About Us
Applied Physics is a graduate department in the School of Humanities and Sciences. It is one of three elements — Applied Physics, Physics, and the SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory — in the broader physics community at Stanford. The Department emphasizes fundamental research in areas of potential technological importance and in areas of science where a physics point of view is particularly effective. The Department also has a tradition of inventing new tools for science and new devices for technology. Present activities include research in accelerator physics, atomic and molecular physics, biophysics, condensed matter and materials physics, nanoscience and technology, photonics, quantum information, synchrotron radiation and ultrafast science.
Because of the broad range of techniques and intellectual points of view that are relevant to contemporary applied physics, the course work and research in the Department are designed to bring the student into contact with activity in several disciplines related to physics, such as engineering, materials science, biology and chemistry. The program of graduate training is designed to prepare graduates for professional leadership careers in science and technology, either in academia or in industrial environments. Students may enter the Department with the intention of obtaining either a MS or a PhD or both degrees.
Latest News
Applied Physics student Chris McGuinness named first Bob Siemann fellow
Applied Physics graduate student Chris McGuinness has been named the inaugural Robert H. Siemann Graduate Fellow in physics.
Byer elected next APS Vice President
APS members have elected Robert L. Byer, the William R. Kenan, Jr. Professor of Applied Physics at Stanford University, as the Society's next vice-President. Byer will assume the office on January 1, 2010.
Z.-X. Shen Receives E.O. Lawrence Award
Zhi-Xun Shen, director of the Stanford Institute for Materials and Energy Science, or SIMES, a joint institute of the Department of Energy's SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory and Stanford University, has been awarded the Ernest Orlando Lawrence Award by the U.S. Department of Energy.