Facilities and Equipment

From SEM labs in the basement to telescopes on the roof, the Department of Physics is home to a range of world-class facilities. Our laboratories and equipment are looked after by a dedicated team of technicians and our facilities are used by our students and researchers. Several of these facilities are available to external users, and the Department welcomes enquiries from external research and from industry.

Open telescope dome with view of Calman Learning Centre and Science site

When I came to Durham I was amazed by the incredible facilities on offer

Maaria Khan

Physics Graduate

Durham campus

Find out more about these facilities on site at our South Road campus

Cosma 7 Supercomputer

COSMA has the processing power and memory of about 28,000 home PCs and is at the centre of international research into the mysteries of the Universe

Telescopes

We have four computer-controlled astronomical telescopes, bookable by undergraduate and postgraduate students.

GJ Russell Microscopy Facility

Comprising state-of-the-art scanning electron microscopes (SEM), transmission electron microscopes (TEM) and focused ion-beam microscopes (FIB).

Ogden Centre for Fundamental Physics

A £11.5m new research centre into the cosmos, Dark Matter and Dark Energy

The Ogden Centre for Fundamental Physics draws together a team of international scientists, postdoctoral researchers and PhD students from more than 20 countries around the world. Together they are investigating the mysteries of the cosmos, from the birth of the Universe through to the origin of galaxies, to the nature of dark matter and dark energy. The new centre houses the Institute for Computational Cosmology, Centre for Extragalactic Astronomy and Centre for Advanced Instrumentation.

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Ogden Centre for Fundamental Physics at night

The NETPark Research Institute

One of the UK’s premier science, engineering and technology parks for cutting edge global R&D. Based partly at NETPark, the Centre for Advanced Instrumentation (CfAI) develops state-of-the-art instruments for use in astronomical instrumentation, biophysics, remote sensing and fusion diagnostics.

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