About Physics

Message from the Chair

At Waterloo we take great pride in being at the forefront of new ideas in teaching and research. Our undergraduate program is Canada's finest, offering a range of options in astrophysics, optics, biophysics, mathematical physics, quantum computing and condensed matter physics. Our co-operative program is renowned world-wide, and has given our students the advantage in obtaining employment in industry, teaching and research. Our graduate program offers opportunities at the forefront of research in both experimental and theoretical physics. Our partnership with the newly-established Perimeter Institute of Theoretical Physics gives our students a prime opportunity to work on the most challenging questions today in quantum gravity, cosmology, astrophysics and quantum computing. For students interested in the most exciting and rapidly emerging areas of experimental research, we have developed an Institute for Quantum Computing that has brought together researchers in optics, condensed matter physics, mathematics and computer science to work on the challenging experimental problems in quantum information theory.

Our 35 faculty are consistently recognized for their outstanding work in research and teaching with many awards, including Distinguished Teaching Awards, Herzberg Medals, Premiers Research Excellence Awards, Sloan Fellowships, and Cottrel Scholars Awards. This tradition of excellence persists throughout the entire Faculty of Science at Waterloo, which has the highest research funding per professor of any faculty of science in Canada.

This is an exciting time to be in physics. New materials are being developed that are challenging some of the basic concepts of condensed matter physics. We are at the threshold of being able to rearrange the bonds of molecules at will. The earliest moments of creation are now being actively studied, leading to discoveries about the mass, structure and expansion of the universe that were unknown as recently as 5 years ago. We are learning how to use quantum mechanics to design computers that – if successful – will be as different from modern computers as modern computers differ from the abacus. These are only a few of the exciting developments in physics that await you at the University of Waterloo.

The demand for physicists in government, industry and academia is at an all-time high. Upon graduating, our students are fully prepared to take the best advantage of these exciting new career opportunties. Come explore our website and find out where you might fit in.