Welcome to the Department of Physics at the University of Wisconsin–Madison!
The UW–Madison Physics Department awarded its first PhD in 1899. Since then our students have earned degrees in virtually every area of physics, and our faculty have played key roles in myriad important research efforts. We are training over 200 PhD students as the next generation of physics researchers who are already earning recognition and making significant accomplishments in their field. Each year, our instructional teams teach introductory physics to over 5,000 undergrads from majors across campus. And we’re proud to have the longest-running hands-on science museum in North America (the Ingersoll Physics Museum), one of the longest-running science demonstration shows (The Wonders of Physics), and the first MS in Physics–Quantum Computing program in the country.
Congrats, student award winners!
View photos from the 2025 Physics Awards Banquet and celebrate our students' many achievements.
Vera Rubin First Look watch party
Join Keith Bechtol and his group on June 23 as they celebrate the release of the first images from the Vera C. Rubin Observatory! We'll livestream the official press conference with image release from 10-11am, then Keith and others will hold a Q&A session.
Enter the Wonders video contest!
The Wonders of Physics annual show has brought fun and exciting physics demonstrations to the public since 1984. Now, we want YOU to show us your best physics demonstration! Capture the wonders of physics on video and send it to us.
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Code of Conduct
Conduct
The University of Wisconsin–Madison physics department consists of members with varied national origin, ethnic background, race, gender identity, sexual orientation, gender, age, physical ability, and religion. As a community, we are committed to being positive and inclusive in all regards. We follow the University of Wisconsin–Madison code of conduct. The members of University of Wisconsin–Madison must maintain a professional environment in an atmosphere of tolerance and mutual respect and abstain from all forms of harassment, abuse, intimidation, bullying, and mistreatment of any kind. This includes, but is not limited to, intimidation, sexual or crude jokes or comments, offensive images, secret recordings, and unwelcome physical conduct. Members must keep in mind that behavior and language deemed acceptable to one person may not be to another.
Remediation
Any person who is concerned that an individual has violated the department’s code of conduct may bring the issue to the attention of the department’s climate and diversity committee who will assist in suggesting steps to resolve the issue. Issues that cannot be resolved by the climate and diversity committee may be brought to the direct attention of the department chair or associate chair. The department chair/associate chair will seek information on the nature of the problem and discuss the complaint with all parties involved and appropriately inform the parties of the outcome. If the issue cannot be resolved by the chair/associate chair or if it would be inappropriate to bring the issue to either the diversity or inclusion committee or the chair/associate chair, the individual may contact the appropriate resources outside the department depending on the nature of the issue, including the Office of Student Assistance and Support, the Associate Dean in the College of Letters & Science, the Ombuds Office, and the Title IX Office for Equity and Diversity.
Land Acknowledgement Statement
The Department of Physics acknowledges that the University of Wisconsin–Madison occupies the ancestral lands of the Ho-Chunk, a place their nation has called Teejop since time immemorial. In an 1832 treaty, the Ho-Chunk were forced to cede this territory. Decades of ethnic cleansing followed when both the federal and state government repeatedly, but unsuccessfully, sought to forcibly remove the Ho-Chunk from Wisconsin. We commemorate the resiliency of the Ho-Chunk and other eleven First Nations of Wisconsin. This history of colonization informs our shared future of collaboration and innovation. Today, we respect the inherent sovereignty of the Ho-Chunk Nation, along with the eleven other First Nations of Wisconsin.
Physics in the News
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