Postgraduate Study

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Join a research community that is driven by our enthusiasm for discovering, understanding and applying physics

We offer PhDLink opens in a new window and MSc by ResearchLink opens in a new window programmes in topics across the whole span of physics

Need help in deciding, or have questions about how to apply? Then please contact us at

Explore postgraduate research in physics

Funding

Find out about how funding works and what options are available.

PhD Projects

Discover a research project that you’re passionate about.

Why study Physics at Warwick?

Your supervisor will be a world leading expert in their field

Our facilities are internationally leading and are centres of UK excellence

Our students are diverse and international, working in a friendly research community

Explore our research

Warwick is one of the top research environments in the UK for physics. From quantum systems to astrophysics, Warwick offers world-class opportunities to contribute to cutting-edge discoveries.

Our researcher community foster's a positive academic atmosphere through its commitment to research integrity, sharing best practice, career development, social inclusion and ensuring everyone's wellbeing.

See our facilities

Advanced Materials Characterisation

X-ray techniques

X-Ray Diffraction RTPLink opens in a new window

Our X-ray diffraction facility is equipped with a range of X-ray instruments, and also hosts the UK's National Electron Diffraction Facility. As a PhD student, the facility's dedicated staff will train you to use the equipment and support you in your experiments.

Electron microscopy

Electron Microscopy RTPLink opens in a new window

Our electron microscopes allow you to find out material morphology and topography, chemical composition, and structure. The transmission electron microscopes allow for imaging down to the atomic level. As a PhD student, the facility's dedicated staff will train you on how to safely use the equipment and support you in your experiments.

Solid-state NMR

The UK High-Field Solid-State NMR Facility

Warwick hosts the UK's solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) facility, hosting 11 magnets ranging from 2.3 to 23.5 Tesla, including the UK's most powerful NMR instrument. NMR is used to analyse complex materials to determine their structure. PhD students at Warwick can access this facility while supported by dedicated specialists.

Spectroscopy

Spectroscopy RTPLink opens in a new window

We have instruments offering Raman, photoluminescence, optical absorption (UV-Vis and FTIR) and Electron Paramagnetic Resonance, allowing you to probe a range of condensed matter properties. As a PhD student, the facility's experienced staff will train you on how to safely use the equipment and will share their experience to facilitate your research.

Ultrafast spectroscopy

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Centre for Ultrafast SpectroscopyLink opens in a new window

Warwick's ultrafast spectroscopy centre is a state-of-the-art femtosecond laser facility comprising four beamlines with experiments ranging from the ultraviolet to the terahertz regime, and a range of complementary spectroscopic methods. As a PhD student, the facility's dedicated staff will train you on how to safely use the equipment and support your research.

International Facility Partnerships

Astronomical observation

Warwick Astronomy instrumentation and facilities

Warwick's astronomers make extensive use of international astronomy facilities, such as ESO's Very Large Telescope (VLT) in Chile, and are partners in four large international spectroscopic surveys (DESI, SDSS-V, WEAVE, and 4MOST). We are also heavily involved in the development of space missions including two of ESA's Exoplanet missions, PLATO and CHEOPS, and the NASA mid-ex UVEX mission

We lead the development of high-speed data acquisition and analysis techniques needed to track them, with Warwick astronomers contributing to detectors at the La Palma (BBC NewsLink opens in a new window) and Paranal observatories.

Particle detection and discovery

Elementary particle physics

The study and discovery of novel fundamental particles is international. Warwick physicists plays a leading role. We are part of the ATLASLink opens in a new window experiment at the Large Hadron Collider, both in studying the collected data for information on the Higgs Boson and development of the trigger; a part of ATLAS which decides if an event observed by the detector is kept for further processing. Our detector research in neutrino physics has led to Warwick playing central roles in several international projects, including JUNOLink opens in a new window and DUNELink opens in a new window, that aim to understand these weakly interacting particles.

Understanding materials

The UK Materials Science Facility at the ESRFLink opens in a new window

XMaS is a National Research Facility supporting the UK materials science communities by providing access to synchrotron radiation at the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility (ESRF) in Grenoble (France). This type of radiation allows for a wide range of powerful experimental techniques, revealing processes such as phase changes in matter or chemical reaction dynamics. The ESRF is the world's brightest synchrotron and a major international centre of scientific excellence. Warwick runs the UK materials science beamline of the ESRF jointly with Liverpool.

High Performance Computing

Scientific Computing RTP

The central Scientific Computing Research Technology Platform provides high performance computing facilities and expertise for researchers at Warwick. As a PhD student, you will have access to a powerful computational resource on which you can run your calculations and models, with access and training supported by a team of dedicated support specialists.

Department of Physics