The Department of Physics is an academic department of the University of Texas at Austin. The department has 55 core faculty members and approximately 400 undergraduate and 175 graduate students.

The students and faculty conduct research in the fields of AMO, biophysics, condensed matter physics, cosmology, fusion physics, gravitational physics, high energy physics, and nuclear physics. The department's faculty include a Nobel prize laureate and recipients of other major honors such as the Wolf Prize and Breakthrough Prize. The department also houses institutes such as the Texas Quantum Institute, Institute for Fusion Studies, and Weinberg Institute for Theoretical Physics that foster innovation and cultivate collaborations in quantum physics, plasma/fusion physics, and astrophysics, respectively.

History The Department of Physics was created in 1884 by Professor John W. Mallet, an Irish immigrant who served as Chairman of the Faculty and professor of chemistry and physics from 1883-1884. Supposedly, Mallet was enticed by the challenge of creating a new department from scratch and was paid an annual salary of $4,000, compared to the other seven faculty members' $3,500. Later, in 1894, George W. Pierce earned the first master's degree from the department, followed by Eugene A. Paulin, who earned the department's first PhD in 1929.

The physical landscape of UT Austin's department of physics has also changed significantly since its inception. When the department was first founded, it was housed in a single building: The Old Main Building. However, in the 1930s, the decision was made to raze the building, despite objections from the students and faculties. In 1933, the new physics and astronomy building was completed and later named "Painter Hall." Subsequently, in 1970, the College of Natural Sciences was created, encompassing the Department of Physics as well as several other departments from the College of Arts and Sciences. The next relevant building constructed was the Physics, Math, and Astronomy Building, previously known as Robert Lee Moore Hall, which was finished in 1972. Currently, it houses the physics, math, and astronomy departments (as implied by the building's name) alongside the Kuehne Physics Mathematics Astronomy Library.

Department ranking The UT Austin Department of Physics is generally ranked among the top 20 universities nationally. When ranked among graduate schools across the U.S. in 2023, the US News placed it at 13th place, tied with physics departments from U Penn, U Michigan, and Johns Hopkins. UT Austin's department of physics is also ranked 36th and 37th globally in 2025 by QS World University Rankings and Times Higher Education respectively, based on criteria of reputation and research opportunities. On the other hand, Best Physics Universities Ranking by Research.com, using exclusively research publications and bibliometric data, placed UT Austin 18th nationally in 2024.

Notable faculty

Faculty who have received prestigious recognition:

Steven Weinberg (Nobel Prize 1979) John A. Wheeler (Wolf Prize 1997) Allan H. MacDonald (Wolf Prize 2020) Joseph Polchinski (Breakthrough Prize 2017) Peter U. E. Onyisi (Breakthrough Prize 2025) Timothy Andeen (Breakthrough Prize 2025) Katherine Freese (National Academy of Sciences Member 2020) John Kormendy (National Academy of Sciences Member 2020)

Research institutes UT Austin's Department of Physics has three major institutes: the Texas Quantum Institute, the Institute for Fusion Studies, and the Weinberg Institute for Theoretical Physics. The Weinberg Institute was founded in 2022, dedicated to Professor Steven Weinberg, a Nobel Prize winning faculty member who passed away in 2021. Directed by Professor Katherine Freese, the institute aims to tackle questions at the intersection of astrophysics, cosmology, gravitational physics, and high-energy physics. They also organize the biennial Weinberg Memorial Lectures where decorated physicists give invited lectures on topics related to the institute's focus.

The Texas Quantum Institute was founded in 2024 with Professors Xiaoqin Li and Xiuling Li as co-directors. The institute aims to make interdisciplinary advancements in quantum science and engineering with research thrusts in the areas of algorithms, materials, metrology, and systems. Their work has since garnered government attention and funding. In 2025, they were awarded the Texas Semiconductor Innovation Fund to build QLab, a quantum-enhanced semiconductor metrology lab.

The Institute for Fusion Studies was founded in 1980 as a national center for interdisciplinary studies on fusion and the largest university-based fusion theory group in the U.S. at the time. After a fierce competition between top universities over who would receive the DOE grant of $5 million and prestigious title of official U.S. Institute for Fusion Studies, UT Austin was chosen (partly through the acquisition of Professor Marshall Rosenbluth from Princeton). It's currently directed by Professor Diego Del-Castillo-Negrete and conducts research on plasma phenomena and its applications, alongside private sector and DOE laboratories. The institute aims to advance understanding of fundamental plasma physics and astrophysics.

Research centers in the UT Austin Department of Physics:

Center for Complex Quantum Systems Center for Nonlinear Dynamics Center for Particles and Fields Center for High-Energy Density Science Center for Gravitational Physics Texas Center for Cosmology and Astroparticle Physics

References

External links Official site