The man whose father was one of the first to set foot on the moon visited Durham city and the department on Monday. Dr Andy Aldrin is Director of the Aldrin Space Institute and president of the non-profit foundation dedicated to inspiring children’s passions for STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Maths).

Results have shown that balloon-borne experiments to explore space can be just as useful as those launched by rockets, while costing a fraction of the price. Dr Fionagh Thomson and Professor Richard Massey, from our Physics Department, explain how they are also ideal training for the next generation of technology leaders.

Physicists from our Institute for Computational Cosmology have been named on a prestigious list for their world-leading research.

Researchers in the Quantum light and matter group led by Prof. Simon Cornish have demonstrated robust quantum storage with ultracold RbCs molecules in recent work published in Nature Physics.

Experts in the Institute for Particle Physics Phenomenology within the Department of Physics have developed a new model for simulating epidemics – and it’s already being used to inform the UK’s response to COVID-19.

The annual Physics Department Awards for Excellence took place at 2pm on Tuesday 14 September. Held virtually on Zoom this year, there were a series of science talks aimed at all members of the department, followed by the presentation of awards. The awards recognise staff who carry out exceptional work, and go that extra mile.

We are excited to announce a new collaboration in the field of quantum computing! Working with Dunnhumby, a global leader in customer data science, this project will fund a postgraduate student to work with Dr Nicholas Chancellor within the Quantum, Light & Matter (QLM) group to explore the potential of nascent quantum technology in solving hard real-world data-science problems.

Researchers in our Physics Department will receive funding for the EPSRC Centre for Doctoral Training (CDT) in Fusion Power from the UK’s biggest-ever investment in engineering and physical sciences doctoral skills.

Durham is a hub for research excellence and our academics prove that year in and year out through their ground-breaking research. We are delighted that Dr Sownak Bose, from the Department of Physics, has been awarded the Future Leaders Fellowship for his research project into Fundamental Cosmology.

Two Postgraduate students in the Condensed Matter Physics research group, Max Birch and Luke Turnbull, were recently were awarded postgraduate prizes by the Departmental Postgraduate Committee.

Our astronomers are part of an international team that has taken another step towards solving the puzzle of what dark matter might be made of.

You might not think that studying the universe could benefit research into serious illnesses like cancer, but Durham’s astronomers have joined forces with cancer researchers to improve the diagnosis and treatment of patients.