Department of Physics & Astronomy
Alumni testimonials
Physics & Astronomy alumni hold positions as teachers, engineers, data analysts, project managers, researchers, health care workers, science writers, policy makers and lawyers, and many more. We interviewed some of our graduates about their professional paths and the role their physics or astronomy degree from our department played in shaping their current career.
Degree Programs
Undergraduate Program
An undergraduate education in physics provides a solid foundation for a lifetime of learning in a variety of disciplines, including science, engineering, math, finance, education, law, and medicine. Find out more
Optics Program
Established in 1983, the Optics Program at the University of New Mexico is one of the oldest and most successful science and engineering interdisciplinary programs with a strong international reputation in education and research.
OSE graduate students conduct research at facilities in the Department of Physics and Astronomy, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, and at UNM’s Center for High-Technology Materials.
There are numerous collaborations with the three National Laboratories in New Mexico - Sandia, Los Alamos, and the Air Force Research Laboratory, and with members of the optics industry cluster (New Mexico Optics Industry Association – NMOIA).
Upcoming Events
No Colloquium this week due to Spring Break
Physics and Astronomy Colloquium
Mar. 20, 3:30 PM
- Mar. 20, 4:30 PM
PAIS 1100
Quantum control of qubits and qudits in neutral atom systems
Vikas Buchemmavari (UNM)
Thesis and Dissertation Defenses
Mar. 23, 3:15 PM
PAIS 2540
Probing Physics Beyond the Standard Model via Neutrinoless Double Beta Decay
Tensor Elmikawy (UNM)
Nuclear, Particle, Astroparticle and Cosmology (NUPAC) Seminars
Mar. 24, 2:00 PM
PAIS 3205
TBD
Rajorshi Bhattacharya
CART Astrophysics Seminar Series
Mar. 26, 2:00 PM
- Mar. 26, 3:00 PM
PAIS 3205
Assessing PFAS contamination levels and toxicity in the wildlife of Holloman Lake, New Mexico: Key Insights from Five Years of Research.
Jean-Luc E. Cartron
Sigma Xi Public Talk
Mar. 26, 5:30 PM
Physics, Astronomy, & Interdisciplinary Science (PAIS), 210 Yale Blvd NE Rm 1100
Recent News
Saheed Oyeniran elected as Student Member of the APS Four Corners Executive Committee
March 16, 2026Alumna Shohini Ghose Featured on NPR's Short Wave Podcast
March 6, 2026UNM Hosted ThorLab's Mobile Optics Lab Experience
March 3, 2026QNM-I Builds on Early Momentum
February 20, 2026Fall 2025 Alumni Newsletter
November 20, 2025
