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Courses

  • MPhys (Hons) Physics (4 years)
  • MPhysPhil (Hons) Physics and Philosophy (4 years)

Physics and Physics & Philosophy are strong subjects at Queen’s and we wish to maintain a high standard in this subject. We usually admit five or six students each year, with the possibility of one or two of those reading Physics & Philosophy. All candidates must have A-levels in Physics and in Mathematics, or equivalent, in order to apply. Entrance requirements with A-levels are A*AA, with A*A in Mathematics or Physics. Common third A-levels are Further Maths or Chemistry, though neither is essential. We accept candidates taking the International Baccalaureate and any other equivalent qualification.

The courses

The University offers a four-year integrated Master’s course in Physics (MPhys). Full details of what is taught can be found at the Physics Department website (see link below). There is also a joint honours degree with the Faculty of Philosophy (MPhysPhil).

Those students who intend to pursue a career in Physics beyond University are encouraged to undertake research experience (up to six weeks) during the vacation periods of their second year and College funding is available to help support this. The Physics collection in the College library is kept up to date and undergraduate computing facilities suited to Physics students are available in College.

Teaching

Tuition during the first three years takes place primarily in College, mostly in groups of two students with a tutor. Students receive such tutorials and also some classes from College Fellows and Lecturers. In the fourth year of the Master’s courses the teaching is organised centrally by the Department of Physics, as students take specialised options taught by experts in their fields. Physics and Philosophy students will also be taught by the College’s Philosophy tutors. Dr Nickerson is a particle physicist, working at the large hadron collider at CERN. Prof Taylor works in the fields of quantum optics and nanotechnology. Prof Yassin is a radio astronomer and Dr Barnes is a condensed matter physicist who primarily teaches mathematics.

Interviews

Our selection process in Physics includes two interviews that are designed to assess a candidate’s potential for the course, taking all factors into account and not simply his or her current ability as reflected in examination results. One interview will focus on the candidate’s mathematical ability and reasoning, whilst the other will focus primarily on Physics. All candidates will receive at least one more interview at another college. However, examination ability does carry significant weight, especially in Mathematics and Physics.


Introduction

Having studied at a local comprehensive school, I went to Imperial College in London to study Physics at degree level.  I then stayed on at Imperial to do a PhD and further research into solar cells, with a couple of months spent at The Electrotechnical Laboratory in Tsukuba, Japan during this time.  I next worked in industry for over 10 years on optoelectronic devices; semiconductor lasers and light emitting diodes based in GaAs and InGaN.  I returned to academia in 2008 when I started tutoring at The Queen’s College.  I now also do outreach work for the Physics Department in addition to my tutorial role in the College.

Teaching

I tutor first and second year mathematics to both materials science and physics undergraduates at the College, plus some physics courses in the third year.  I lecture part of the mathematics course for the Materials Department and also lecture on the Mathematical, Physical and Life Science (MPLS) bridging programme, covering mathematics and mechanics.  Part of my outreach work involves teaching problem-solving skills to A level students, often as part of taster days within the University.

Research

Whilst I do not currently do research, I spent 10 years researching optoelectronic devices in industry, in addition to six years of research into quantum well solar cells as part of my PhD and post-doctoral research.


Introduction

I am from Sestao, a historically industrial city in the area of the Greater Bilbao that we call Ezkerraldea, where I went to high-school prior to starting the undergraduate degree in Physics at the University of the Basque Country. In 2016 I moved to London to study an MSc in Quantum Fields and Fundamental Forces at Imperial College London and a PhD in Theoretical Physics at King’s College London. In October 2021 I joined the Astrophysics sub-department and the Queen’s College as Beecroft Fellow in Cosmology and an extraordinary Junior Research Fellow in Physics.

Teaching

I teach the Symmetry & Relativity (B2) and General Relativity (B5) tutorials to third year physics students at Queen’s. I also supervise master and PhD students in the Astrophysics department.

Research

My area of expertise is numerical relativity, which is the use of high-performance computing methods to solve Einstein’s equations of general relativity to study cosmological and astrophysical phenomena in the most extreme regimes of gravity. In short, I use computers to simulate some of the most catastrophic events in the Universe, such as the collision of black holes!

We are in a new era of gravitational physics in which both gravitational-wave measurements and cosmological observations can be used to test fundamental physics. Moreover, recent computational developments allow us to investigate (at present largely unexplored) regimes where the gravitational force is strong – a very promising area to search for new physics. At Queen’s, I am carrying a novel research program to explore how the gravitational waves that are produced in the most catastrophic events in the Universe can be used to answer some of the greatest outstanding questions in physics: How did the Universe begin? What is it made of?


Introduction

I am one of the two physics tutors at The Queen’s College. After completing my DPhil at Hertford College in 1983 I was elected to a Junior Research Fellowship at St. John’s College here in Oxford. In 1986 I was elected to a Royal Society University Research Fellowship, which I held until 1990, when I was elected to a Fellowship at Queen’s, and to a University Lectureship at the Department of Physics. I was awarded the title of Professor of Condensed Matter Physics in 2008. I was Head of Condensed Matter Physics from September 2017 until September 2022.  I am the Entertainment Secretary and Wine Steward here at Queen’s. Physics is part of the Mathematical, Physical and Life Sciences Division, and I was Associate Head of this Division from October 2011 until September 2016, in charge of academic matters. I am currently the Tutor for Admissions at Queen’s, please find all information about admissions on our main website under the menu item Admissions.

Teaching

At Queen’s I teach a range of topics to the undergraduate physics students, including electromagnetism and optics, thermal physics and condensed matter physics.

Research

I am interested in the optical properties of materials, and have been working in the areas of nanotechnology , nanophotonics and quantum computing for the past 10 years. Full details of my research can be found at my departmental web page.

Publications

Some of my recent publications include:


Introduction

Nickerson was a graduate student at Magdalen College, Oxford, where he studied proton collisions at CERN. After that he worked as post-doc, lecturer and then as a professor at Harvard University in the USA on a deep-inelastic muon scattering experiment. He returned to Oxford as a member of the physics faculty in 1990.

Teaching

Nickerson believes that the best way to learn physics is to listen to lectures by those who already understand the subject, read extensively and solve problems. A key element in expediting the learning process is access to experts who can help resolve any difficulties, and the tutorial system is ideal for this. Nickerson expects to discuss physics broadly in tutorials, and will be trying to make sure that students have understood the material.

Research

Nickerson is a particle physicist and a member of the ATLAS collaboration at CERN. There are twelve UK universities participating in the project which altogether has over 2000 physicists involved. For some years Nickerson led the UK team working on the experiment and was chair of the international collaboration board for the tracking detector. He now leads the UK work to build the next generation tracking detector for ATLAS, which will be bigger, better and much more radiation hard. Nickerson is hardware orientated – he leads teams building detectors and makes them work.

Publications

Nickerson’s CV includes numerous publications. There are dozens on results from the ATLAS detector alone – these can be found on the web quite easily.

Contact

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