Message from the Chair
Welcome to the Department of Physics and Astronomy at the University of Denver (DU)!
Our dynamic and diverse faculty (30% female and 42% persons of color) have major research efforts in stellar astronomy/astrophysics, biophysics, and condensed-matter/materials physics. We also participate in DU's interdisciplinary molecular and cellular biophysics program. Besides major NSF, NIH, and DOE funding, some of the faculty notable accomplishments include five NSF CAREER awards, a WM Keck Foundation award, two Cottrell and Scialog Fellowships. State-of-the-art instrumentation is available both in the department and through collaborations with nearby national institutes in the region (NIST and NREL, in particular). DU maintains a computer cluster for in-house high-performance computational needs.
We contribute 30% more Physics Bachelor’s degrees to the university STEM graduates than the national average (according to the American Physical Society data). Our consistently high percentage of female students (30-50% at both undergraduate and graduate level) has been the main factor behind the increase in student numbers (about fourfold since 2006). Our low student-to-faculty ratio enables us to provide research opportunities to all undergraduate majors and our small class size facilitates individualized instruction and academic advising. We also have an award-winning chapter of the Society of Physics Students that actively contributes to our community building and outreach efforts.
I invite you to browse our website and learn more about our activities. Please, contact us with your questions and thank you for visiting our website!
Davor Balzar
