Research

With world-leading research programs in astrophysics and gravitation, biophysics, condensed matter physics and material nanoscience, physics education, planetary surface exploration, and subatomic physics, the Department of Physics is one of the strongest research departments at the University of Guelph, as confirmed by numerous external and internal evaluations. Among our faculty are two Tier-I Canada Research Chair holders, editors of several prestigious international journals, recipients of national and international awards and fellowships, members of various grant panels, and leaders of unique multi-million dollar scientific infrastructure projects.

The Department boasts one of the highest research funding rates from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) and average sizes of NSERC grants in Canada, with a total of $2.053M in NSERC grants and approximately $0.868M in a Canadian Space Agency grant (for FY16/17) funding 13 out of 16 of our regular faculty members, 3 emeriti faculty, and two adjunct faculty. The University of Guelph received a total of $18.492M in NSERC funding in 2013-14 (CUDO); the Physics Department is thus responsible for over 11% of the total NSERC funding, while it possess 1.9% of the total faculty.

Faculty members of the Department of Physics have also been enormously successful in attracting funding for capital equipment both locally, for example the advanced NMR infrastructure of the Advanced Analysis Center, and for national User facilities such as the Canadian Light Source and TRIUMF. Equipment awards over the past 10 years to Physics faculty acting as Principal Investigators have totaled more than $45M.

Award Winning Researchers

While a small department by research-intensive Universities standards, the Guelph Physics Department projects strength on the national, and international stage as evidenced by our highly awarded faculty: