Welcome to the Department of Physics at the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP)! Our department is a thriving, dynamic place to start a career in physics for undergraduate and graduate students with opportunities for research and teaching. Our undergraduate and graduate students actively participate in the exciting computational, theoretical and experimental research being carried out in the department.  Areas of interest include chemical and molecular physics, condensed matter physics, quantum-information science, materials science, biophysics, atmospheric physics, and nuclear theory. Our faculty is dedicated to teaching, research and mentoring. We have faculty members who have won recognition at the university, state and national level for teaching and mentoring. Our faculty is deeply devoted to imparting skills to our students that are needed to achieve sustainable societies both regionally and nationally.
 
In addition to graduate degrees in science and engineering, it is well known that physics training provides students  with opportunities to develop careers in many industrial sectors, government, and academia, or to enter medicine and law.

Many of our undergraduate students continue directly into our graduate Masters of Science program which contributes to UTEP’s status as the largest producer of MS Physics degrees in Texas.  After attaining an MS degree in Physics, our students often receive continued support and mentorship from the UTEP Physics Faculty and obtain interdisciplinary PhD degrees in Computational Science, Materials Science and Engineering, and Environmental Science and Engineering. Our graduate students are offered rigorous, involved training in research that helps them develop knowledge and skills necessary for their future career. The department has outstanding research facilities in optical microscopy and spectroscopy, two-photon microscopy, X-ray scattering, material synthesis, and computational facilities. The physics faculty has been successful in seeking external funding to support their students and postdocs.

Our webpages will provide you with an overview of the department activity. Please visit the department, or email us, if you are interested in joining the department as an undergraduate or a graduate student or are looking for a research or teaching position. We look forward to welcoming you to our department and everything that UTEP and El Paso has to offer!

Dr. Mark R Pederson
Professor and Chair