Physics and Astronomy | The University of New Mexico

Chair: Richard Rand

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.

Alumni testimonials: Read success stories from alumni of our department and their reflections on the quality of our programs.

Degree Programs

Undergraduate

Graduate - Physics

Graduate - Optical Science and Engineering

News from the Chair International team of astronomers discovers giant magnetic ropes in a galaxy's halo

An international team of astronomers, including our graduate student Tim Braun and Professor Richard Rand, discovers giant magnetic ropes in a galaxy's halo. Read the UNM Newsroom article.

News from the Chair

Three Faculty and Staff Job Openings at UNM Physics & Astronomy Department

Join Our Team We’re looking for people to fill the following positions:

News from the Chair

We've moved!

We are so excited to have moved into the enormous new Physics, Astronomy, and Interdisciplinary Science building at the corner of Yale and Central this month. We are busy exploring our offices, shared spaces, and labs. Classes are being taught at PAÍS.

Find out more, and see how you can put your name on PAÍS.

Upcoming Events

Colloquium:

Fri 1/24, 3:30PM in 1100, Cornelia Lang, TBD

Other Events:

Tue 12/10, 9:30AM in Student Union Building, NASA astronauts engage in Q&A session with New Mexico students , UNM to host live chat with International Space Station astronauts

Thu 12/12, 3:30PM in PAIS-2540, Martin Kirk, Spin-Dependent Excited State Processes in Molecules: A Chemical Approach to Qubit Generation and Manipulation

Events Quick Links

Physics & Astronomy and Interdisciplinary Science building

The Physics and Astronomy department is at 210 Yale Blvd NE as of November 2019

Research Experience for Undergrads

REU 2018 program participants
sitting on the edge at the top of Sandia Mountain

Make Your Summer Count!

Get real research experience with a fun group of your peers in the high desert of New Mexico. Find out how.

Interactive Astronomy Apps

9 Educational Apps

Written by Kevin Dilts for the Astro 101 Lab, these free interactive javascript apps illustrate common astronomy concepts. Enjoy!