For more than a century, the Department of Physics has attracted some of the nation's top scholars. Students build a strong foundation in nuclear physics, astrophysics and biophysics while studying advanced concepts, from quantum mechanics to optics. They also collaborate with faculty and partner institutions to understand the building blocks of life, observe exploding stars in distant galaxies and detect subatomic particles at the core of matter.
Study in the physical sciences at the George Washington University goes back to the founding of the Columbian College in 1821. Officially founded in 1912, the department has been a leader in scientific breakthroughs ever since, including hosting the historical 1939 conference at which Nobel Prize Winner Niels Bohr announced that Otto Hahn had successfully split the atom, thus ushering in the atomic age. Department faculty have included renowned scientists such as George Gamow, early developer and advocate of the big bang theory, and Edward Teller, famed for his work on the hydrogen bomb.
Today, the department carries on the practice of excellent research at state-of-the-art labs in Corcoran Hall and Science and Engineering Hall on GW's Foggy Bottom Campus. Faculty regularly secure competitive grants from the U.S. Department of Energy, the National Science Foundation, NASA and the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory. In the lab and in the classroom, the department is applying physics solutions to everyday life.
“GW has a diverse population. The student body comes from very different backgrounds. Even if your idea of fun is running computer modeling cell movement simulations, here you can find your tribe.”
George Sangiolo
BS '18, Biophysics
Professor Downie is Interim Vice President for Research
GW has announced that Evangeline J. Downie, associate dean for research and strategic initiatives in the Columbian College of Arts and Sciences, leader of the arts and sciences research support team...
2026 InnovationFest: Physics research highlights
Seniors Logan Dempsey and Nick Rothwein gave participants an up-close-and-personal view of Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans), a microscopic roundworm.
Student Research Takes Center Stage at CCAS Showcase
More than 250 undergraduate and graduate students across disciplines displayed their scholarly work at the fourth-annual CCAS Research Showcase.
Physics Student is a 2026 Distinguished Scholar
Nippe-Jeakins is an astronomy and astrophysics major whose research, including at Jefferson Lab and Vanderbilt University, spans the universe’s most energetic phenomena and the fundamental forces...
Bouchet Society Students Honored for Research, Advocacy
Nine George Washington University Ph.D. students will join a network of preeminent scholars from across the country this spring when they are inducted into the Edward Alexander Bouchet Graduate Honor...
Black Hole Eats Star: Student Charts Record Blast
Physics PhD student Eliza Neights was part of a NASA mission that recorded a gamma-ray burst, the most powerful class of cosmic explosions, that lasted for days.
More Than Pretty Pictures: Space Telescopes Transform Science and Society
GW faculty explored how images from the Hubble and James Webb telescopes reshape science and influence policy, priorities and public perception.
George Washington University senior Olivia Nippe-Jeakins, a physics major, received the Universities Space Research Association (USRA) Distinguished Undergraduate Award.
Ask a GW Expert: Alexander van der Horst on Friction and Tennis Courts
Alexander van der Horst, chair of the Physics Department, explains differences among tennis court surfaces as the U.S. Open tournament gets underway.
Big science at the smallest scale
GW experimental physicists are pioneering big science at the smallest scale. With cutting-edge tech and state-of-the-art systems, faculty and students are on the frontlines of a subatomic revolution.
