very easy to follow your own interests in later years; I am particularly looking forward to Astrobiology next year with Dr Simon Goodwin!"

David Draper (MPhys Physics)

Josh McFayden"Throughout my time in Sheffield I've found the Physics and Astronomy department to be a wonderful place to study. The lecturers are friendly and their doors are always open to give help and advice. The academics are involved in world-leading research. Being surrounded by such expertise results in a very passionate atmosphere which acts as an inspiration and provides a rich learning environment for both undergraduates and postgraduates. During the Summer between 3rd and 4th year I participated in a Summer placement within the Department. I worked on a project that used data from ATLAS, one of the general purpose experiments at the Large Hadron Collider. This Summer project gave me a real insight into the work that goes on at the experiments at CERN and what was involved in research at this level. I thoroughly enjoyed this challenge and it lead me to undertake a 4th year project on a similar topic. From this additional experience I obtained many important skills required to pursue this research at a higher level. After completing my degree I was successful in applying for a PhD placement at the University working on ATLAS. This gave me the opportunity to be a part of one of the most complex and ambitious scientific experiments ever undertaken."

Josh McFayden (MPhys Physics with Mathematics)

Sam Massey"As part of my degree I had a chance to spend a 10-week summer placement with Professor Mark Fox and Dr Isaac Luxmoore studying the propagation of light through photonic crystal materials. I used the FullWAVE software package to simulate the movement of light through different photonic crystal waveguides. This has applications in the future of optical integrated circuits, which is a very active area of research in physics at the moment. I feel privileged to have worked as part of the photonics group here at the university, as the experience I gained helped me greatly throughout my final year. The research I did was relevant to my own academic interests, and the experience of undertaking individual research has greatly influenced my decision to pursue PhD study."

Sam Massey MPhys Physics with Mathematics, now a PhD student in Oxford