Today, UKRI announced the launch of the Quantum Technologies for Fundamental Physics (QTFP) programme that will support scientists using quantum technology to study the universe in new ways in order to determine the nature of dark matter, detect gravitational waves and study the physics of black holes. Professor Ian Shipsey is Head of the Department of Physics at Oxford and has championed the programme since its inception:
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Oxford’s Department of Physics is playing a key role in three of the seven quantum projects supported by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) including AION: a UK atom interferometer observatory and network.
Oxford’s Department of Physics is playing a key role in three of the seven quantum projects supported by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) including Quantum Sensing for the Hidden Sector (QSHS). With QSHS, we are joining forces with six other universities as well as the National Physical Laboratory on a multi-million-pound project which could open up a new frontier in physics.
Jocelyn Bell Burnell from the Department of Physics at Oxford has been awarded the Royal Astronomical Society’s highest honour, the Gold Medal 2021. The medal recognises her extraordinary achievements and has been awarded not only for her personal research but also for her contributions to the field of astronomy generally.
Image caption:
Researchers in the Vulcan control room at the Central Laser Facility, UKRI-STFC Rutherford Appleton Laboratory
Left to right, top: Dr Luke Ceurvorst (CELIA, Univ. Bordeaux), Mr Sam Claxton, Professor Peter Norreys
Left to right, bottom: Dr Ramy Aboushelbaya, Mr Robert Paddock and Mr Benjamin Spiers
Dr Peter Hatfield from Oxford’s Department of Physics is one of five academics to have been awarded a brand new fellowship from intelligence, security and cyber agency GCHQ. Charged with researching technology challenges relevant to national security priorities, Dr Hatfield’s work will be considering "secure" use of artificial intelligence – how to use AI to reliably understand data for global physics challenges.
How 10-year-olds are getting a taste of cutting-edge science
A programme run by the Department of Physics at Oxford is giving pupils in years 5 and 6 the opportunity to take part in a real science research project, learn how scientists study viruses and meet the scientists themselves.
Professor Amalia Coldea from Oxford University’s Department of Physics has been awarded the Institute of Physics’ Brian Pippard Prize. The prize is awarded every two years to a scientist working in the UK who has made a significant contribution to the field of superconductivity, with particular emphasis given to recent work.
Some 52 researchers from the University of Oxford have been named on this year’s Highly Cited Researchers list – eight of which are from the Department of Physics. The annual list identifies researchers who demonstrated significant influence in their chosen field or fields through the publication of multiple highly cited papers during the last decade.
The following academics from the Department of Physics appeared in this year’s list: Michele Cappellari, Yulin Chen, Laura Herz, Geert Jan Oldenborgh, Michael Johnston, Henry Snaith, Stephen J Tucker and Wei Zhang.
Every year, the Department of Physics hosts two key public lectures focusing on contemporary developments in astrophysics and cosmology: the Hintze lectures. This month’s lecture on 24 November at 5pm is the 20th lecture and marks ten years of fascinating talks given by leading researchers from around the world.