Physics and Astronomy

The Physics and Astronomy Department at UCL is located in the heart of the historical area of Bloomsbury. UCL Physics & Astronomy is among the top departments in the UK for this subject area: UCL is consistently placed in the global top 20 across a wide range of university rankings - and is currently 9th in the QS World University Rankings 2024, and 4th in the UK for Physics & Astronomy.

Students

Study

We offer a wide range of undergraduate and postgraduate taught degrees.

Research

We have a reputation for being at the forefront of world leading research.

People

Find information about our academic staff, researchers and professional services.

About

Find out about our department, one of the top-ranked Physics departments in the country: our policies and history.

News and Events

Keep up-to-date with the latest news and events from Physics and Astronomy.

Outreach

Staff in our Department participate in a wide range of public activities from public lectures to television interviews and school visits.

Contact us

Support our work

Read our Annual Review 2022-23

Athena Swan Award

The Physics and Astronomy department are proud holders of the Athena Swan Silver Award.

IOP Physics Inclusion Award

Physics Inclusion Award Digital Badge

As previous holders of the Juno Champion Award from the Institute of Physics (IOP) we are proud to be a pilot member of the new Physics Inclusion Award.

REF 2021

In the Research Excellence Framework (REF2021)

Fifth highest ʽResearch Powerʼ of all Physics submissions nationally
Outputs with a combined 4*/3* of 96.4%
In terms of 4* percentage we are Q4 (top quartile) for environment in the sector

See UCL REF2021