// Latest Posts

On Stars, Ciphers, and Cigarettes

Guest post by Floe Foxon (BSc Physics and Astronomy, 2020), whose final year of undergraduate studies featured international travel, research, published papers, and ultimately a job offer. Congratulations Floe on all your accomplishments! What do stellar reactors, medieval cryptograms, and smokes have in common? Probably nothing. Regardless, the final year of my BSc in Physics …

Physics and Music

One of the great benefits of studying at university is realising how so many subjects are interconnected in sometimes surprising ways.  Many of our staff and students are interested in exploring e.g. connections between physics and music, or between physics and art. Our physics undergraduates can take up to 10 credits per semester outside the …

A different sort of graduation: #WeAreUon

Normally graduation is a much anticipated day in the academic calendar: nibbles, speeches, and photos with students and friends at the Physics reception, followed by pageantry and funny hats at the official ceremony. It’s a chance to celebrate and acknowledge achievement, and it’s also a chance to say goodbye. Of course nothing is ‘normal’ at …

Giuliana’s virtual summer school at the European Space Agency

The whole world has been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, with enormous disruption felt by all of our staff and students. However, that didn’t stop Giuliana Le Grazie-Brennan (BSc Physics and Philosophy, class of 2020) from making the best of a slightly unusual summer research opportunity. In this guest post, she describes her experience of …

Black Lives Matter and the First Black Person with a Physics PhD

A guest post by Dr. Moustafa Gharamti, who is the special tutor for Black and Minority Ethnic Students. Two weeks have passed since the start of Black Lives Matter protests. Protests all over the world raising one slogan “Black Lives Matter”. Three words that comprise the black race history, call for a change and equality …

Hugh’s experience on the MSci Physics with Science Education course

Science education is a important career path for some of our graduates, and we offer a number of options for physics students to gain practical experience in schools during their undergraduate studies. For example, the third-year PJU project module run by the School of Physics and Astronomy is open to application from any BSc or …

UCAS visit days – what to expect

As I write this, there’s less than an hour to go before I put on my “Admission Tutor” lanyard — having recently taken over the role from my colleague Prof Philip Moriarty, who has left some big shoes to fill — and prepare to kick off another UCAS Visit day. We hold over a dozen …

What happens when you pour boiling water onto liquid nitrogen?

Second year Thermal & Statistical Physics….phase transitions….sound dull?  Not if your lecturer is Dr. Yong Mao and you get to witness demonstrations cooked up by lab technicians Paul Munday and Denise Watt. The following footage filmed by one of our students went a bit viral on Reddit this week: Pouring boiling water onto liquid nitrogen …

Alumni profile: Abigail Seager, BBC Systems Engineer

Featured alumnus: Abigail Seager, MSci Physics (2014) was interviewed earlier this year by WISE, the campaign for greater gender balance in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Maths) about her career as a Systems Engineer at the BBC. Abigail Seager