Archived News

[2025/12] Michael O'Donnell and recent graduate Odin Schneider (BS’26) were featured in A&S news for their recently published scientific paper. | Learn More |

[2025/12] Congratulations to our newest Physics & Astronomy graduates! We are so proud of each one of you for everything you have accomplished. | Learn More [Video 1,2], [Commencement Program] |

[2025/12] Dr. Elias Aydi has led an international team in a groundbreaking study on stellar explosions, published in Nature Astronomy. | Learn More[1] |

[2025/12] Dr. Juyang Huang has received the Fall 2025 Arts & Sciences Faculty Research Advancement Program award. Congrats, Dr. Huang!

[2025/12] Dr. Mitch Kelley will take the position of Director of Electronic and Mechanical Services. Welcome Mitch!

[2025/11] Our students and researchers recently traveled to CERN in Geneva, Switzerland, to test a particle-detector prototype designed and built on campus. Read the full story to learn more about the students’ contributions and the impact of this collaborative research here. | Learn More |

[2025/11] We are proud to announce that for the 3^rd consecutive year our department has ranked 201^st-300^th in physics (57^th-77^th for U.S. universities) in the ShanghaiRanking Consultancy's Global Ranking of Academic Subjects! Congratulations, everyone, for the great work you have done over the past year!

[2025/11] Our High Energy Physics group has won a grant from the Department of Energy for their proposal titled "Experimental Particle Physics Research at Texas Tech University". Congratulations on this outstanding achievement!

[2025/10] Bilal Siddique (Biophysics group) has won the Outstanding Graduate Student Oral Presentation Award at the Fall 2025 Joint Meeting of the Texas, Arkansas, Oklahoma Section of the American Physics Society, held on Oct 9-11. | Learn More |

[2025/9] TTU's Quantum Initiative team, including 12 members from our PHAS, made a strong presence at the first-ever Texas Quantum Summit. The summit brought together researchers, industry leaders, and policymakers to discuss how Texas can lead in this rapidly evolving quantum field. | Learn More, Photo [1],[2] |

[2025/9] Our Business Manager, Debra LaHonda Boyce, was selected as a recipient of the 2025 Chancellor's Award of Excellence! This is the highest honor that a staff member can receive for their dedication to the Texas Tech community. What a well-deserved recognition! Congrats, Debra! | Learn More |

[2025/8] Help us congratulate Kim Zinsmeyer on his well-deserved retirement! Kim served as the Director of the Electrical and Mechanical Services Shop in the Department of Physics and Astronomy for 45 years. Thank you, Kim, for your exemplary service to our department. You will be missed! | Learn More, Photo |

[2025/8] Dr. Yun Suk Eo was awarded $245,246 by the NSF. His research project will explore the electronic properties of a class of quantum materials known as correlated insulators. Congrats, Dr. Eo.

[2025/8] Congratulations to our very own graduating senior, Darby Hanes, on receiving a Fulbright Scholarship! Darby will be starting a Master's degree program in Bioengineering at Durham University in England this September. | Learn More |

[2025/08] Dr. Dima Bolmatov (Biophysics) joins the Department of Physics and Astronomy as an Assistant Professor in Fall 2025. Welcome to new faculty member Dr. Bolmatov.

[2025/08] Congratulations to our newest Physics & Astronomy graduates! We are so proud of each one of you for everything you have accomplished. We believe that your commitment, perseverance and efforts made this journey possible. And we know all of you will have a bright future as a Red Raider! Learn More [Video], [Commencement Program]

[2025/08] We would like to congratulate our UG, Timur Abdilov, on being selected as a 2025-26 Western Union Global Scholar! Timur will receive a Western Union Foundation scholarship in recognition of his hard work and commitment to his educational goals. Congrat, Timur!

[2025/07] Dr. Nihan Pol, jointly received a 2025 Frontiers of Science Award from the ICBS for a publication that he co-authored in 2021 titled “Strong-field gravity tests with the Double Pulsar”. The award honors top research, with an emphasis on achievements from the past 10 years which are both excellent and of outstanding scholarly value! Congrats, Dr. Pol!

[2025/06] The U.S. News & World Report released the 2025-2026 Best Global Universities rankings, which focus on academic research and reputation. Our programs have ranked 299 (67^th in the U.S.) in physics and 155 (48^th in the U.S.) in Space Science (Astronomy/Astrophysics), respectively. Congratulations, everyone! | Learn More |

[2025/06] The CMS experiment employs a new machine-learning algorithm to improve the reconstruction of invisible particles. Dr. Feng co-led the development of this novel algorithm and has made important contributions to the W mass measurements. | Learn More |

[2025/06] Texas Tech University System and the NSF's National Radio Astronomy Observatory are partnering to bring the next generation of radio astronomy to TTUS-3 Rivers Ranch. Thanks to Dr. Maccarone for playing an important role in setting up this excellent initiative. | Learn More [TTUS], [NRAO] |

[2025.06] Dr. Michael Fausnaugh was featured in Texas Tech Now, for his outstanding contribution toward one of NASA’s three Core Community Survey (CCS) Definition Committees for the upcoming Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope. Congrats, Dr. Fausnaugh! | Learn More |

[2025/05] Texas Tech Now featured our very own graduate student, Valdis Slokenbergs. Valdis came to Texas Tech for hands-on experience and to help lead the next wave of creative collider innovation. Congrats, Valdis! | Learn More |

[2025/05] Congratulations to our newest Physics & Astronomy graduates! We are so proud of each one of you for everything you have accomplished. We believe that your commitment, perseverance and efforts made this journey possible. And we know all of you will have a bright future as a Red Raider! Learn More [Video 1, 2], [Commencement Program]

[2025/05] Congratulations to Aiden Buchanan and Michael O'Donnell for winning 1^st and 2^nd place in the Technology Impact category at the 2025 TTU Undergraduate Research Conference! Additionally, congratulations to Dr. Madrid for being selected as a 2024-2025 Outstanding Faculty Mentor for his efforts supporting TTU undergraduate researchers.

[2025/04] Scientists from Texas Tech University are among the thousands of researchers worldwide honored with the 2025 Breakthrough Prize in Fundamental Physics, awarded to four experimental collaborations at CERN's Large Hadron Collider – ALICE, ATLAS, CMS, and LHCb. A big congratulations to TTU CMS team on being co-awarded the 2025 Breakthrough Prize!

[2025/03] TTU graduate student, Keiwun Turner, has won the 2025 Department of Navy HBCU/MI Internship Program Award. Congrats, Keiwun!

[2025/02] Please help us congratulate Odin Schneider, for receiving the 2025 College of Arts & Sciences Distinguished Undergraduate Student Award for Natural Sciences. Odin's remarkable record of achievement has earned him this well-deserved recognition. Congratulations, Odin! | Learn More | 

[2025/02] Doctoral student, Victor Bradley, and his PhD advisor, Dr. Wade DeGottardi were featured in Texas Tech Now, for their outstanding achievement in having a paper published in PRX Quantum.  Congratulations! | Learn More |

[2025/02] Please join us in congratulating Dr. Yun Suk Eo on being awarded a “Global Exchange Research Seed Grant”. This is a competitive internal grant offered by the Office of International Affairs for faculty interested in developing international research collaborations. Congratulations Dr. Eo!

[2025/02] Distinguished alumnus and E. Roland Menzel Scholarship donor, Jeff Wilde, was featured in an Texas Tech Now article recently. Jeff has built a successful career as an engineer, physicist, entrepreneur, and teacher thanks to a mentorship that began when he was a Texas Tech student. | Learn More |

[2025/02] The APS Global Physics Summit, to be held in Anaheim, CA, March 16-21, will feature our very own Center for Emerging Energy Science, led by Dr. Duncan. Congratulations CEES team! Check out the documentary that will be presented to the APS attendees: short and long version

[2025/01] The Society of Physics Students (SPS), an organization of the American Institute of Physics, has named the Texas Tech University SPS Chapter as a 2023-2024 Distinguished Chapter for the second consecutive year. The selection is based on an assessment of the depth and breadth of the activities conducted by our chapter. Congrats, SPS!

[2025/01] Texas Tech Now featured an interesting article highlighting the life of our very own Professor, Dr. Arfin Lodhi. Congratulations on this amazing milestone, Dr. Lodhi! | Learn More |

[2025/01] Dr. Elias Aydi has recently published a children's science book, “All About Space!”. Thank you so much and congratulations, Elias, for writing such a wonderful book for children! | FaceBook [1], [2] | Daily Toreador | Texas Tech Now |

[2025/01] Dr. Fausnaugh received an NASA grant for the project “Monitoring of Gamma-Ray Bursts by Fermi and TESS” for three years. The total funding of the award is $370K. Congratulations, Dr. Fausnaugh! | Learn More |

[2024/12] Congratulations to our December 2024 graduates! We are so proud of your accomplishments and are excited to see what you do next! Learn More [Video], [Commencement Program]

[2024/12] Please join us in congratulating our academic advisor Dr. Melanie Ungar for being named this month's Advisor of Excellence by Texas Tech's Office of Advising Excellence! | Learn More |

[2024/12] Please join us in congratulating doctoral student Umer Farooq for winning second place in the Graduate Cross-Disciplinary Paper Award at Texas Tech's 2024 United in Research Conference. Congrats, Umer!

[2024/11] For the 2^nd consecutive year, our department ranked 201-300^th (56^th-76^th range nationally) in the Global Ranking of Academic Subjects 2024 | Learn More |

[2024/11] Jessica Lawrence (Graduate Part-Time Instructor) received the Apple Polishing Award from the TTU Mortar Board Forum Chapter. This award recognizes faculty and staff who have made a significant impact on students’ academic journeys. Congrats, Jessica!

[2024/10] Please join us in congratulating three of our doctoral students on their recent publications! Muhammad Adnan, Sandeep Puri, and Victor Bradley were first author on the paper published in Indian Journal of Physics, Nuclear Engineering and Technology, and PRX Quantum respectively. Also, doctoral student Bilal Siddique won the outstanding graduate student oral presentation award at the TSAPS meeting. Congrats, Bilal!

[2024/10] Dr. Duncan and Dr. Lin were each awarded special plaques given to inventors named in U.S. patents at the 7^th Annual Inventor Celebration hosted by the Office of Research Commercialization. Congratulations to Drs. Duncan and Lin, and their collaborator Dr. Sobel. | Learn More |

[2024/09] The CMS experiment at CERN weighs in on the W boson mass. Texas Tech faculty member Dr. Yongbin Feng is one of the team members who carried out these challenging and delicate measurements! Congratulations to Dr. Feng for his contributions to this outstanding scientific achievement! | Learn More | 

[2024/09] On 9/10, Dr. Arfin Lodhi celebrated 60 YEARS OF SERVICE at Texas Tech with a colloquium talk and cake! Congratulations on this amazing milestone, Dr. Lodhi! | Learn More |

[2024/09] Dr. Chatzakis received a Department of Defense grant for the project “Two-dimensional topological materials for tunable quantum states and topological antiferromagnetic systems for applications in quantum technology". Congrats Yannis!

[2024/08] Welcome to new faculty members Drs. Elias Aydi (ASTRO), Yongbin Feng (HEP), Emilia Järvelä (ASTRO), Christopher Madrid (HEP), Nihan Pol (ASTRO), and Hira Farooq (Lecturer)!

[2024/08] Doctoral student John Morales has been selected as a NASA SciAct Affiliate for the National Diversity in STEM (SACNAS) Conference at Arizona State University. Congratulations John!

[2024/08] Please join us in congratulating Drs. Gillespie & Lin for receiving a 2025 Research Assistance Program Award from TTU Office of Research & Innovation for their project "Exploring a Novel Fission-Fusion Nuclear Energy Cycle via Triton Induced Reaction"

[2024/08] We are so excited to start teaching our introductory physics and astronomy labs in the new Academic Sciences Building this fall! | Learn More | Video | 

[2024/08] Congratulations to all our Summer 2024 graduates! We are so proud of you! Learn More [Video], [Commencement Program]

[2024/07] Dr. Myoung-Hwan Kim was selected to receive a grant from the Helen Jones Foundation in support of "Bridging the Gap: Applied Science in K-12 Astronomy Education and Exhibition".

[2024/06] The U.S. News & World Report released the 2024-2025 Best Global Universities rankings, which focus on academic research and reputation. Our programs have ranked 322 (70th in the U.S.) in physics and 172 (48th in the U.S.) in Space Science (Astronomy/Astrophysics), respectively. Congratulations, everyone! | Learn More |

[2024/06] In a recent article, Texas Tech Now highlighted the statistical research conducted by Niramay Gogate, one of our doctoral students in High Energy Physics. The research by Niramay and his interdisciplinary team was published in Nature Scientific Reports. Congratulations, Niramay! | Learn More |

[2024/06] The construction of the Academic Sciences Building is in its final stage! Most of Physics & Astronomy's teaching labs as well as several research labs and offices will begin move-in on July 8. A ribbon-cutting for ASB is tentatively scheduled for August 9. Check out photos of ASB's construction on our Flickr page. | Learn More | Building Beyond | Construction Timelapse |

[2024/05] Texas Tech physicist Tom Maccarone explains intricacies and impacts of most powerful solar storm to reach Earth in decades. | Learn More |

[2024/05] Congratulations to all our May 2024 graduates! We are so proud of you! Learn More [Video1, 2], [Commencement Program]

[2024/05] Dr. Shelby Lacouture, Senior Research Scientist, has been honored with the prestigious R&D Innovation Award by the Life-Science and Biomedical Engineering Branch of the Aerospace Medical Association! | Learn More |

[2024/05] Please join us in congratulating two of our graduate students on their recent publications! Niramay Gogate was part of an interdisciplinary team of 21 scientists whose paper was published in Nature-Scientific Reports. Yaren Ulu was first author on the paper published in Physical Review Physics Education Research.

[2024/04] Dr. Unnati Kashyap was recently selected as a member of NASA's Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer (IXPE) User’s Committee! The IXPE is NASA’s first mission to study the polarization of X-rays from many different types of celestial objects, and only 7 astrophysicists make up the committee. Dr. Kashyap is the only postdoctoral fellow on the current committee. | Learn More |

[2024/03] For the first time, an international team of nine astrophysicists including Texas Tech's Dr. Maccarone and Dr. Tetarenko has measured the speed of the fast-moving jets in space that are crucial to star formation and distribute the elements needed for life! This groundbreaking discovery has just been published in Nature. Congratulations to Tom and Alex on this outstanding scientific achievement! | Learn More |

[2024/03] Please join us in congratulating Dr. Myoung-Hwan Kim and doctoral student Zach Brown for being selected as winners of the TechConnect 2024 Innovation Award! The award will be presented at the Annual TechConnect World Innovation Conference & EXPO this June in Washington, DC. They were also selected for the pitch track as well as the booth/expo showcase, where only 15% of the participating teams are selected. 

[2024/03] We are so excited to see that Physics & Astronomy alumna Madeline Lockhart (BS '20) has been named the College of Arts and Sciences' 2024 Rising Innovator! Madeline is pursuing a PhD in Nuclear Engineering at NC State, where she is a Nuclear Nonproliferation and International Safeguards (NNIS) Fellow!

[2024/03] Last week's performance of "Waves and Particles" at the Talkington School for Young Women Leaders was a hit! Read all about the recent collaboration between Physics & Astronomy faculty Drs. Sung-Won Lee & Joe Romano and the Schools of Music and Theater & Dance in Texas Tech Now. | Learn More | Photo |

[2024/03] Congratulations to Dr. Myoung-Hwan Kim, who has been selected as a Summer Faculty Fellow at the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory in Washington, D.C. for the second consecutive summer!

[2024/03] Please join us in congratulating our PhD students Imtiaz Ahmad and Sandeep Puri, who were each awarded a very competitive Texas Tech Doctoral Dissertation Completion Fellowship! Congratulations as well to their respective PhD advisors, Dr. Kim and Dr. Duncan!.

[2024/02] The TTU System has received a 6,000-acre land gift from the 3 Rivers Foundation! We're thrilled about the significant research, educational and community engagement opportunities this property will provide our institutions and surrounding communities. | Learn More [1], [2] |

[2024/02] Dr. Ungar and Dr. Gillespie won the Faculty and Staff Wellbeing & Success Mini-Grant. Congrats Melanie and Andrew!

[2024/02] Dr. Chatzakis was selected to receive a Global Exchange Research Seed Grant from the TTU Office of International Affairs! Dr. Chatzakis is one of only two recipients of the Faculty Exchange Award. | Learn More |

[2024/02] Please join us in congratulating physics major Odin Schneider for winning the Best Presentation Award in the Physics and Astronomy section at the Gulf Coast Undergraduate Research Symposium!

[2024/01] Texas Tech profiled physics major Amaris McCarver, who recently won the Robert S. Hyer Research Award from the Texas Section of the American Physical Society! Congratulations again, Amaris! | Learn More |

[2024/01] Please join us in congratulating physics major Elizabeth Veraa for winning first place for her research poster presentation at the 2024 Conferences for Undergraduate Women in Physics at Tulane University!

[2024/01] Congratulations to doctoral student Imtiaz Ahmad for winning an APS Graduate Student Travel Award in the Division of Condensed Matter Physics! Imtiaz is one of only 20 winners of this competitive award. Congratulations to Corey Bradshaw (BS '20, MS '23) and doctoral student Shwetha Nagesh, whose papers were published in the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, respectively. 

[2024/01] Dr. Corsi was featured in Texas Tech Now regarding her recent DOE-ASCR (Advanced Scientific Computing Research) grant and her research project associated with this grant; “Resilience-enabling services for science from HPC to edge”. | Learn More |

[2024/01] Dr. Thacker recently had a paper published that presents a historical analysis of the development, implementation, research and assessment of an evidence-based introductory algebra-based physics course that has been taught at TTU for over 20 years! | Learn More |

[2023/12] Our department was featured in Texas Tech Now! "The consistently diligent work of the faculty of Texas Tech University's Department of Physics and Astronomy is paying off in terms of prestige and recognition! The Department was ranked No. 56 among U.S. universities in the recently released ShanghaiRanking Consultancy, one of the significant assessments that review and rate academic institutions from around the world. The department continues a trajectory that has steadily trended upward during the past 20 years. ” | Learn More |

[2023/12] Congratulations to all the Physics and Astronomy graduates! Learn More [Video1], [Video2], [Commencement Program]

[2023/12] We are very pleased to announce that our Society of Physics Students (SPS) chapter has been designated a 2022-23 Distinguished Chapter by the American Institute of Physics. This prestigious award is only granted to SPS chapters that demonstrate a high level of participation in professional and community outreach activities. | Learn More |

[2023/11] Dr. Fausnaugh has been invited to serve on one of the Survey Definition Committees for an upcoming NASA mission, the Roman Space Telescope. This is the "High Latitude Time Domain Survey," which is a large program designed to find Type Ia supernovae for cosmology.| Learn More |

[2023/11] Dr. Thacker has been elected to be a PERLOC councilor (Physics Education Research Leadership and Organizing Council) staring after the 2024 Winter meeting.

[2023/10] Our department ranked 201-300^th (56-72^nd among U.S. universities) in the Global Ranking of Academic Subjects 2023 | Learn More |

[2023/10] A team of scientists, including Dr. Michael Fausnaugh, has used multiple space and ground-based telescopes to observe an exceptionally bright gamma-ray burst, GRB 230307A, and identify the neutron star merger that generated an explosion that created the burst. This groundbreaking observation has just been announced by NASA and published in the Nature. | Learn More [1], [2], KLBK news, Texas Standard |

[2023/10] Two of our students won awards at the Texas Section of APS Meeting! Amaris McCarver (UG) received the Robert S. Hyer Research Award for excellent undergraduate research! Sandeep Puri (GS) won the outstanding graduate student oral presentation award. Congrats! Amaris McCarver (pictured left), an undergraduate student under the mentorship of Dr. Maccarone, has been honored with The Robert S. Hyer Research Award. This prestigious accolade, presented by the Texas Section of the APS, recognizes Amaris for her outstanding contributions to undergraduate research in the field of physics. Sandeep Puri (pictured right), a Ph.D. candidate, guided by Dr. Duncan, claimed the spotlight by winning the Outstanding Graduate Student Oral Presentation Award. Sandeep's captivating talk, titled "Experimental Approach to Fission Fragment Propulsion System for Deep Space Exploration," showcases his groundbreaking research and earned him well-deserved recognition.

[2023/09] Dr. Myoung-Hwan Kim has been named the 2023 Emerging Inventor of the Year for Texas Tech University. The award is sponsored by the Office of Research Commercialization. Dr, Kim will be honored at the Inventor Celebration on October 19^th. | Learn More [1], [2], [3] |

[2023/09] Dr. Thacker received an NSF grant for the project “Evidence-based Materials for Teaching Quantum Information Science and Technology” for three years. The total funding of the award is $299,390. Congratulations, Dr. Thacker!

[2023/09] Dr. Luis Grave De Peralta, Emeritus Faculty, has published a new book, “Relativistic and Non-Relativistic Quantum Mechanics: Both at Once” in English and Spanish. The book, released by Springer Nature Switzerland as part of the Undergraduate Lecture Notes in Physics series, delves into controversial ideas that Dr. Grave De Peralta further elucidates through engaging videos and cartoons on his YouTube channel | YouTube |

[2023/08] Dr. Hanna Moussa holds B.S. and M.S. degrees in Health Physics and Radiological Sciences from the University of Massachusetts at Lowell and a Ph. D. in Nuclear Engineering with concentration in Radiological Engineering from the University of Tennessee at Knoxville. Prior to joining the faculty at TTU in 2012, as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering, he served as an assistant director, then director of the Radiological Safety Department at the University of Tennessee from 1997 to 2004. He also worked as a senior health physicist at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington DC from 2008 to 2010. Dr. Moussa published over 110 peer‐reviewed articles and conference papers in highly ranked health physics, radiation protection, MPDI, and other related journals. Dr. Moussa has working experience and documented expertise for over 20 years with Monte Carlo N-Particle code (MNCP) that can be used for neutron, photon, and electron transport for modeling the interaction of radiation with matter including human tissue and organs, with primary applications to dosimetry, shielding, radiation transport. Radiation protection and detection. Dr. Moussa’s broad expertise includes space radiation, cancer risk assessment, radiation and cancer, and medical imaging. His most recent work focuses on developing imaging tools for obesity and cancer research. Dr. Hanna Moussa enjoys music and playing the Arabic Lute (Oud).

[2023/08] Dr. Yun Suk Eo is joining the PHAS as an assistant professor. Before coming to Tech, he was a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Maryland (College Park) Quantum Materials Center (QMC). He was also a member of the Australian Research Council (ARC) Centre of Excellence in Future Low-Energy Electronics (FLEET) during that time. Before postdoc, Dr. Eo received his Ph.D. in physics from the University of Michigan (Ann Arbor). When he needs to take a break, he likes to drink coffee, go to restaurants, hone his cooking skills, listen to music, and catch up on the latest movies. After making the move to Lubbock, he's been relishing local gems like Whataburger, J&B Coffee, and Rudys BBQ.

[2023/08] Dr. Michael Fausnaugh joins the PHAS as an assistant professor in Fall 2023. Originally from Moriarty, NM, he received his Ph.D. in Astronomy from The Ohio State University in 2017. From 2017 to 2023, he worked as a research scientist at MIT, supporting NASA’s Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) mission. At MIT, Dr. Fausnaugh led the extragalactic research group for TESS, finding new uses for TESS data to investigate the physics of supernovae and black holes. He is broadly interested in time domain astronomy, including multimessenger astrophysical observations that combine information from photons, neutrinos, and gravitational waves. He also has a longstanding interest in the Philosophy and History of Math and Science from his undergraduate education at Saint John’s College, Santa Fe. Dr. Fausnaugh is a recipient of the MIT Infinite Expansion Award, OSU Markowitz Award for Excellence in Observational Astronomy, and co-recipient of the NASA Silver Achievement Medal awarded to the TESS team. Outside of astronomical observing or reducing data, Dr. Fausnaugh is an avid reader, enjoys hiking and camping, and has a penchant for birdwatching.

[2023/08] Drs. Michael Fausnaugh (Assistant Prof.), Yung Suk Eo (Assistant Prof.), and Hanna Moussa (Associate Prof. of Practice) join us in Fall 2023. Welcome to the department!

[2023/08] Dr. Corsi has been promoted to the rank of Full Professor, effective Sep 1^st, 2023. Congratulations, Dr. Corsi!

[2023/08] Dr. Owen was featured in Texas Tech Today regarding his recent NSF award and research related to this grant. | Learn More | KLBK news |

[2023/08] Physics major Karina Kimani-Stewart has been accepted by the FUTURE at Caltech program, whose goal is to "support the ambitions of aspiring young women in physics". Congratulations, Karina!

[2023/08] Dr. Maccarone recently received three NASA grants (totaling ~$100K) for the proposals entitled “Correlated Radio/MM-X-ray Timing of Cygnus X-1”, “The Faintest Persistent X-ray Binary”, and “Black Hole Jet Launching Physics with MIRI”, respectively. Congrats Tom!

[2023/08] Congratulations to all the Physics and Astronomy graduates! Learn More [Video1], [Commencement Program]

[2023/07] Texas Tech Today featured Dr. Myoung-Hwan Kim's recent NSF grant! Dr. Kim will use the grant to do research in the up-and-coming field of quantum information science. | Learn More |

[2023/07] Dr. Corsi was featured in Texas Tech Today regarding her recent NSF award and research projects associated with this grant: “Cosmic Collisions, Relativistic Blasts, and their Remnants in the Era of Multi-Messenger Astronomy”. She will peer into some of the farthest recesses of space in search of gravitational waves. | Learn More |

[2023/07] Drs. Corsi, Kim, and Owen recently received NSF grant awards ($431K, $235K, $345K) respectively.

[2023/6] The NANOGrav Collaboration, including TTU scientists Dr. Romano and Dr. Palliyaguru, has detected additional evidence of gravitational waves. This groundbreaking discovery has been published in The Astrophysical Journal Letters. | Learn More [1], [2] |

[2023/06] Dr. Alessandra Corsi and Dr. Beth Thacker were re-appointed to the President's Excellence in Research Professorship and the President's Excellence in Teaching Professorship, respectively, renewed through 2026.

[2023/06] U.S. Department of Energy has awarded the High Energy Physics group a grant of half a million dollars to "provide training and mentorship for the next generation of scientists". | Learn More |

[2023/05] Texas Tech places final steel beam on Academic Sciences Building. The 131,000-square-foot structure will house first-class teaching laboratories and research facilities for five departments including Physics and Astronomy. Learn More: | Texas Tech Today | Video |

[2023/05] Congratulations to all the Physics and Astronomy graduates! Learn More [Video1], [Video 2], [Commencement Program]

[2023/04] Dr. Vallia Antoniou has been awarded 11.5 days of observing time on the Chandra X-Ray telescope. Her research program was the only very large program approved in Cycle 24. | Learn More |

[2023/04] Congratulations to Aryan Chugh who earned the First Place Award (in Technology Impact) at Undergraduate Research Conference 2023. [Photo] 

[2023/03] Our department ranked 401-450^th (78-89^th among U.S. universities) in the QS World University Rankings by Subject 2023: Physics & Astronomy | Learn More |

[2023/03] Red Raiders (re)present at the APS March Meeting in Las Vegas!  Pictured here: members of Physics and Astronomy's Condensed Matter Physics Group.

[2023/03] TTU's NASA Einstein Fellow Dr. Alex Tetarenko is part of an international research team that recently made a groundbreaking discovery (published in Nature)! The group discovered a neutron star that consumes matter in a manner previously observed only in black holes. This discovery has also helped identify key new ingredients needed to explain the behavior of matter near these astrophysical objects.  | Learn More |

[2023/03] Dr. Maccarone has won a $530K DOD’s DURIP grant through the Air Force Office of Scientific Research. Dr. Maccarone's project is to install the new Long Wavelength Array mini-station near Crowell, Texas | Learn More [1], [2] |

[2023/03] Alessandra Corsi, physics and astronomy professor, has become one of the world's top astrophysicists through her pioneering gravitational-wave research. As we celebrate Women's History Month this March, read the story of this extraordinary woman at Texas Tech who is making history through her research, discoveries and tenacity. Texas Tech Today profiled Dr. Corsi for Women's History Month! Read about Dr. Corsi's approach to research, mentoring, and intellectual collaboration: | Learn More [1] , [2] |

[2023/02] Dr. Kim was awarded an ONR (Office of Naval Research) Summer Faculty Fellowship

[2023/02] Imtiaz Ahmad (CMP group) has been awarded a TTU Graduate Student Research Support Award. Congrats, Imtiaz.

[2023/02] Our department leads the 67th Annual South Plains Regional Science and Engineering Fair for K-12 Students. 309 students from 31 schools presented their projects in the biological and physical sciences. Thank you to everyone who volunteered and participated! | Learn More |

[2023/02] The race is on to discover a new energy source that will be safe, affordable and accessible, and Texas Tech University is right in the middle of this cutting-edge research. Robert V. Duncan, professor and president's distinguished chair in the Department of Physics and Astronomy, and his team within the Center for Emerging Energy Sciences (CEES) lab recently received a grant to work with other teams at major research institutions in the United States in exploring alternative nuclear energy possibilities that promise to be safe and to produce no fuel-related nuclear waste. Congratulations to Dr. Duncan and CEES team for winning $1.15 million in funding from the Department of Energy (ARPA-E)! The team will develop accurate materials fabrication, characterization, and analysis to attempt to resolve the physical understanding of NENR | Learn More [1], [2]  |

[2023/01] Shelby Courreges showed up on the campus of Texas Tech University convinced she could go places. The Department of Physics and Astronomy provided the direction in her quest to reach well beyond the skies. In a few months, Courreges, a third-year student, will embark on a new adventure, traveling to Laurel, Maryland, to begin a Brooke Owens Fellowship at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory – one of only 47 students selected for this honor. Read the complete article and find out the unique way her passion for physics started by visiting this link. UG physics major Shelby Courreges has won a Brooke Owens Fellowship, a prestigious fellowship that places exceptional women and gender minorities in space and aviation internships. Please join us in congratulating Shelby! Shelby Courreges showed up on the campus of Texas Tech University convinced she could go places. The Department of Physics and Astronomy provided the direction in her quest to reach well beyond the skies. In a few months, Courreges, a third-year student, will embark on a new adventure, traveling to Laurel, Maryland, to begin a Brooke Owens Fellowship at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory – one of only 47 students selected for this honor. Read the complete article and find out the unique way her passion for physics started by visiting links: | Learn More [1], [2], [3] |

[2023/01] Dr. Kim was highlighted in the “Research Commercialization at Texas Tech”, concerning his quantum research. | Learn More |

[2023/01] Please join us in congratulating physics doctoral student Zach Brown and undergraduate physics major Sabrina DeBreau for winning the 2023 Office of Naval Research NREIP Award.

[2022/12] Congratulations to all the Physics and Astronomy graduates! Learn More [Video1], [Video 2], [Commencement Program]

[2022/11] Regent Ginger Kerrick Davis, a Physics Distinguished Alumna, was elected vice chairwoman of The Texas Tech University System Board of Regents on November 17. | Learn More |

[2022/10] Dr. Owen and his research group have been highlighted in AAS NOVA for their work searching for gravitational waves from the purported neutron star. Their work has also been published in The Astrophysical Journal Letters | Learn More [1], [2] |

[2022/10] Congratulations to Dr. Thomas Kupfer's research group "The Galactic Gourds" for winning the City of Lubbock Pumpkin Carving Competition! They also won awards for the "best" and "funniest" pumpkins. | Learn More |

[2022/10] Dr. Duncan and his team won the 2022 TechConnect Defense Innovation Award at the Annual Defense TechConnect Summit & EXPO | Learn More |

[2022/09] On Sep 9 our department received a special visit from Allan Wise and Susan Treece (second and third from left). Allan received his MSc in physics in 1969 - more than 50 years ago!

[2022/09] Dr. DeGottardi has been highlighted in the “Research Commercialization at Texas Tech”, concerning his quantum research. | Learn More |

[2022/08] PHAS has launched a new Flickr page. On our Flickr page, you can enjoy photos taken at various events hosted and coordinated by the department over the past few years.

[2022/08] Congratulations to all the Physics and Astronomy graduates! Learn More [Video], [Commencement Program]

[2022/07] Graduate students (Deshmukh, Stringer, and Bradshaw) and their supervisor Dr. Kupfer were featured on the A&S webpage | Learn More |

[2022/07] Our department ranked 151-200^th (48-57^th in U.S.) for the forth consecutive year in the Global Ranking of Academic Subjects 2022 | Learn More |

[2022/07] Congratulations to physics student, Megan Cuevas, who was selected as a recipient of Texas Space Grant Consortium’s STEM Columbia Crew Memorial Scholarship for 2022-2023! Megan earned her Physics BS this May and will join our PhD program this fall | Learn More | 

[2022/06] Two of our alumni, Dr. Rob Coyne (Postdoc: 2015-2017) and Dr. Kavitha Arur (Ph.D. in 2020), led a professional development workshop at the 240th meeting of the American Astronomical Society. We love to see our physicists continue to collaborate after they leave Texas Tech | Learn More |

[2022/05] Congratulations to all the Physics and Astronomy graduates! Learn More [Video], [Commencement Program]

[2022/05] An international team of astronomers, including our very own Dr. Alex Tetarenko (TTU’s NASA Einstein Fellow), has unveiled the first image of the supermassive black hole (Sgr A*) at the center of the Milky Way galaxy | Learn More | 

[2022/05] At 2022 A&S Faculty and Staff Appreciation Celebration held on May 5th, Debra won the "Excellence in Support" award. Please join me in congratulating Debra on her very well deserved recognition!

[2022/04] Dr. Volobouev received one of Texas Tech University's President's Excellence in Academic Advising Awards.

[2022/04] Madison Howard, a graduating senior, awarded NSF Graduate Research Fellowship | Learn more [1], [2] | 

[2022/04] Our department ranked 301-350^th (63^rd in the U.S.) for the third consecutive year in the QS World University Rankings (by subject: Physics and Astronomy) | Learn More |

[2022/03] Dr. Thacker recently was elected vice-chair of the Texas Section of the American Association of Physics Teachers (AAPT)

[2022/03] Drs. Akchurin and Kupfer were each selected to receive a IRDS (International Research & Development Seed) grant from the TTU Office of International Affairs | Learn More |

[2022/03] Dr. Chatzakis has been appointed as a fellow in the ONR (Office of Naval Research) Summer Faculty Research Program

[2022/03] Clive Binu, a junior physics major with a focus in astrophysics, has been selected for NRAO (National Radio Astronomy Observatory) Summer Student Research Assistantship | Learn More [1], [2] |

[2022/02] Dr. Lee leads the 2022 South Plains Regional Science and Engineering Fair for K-12 Students. This year's fair was held in-person at the United Supermarkets Arena on Feb. 25 | Learn More |

[2022/02] Dr. West has been recognized as a Hidden Gem by the Texas Tech Teaching Academy. | Learn More [1], [2] |

[2022/02] Dr. Sangsik Kim, adjunct faculty (ECE), was awarded the NSF CAREER Award for his project “Scalable Integrated Nanophotonics with Subwavelength Gratings” | Learn More |

[2022/01] Corey Bradshaw, a graduate student in Astrophysics, has been awarded observing time this summer on the Southern Astrophysical Research telescope (SOAR), located in Chile's Atacama Desert. | Learn More |

[2022/01] Dr. Damgov (lecturer) and Dr. Farooq (full-time instructor) join us in spring 2022. Welcome to the department!

[2021/12] Congratulations to Dr. Thacker on receiving an A&S Faculty Mid-Career Grant

[2021/12] Texas Tech broke ground on the new Academic Sciences Building, which will house teaching and laboratory space for five departments including Physics and Astronomy. Learn More: | Texas Tech Today | Local News 1,2 | Video |

[2021/12] Congratulations to all the Physics and Astronomy graduates! Learn More [Video1, Video2], [Commencement Program]

[2021/10] On October 29 our department received a visit from Charlotte Hutcheson (third from left), who worked in our main office from 1965 to 1969 - more than 50 years ago!

[2021/10] Dr. Lee has been invited to serve on the Editorial Board for the Journal of the Korean Physical Society, an international journal published by the Korean Physical Society and Springer. Learn More

[2021/09] Congratulations to Dr. Alessandra Corsi for being awarded the 2022 New Horizons Physics Prize from the Breakthrough Foundation! | Learn More |

[2021/09] Drs. Hyunsoo Kim and Halyna Hodovanets were selected to receive a grant from the Helen Jones Foundation in support of "Promoting Science Identity of High School Students in Quantum Materials Science". | Learn More |

[2021/08] Dr. Thomas Kupfer recently received two grants from NASA’s LISA preparatory science program and NSF’s Astronomy and Astrophysics research grants.

[2021/08] Dr. Antoniou was selected to receive the 2021 Texas Tech Alumni Association Excellence Grant. Read More.

[2021/08] Dr. Tsai (lecturer) join us in fall 2021. Welcome to the department! Learn More

[2021/08] Congratulations to all the Physics and Astronomy graduates! Learn More [Video], [Commencement Program]

[2021/07] Dr. Kupfer's recent research has been highlighted in the Texas Tech Today and an international collaboration, including Dr.Kupfer, reported their discovery in the Nature Astronomy. Learn More: Texas Tech Today, Nature Astronomy

[2021/06] Dr. Romano shares in $17 Million grant. He is developing algorithms to detect gravitational waves Learn More

[2021/06] Toni Sauncy, a Physics Alumna, has been named a 2021 Minnie Stevens Piper Professor Learn More

[2021/06] Our department ranked 151-200th (51-60th in U.S.) for the third consecutive year in the Global Ranking of Academic Subjects 2021. Learn More

[2021/05] Congratulations to all the Physics and Astronomy graduates on your well-deserved success. You have made it! On behalf of the Department of Physics and Astronomy, Congratulations and good luck in the future! Learn More [Video], [Commencement Program]

[2021/05] Kyle Wipfli (Physics Education Research group) received a mini-grant of APS Forum on Education 2021. Learn More

[2021/04] Dr. Alexandra (Alex) Tetarenko, a newly selected prestigious NASA Einstein Fellow, will join our department this Fall. Learn More

[2021/04] Tanazza Khanam (Astrophysics) received TSAAPT award for her outstanding presentation at the Texas Sections of AAPT and APS meeting. Learn More

[2021/04] Undergraduate students (Shanto, Howard, and Cook) received awards at 2021 Undergraduate Research Conference. Learn More

[2021/03] The Quark, a monthly newsletter, published by SPS since 2017, has been featured in the latest issue of SPS Observers Magazine. Learn More [1] , [2], [3]

[2021/03] Satyanarayana Kachiraju (Experimental Condensed Matter Physics) received 2nd place 2nd place in the Science category at the 20th Annual Graduate Virtual Research Poster Competition. Learn More

[2021/03] Our department ranked 301-350th (66th in the U.S.) for the second consecutive year in the QS World University Rankings (by subject: Physics and Astronomy). Learn More

[2021/03] Ishtiaque Ahmed (Experimental Condensed Matter Physics) has won the TTU Doctoral Dissertation Completion Fellowship. This is the first time that our department has produced winners for four consecutive years. Learn More

[2021/02] Dr. Kupfer interviewed a German science journalist about the importance of the early data release of the Gaia satellite. Learn More

[2021/02] Dr. Maccarone’s recent research has been highlighted in the Texas Tech Today and an international collaboration, including Dr. Maccaron, reported their findings in the Science today. Learn More

[2021/02] Jacob Slocum and Amaris McCarver have been selected as the winner of the 2021 Office of Naval Research Enterprise Internship Program Award. Madison Howard has been accepted into CERN summer program.

[2021/01] Our WiP chapter has been selected as one of the few winners of the Women in Physics Group Grant this year by APS Committee on the CSWP. Learn More

[2021/01] Our SPS chapter has been selected for the third consecutive year as an Outstanding SPS Chapter for the 2019-2020 academic year by the American Institute of Physics (AIP). Learn More

[2020/12] Physics undergrads publish in Astrophysics journal. The paper is available at this link. Congrats. Learn More, Learn More

[2020/12] Congratulations to all the Physics and Astronomy graduates on your well-deserved success. You have made it! On behalf of the Department of Physics and Astronomy, Congratulations and good luck in the future! Learn More [Video1] [Video2]

[2020/12] Robert Baca was selected as recipient of the Matador Award, one of the 2020 TTU Distinguished Staff Awards. The Matador Award is given to those who made significant contributions to the department and Texas Tech community and provided innovative ideas.  Please join me in CONGRATULATING Robert for this well-deserved recognition! | Learn More | 

[2020/12] Liliana Rivera-Sandoval was selected as recipient of the Matador Award, one of the 2020 TTU Distinguished Staff Awards. The Matador Award is given to those who made significant contributions to the department and Texas Tech community and provided innovative ideas.  Please join me in CONGRATULATING Liliana for this well-deserved recognition! | Learn More | 

[2020/10] Ahmad Jafari (CMP Ph.D. student) has been awarded a Graduate Student Research Support Award. This funding is provided through the TTU Graduate School.

[2020/10] Dr. Corsi has been named to Science News magazine's sixth annual SN 10: Scientists to Watch. The list of 10 early- and mid-career scientists age 40 and under will be featured in the Oct. 10 issue of Science News. Honorees are chosen by the Science News staff for their potential to shape the science of the future. Congratulations Dr. Corsi! | Learn More | Learn More |

[2020/09] Our undergraduate research team (R. Perez, S. A. Shanto, M. Moosajee, and S. Cano) published their research in the Journal of Undergraduate Reports in Physics. Learn More

[2020/09] Liliana Rivera's recent study has been featured as the Image of the Week in Gaia. Learn More

[2020/09] Drs. DeGottardi, Hodovanets, Kupfer, and Kim join us in fall 2020. Welcome to the department!

[2020/08] Congratulations to all the Physics and Astronomy graduates on your well-deserved success. You have made it! On behalf of the Department of Physics and Astronomy, Congratulations and good luck in the future! Learn More

[2020/07] Dr. Liliana Rivera Sandoval has been awarded two observing times on the Hubble Space Telescope, along with a grant to analyze existing observations. Liliana is one of only 11 researchers worldwide to have been granted at least three proposals in the same observing cycle in the last decade. She will use her observing times on the telescope for three different research projects.  Learn More, Learn More

[2020/06] Distinguished alumna Ginger Kerrick has been featured in the Texas Tech Today regarding her pivotal role in the recent SpaceX Launch. Learn More

[2020/05] Congratulations to all the Physics and Astronomy graduates on your well-deserved success. You have made it! On behalf of the Department of Physics and Astronomy, Congratulations and good luck in the future! Learn More [Video1] [Video2]

[2020/04] Sigma Pi Sigma induction ceremony took place virtually. During the event 9 undergraduates, 2 graduates and 1 faculty were inducted. Video

[2020/04] Trey Vincent, a senior physics major and undergraduate research assistant, and his research mentor, Horn Professor Stefan Estreicher, have been working to solve a troublesome problem in silicon-based electronics. Their findings recently were published as an Editor's Pick article in the peer-reviewed Journal of Applied Physics. Follow this link for the complete story about Trey Vincent's undergraduate research. Learn More

[2020/04] Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center and Texas Tech University Join Forces to Develop 3D-Printed Face Masks. Learn More

[2020/04] Dr. Alessandra Corsi and Dr. Beth Thacker who have been awarded a President’s Excellence in Research Professorshipand a President’s Excellence in Teaching Professorship, respectively.

[2020/03] Milinda Pattanayak (Experimental Condensed Matter Physics) has won the TTU Doctoral Dissertation Completion Fellowship. This is the first time that our department has produced winners for three consecutive years.

[2020/03] Prof. Maccarone has been selected as an Integrated Scholar for 2020 by the Provost. Learn More

[2020/01] Dr. Corsi has been featured on Research Spotlight on Texas Tech Women Faculty on the OR&I’s blog and social media. Learn More

[2020/01] Heather Harbin, a senior physics major with a focus in astrophysics, has won the Student Academic Citizenship Award-STEM from the Texas Tech Parents Association. As an undergraduate researcher, Harbin conducts gravitational wave follow-up in the radio frequency, generating images of radio sources using data from the Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array (VLA). During summer 2019, she was one of only two chosen internationally to serve a 10-week internship in the National and International Nontraditional Exchange (NINE) program at the National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO) in Charlottesville, VA. Learn More, Learn More