The Physics program at Brooklyn College continues to track important changes in the field of physics and related fields. Significant new resources (over $1m in research equipment recently) along with five new hires in the last four years support new initiatives in science and education. Faculty members are working in a wide range of fields, many crossing the boundaries of traditional academic disciplines. Interdisciplinary research collaborations with faculty in other departments at Brooklyn College, at CUNY, internationally and with industry provide an excellent research experience for students working with Physics Department professors. Current research includes a rapidly group doing work in expanding contemporary experimental condensed matter physics. There is also strength in theoretical condensed matter physics and atomic physics; theoretical nuclear physics; numerical simulations/statistical physics; and environmental science.

Research
In the area of experimental condensed matter physics/materials science, research focuses on the following: the study of semiconductor interfaces, epitaxial growth of electronic materials, and electrical and structural characterizations of materials and interfaces; the study of ultrafast dynamic processes involving photo-generated carriers, including quasi-ballistic carrier transport, inter-valley scattering, and energy/ momentum relaxation in semiconductor nano structures and nano devices, for the next generation of nano electronics and nano photonics; the synthesis of semiconductor materials such as quantum dots and nano wires, and devices based on those materials; the study of semiconductor materials suitable for the next generation of electronic and photonic devices such as deep UV emitters and detectors.

The Department of Physics at Brooklyn College provides students with opportunities to pursue original research along with a sound background in the fundamentals of physics. Students may choose a research specialization from the principal areas of modern theoretical and experimental physics.

The program provides a welcoming, supportive environment for graduate students enrolled in the CUNY Ph.D. Program in Physics. Students take courses, some of which are taught by Brooklyn College faculty, at the CUNY Graduate Center in midtown Manhattan. They do all of their research on campus at Brooklyn College, under the close supervision and careful mentoring of our faculty. Thesis research in a variety of specialties is mentored in a student-friendly environment housing state-of-the-art equipment for measurement, analysis, and computation. A low student/faculty ratio means that professors are highly available and supportive.

The research faculty in Physics understands that students are concerned about their careers after the doctoral degree. To ensure our doctoral students are competitive after they obtain their degrees, Brooklyn College offers students free professional development workshops in such areas as science teaching, grant writing, laboratory management, effective scientific communication, writing in the sciences, building a competitive curriculum vita, and preparing for and finding academic, industrial, and research jobs. Faculty commitment to chemistry doctoral students is not complete when they file their dissertations; the faculty continues to provide a supportive professional mentoring network to chemistry doctoral students as they advance in their careers.