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
Search for New Physics in the Rare Decays of B0->mu+mu- and Development of High-Precision Timing Detectors
Josef Sorenson
Thesis and Dissertation Defenses
Mar. 9, 10:00 AM
PAIS 2540
Neutrinoless Double Beta Decay and the BACoN Experiment
Geogia McDowell (UNM)
Nuclear, Particle, Astroparticle and Cosmology (NUPAC) Seminars
Mar. 10, 2:00 PM
PAIS 3205
Title TBD
Physics and Astronomy Colloquium
Mar. 13, 3:30 PM
- Mar. 13, 4:30 PM
PAIS 1100
No Colloquium this week due to Spring Break
Physics and Astronomy Colloquium
Mar. 20, 3:30 PM
- Mar. 20, 4:30 PM
PAIS 1100
TBA
Tensor Elmikawy (UNM)
Nuclear, Particle, Astroparticle and Cosmology (NUPAC) Seminars
Mar. 24, 2:00 PM
PAIS 3205
Recent News
Alumna 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, 2025Kathrin Spendier's Unusual Career Path from Academia to Quantinuum to the XPRIZE
October 28, 2025









