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Physics Department


The Physics Department at the University of Texas at El Paso currently enrolls more than 120 graduate and undergraduate students. The department offers a B.S., M.S. and PhD degrees in Physics and participates in the multidisciplinary Ph.D. programs in Materials Science and Engineering, Computational Science, and Environmental Sciences and Engineering. The department has active research programs in condensed matter, atomic and molecular physics, quantum science and computing, environmental and nuclear physics, astrophysics, and physics education. Physics faculty and students benefit from state-of-the-art research laboratories that allow structure-property investigations, optical spectroscopy and microscopy, as well as high-resolution imaging. The department also boasts exceptional computational facilities. The department has 24 faculty members and grants in excess of $100K per year per faculty member. Physics majors are encouraged to begin their research careers in their sophomore years and many mechanisms for paid research activities are available.

 

Microsoft Teams Virtual appointments during business hours (8-5 MF)  available on request ( 915-747-5715 or physics@utep.edu

 

FEATURED NEWS


Jorge Gardea-Torresdey, Ph.D. (left), professor of chemistry and biochemistry, and doctoral students Maricarmen Lerma (center) and Abraham Dagda-Torres (right), all from the College of Science, are coauthors of a study that used X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy to find that nearly four out of five children’s toys purchased in the El Paso-Ciudad Juárez region contain at least one toxic element. The research was published in the journal Environmental Pollution.

Toxic Metals Above Set Limits Found in 12% of Children’s Toys on the El Paso-Cd. Juárez Border

EL PASO, Texas (Sept. 1, 2026) – Nearly four out of five children's toys purchased in the El Paso-Ciudad Juárez region contain at least one toxic element, according to a new study led by researchers at The University of Texas at El Paso. The findings, just published in the journal Environmental Pollution, represent the first binational screening of hazardous metals in toys sold on both sides of the U.S.-Mexico border.

Connect With Us

The University of Texas at El Paso
College of Science
Department of Physics
500 W University
El Paso, Texas 79968

E: physics@utep.edu
P: (915) 747-5715