Chair’s Letter
Dear alumni and friends,
With the fall 2021 semester under way, I am pleased to provide news and updates from the UF Department of Physics. The past year of COVID-19 has been stressful, bringing disruptions and interruptions to our research and teaching activities. Nevertheless, our students, faculty and researchers have remained active, engaged and productive in physics. As you will see from the news items below, several of our faculty have won prestigious national awards in the past year, while our graduate and undergraduate students have won highly competitive fellowships. Students and faculty have joined together in new initiatives to enhance the welcoming and supportive climate of the department. I hope to update you soon on our new bachelor’s degree specializations in Applied Physics.
In addition, the department has hired a number of new faculty in recent years and continues to attract excellent researchers, faculty and students. This past summer we hired two new faculty in theoretical astrophysics – Jeff Andrews and Daniel D’Orazio – who will arrive on campus in fall 2022. Faculty hiring for the 2021-2022 academic year includes active searches in quantum materials and information, and experimental high energy physics.
Finally, we received a gift this summer that allowed us to support two very talented undergraduate students who carried out exciting research in astrophysics and condensed matter physics. We deeply appreciate the engagement of Physics Department alumni and friends. It allows us to create new physics research and education opportunities for students and researchers in our department. If you would like to help advance and support these activities, please email me or make a contribution online.
Best regards,
Steve Hagen
Professor & Chair
