The doctoral program in Physics, Astrophysics and Applied Physics provides advanced research training in a wide range of areas of experimental, theoretical and applied physics, including astrophysics, cosmology, astroparticle physics, condensed matter, quantum optics, nuclear physics, particle physics, plasma physics, theoretical physics, nanotechnology, quantum Information, accelerator physics, biophysics, electronics, environmental physics and medical physics.

The doctoral program in astrophysical sciences and technology focuses on the underlying physics of phenomena beyond the Earth and on the development of the technologies, instruments, data analysis, and modeling techniques that will enable the next major strides in the field.

There has never been a better time to work in Astrophysics, a vibrant and competitive discipline in frontier research. Applicants to the Ph.D. program in Astrophysics will first be assessed on the basis of their CV and reference letters.

Consistently ranked in the top 10 worldwide for space science, UC Santa Cruz is known for breakthrough discoveries on explosive phenomena in the cosmos, the origins of gravitational waves, stellar and planetary structure, the secrets of potentially habitable exoplanets, and all aspects of observational, optical, and infrared astronomy.

Faculty in the USC Dornsife College’s Department of Physics and Astronomy observe the most elemental forms of nature and how they behave in both inner and outer space. From electrons to galaxies, faculty scientists explore the structure of matter and how it organizes itself.

The research and Ph.D. in physics at the GSSI are focused on astroparticle physics. Astroparticle physics is an interdisciplinary and young research field, grown at the intersection of particle physics, nuclear physics, astrophysics, and cosmology. It addresses some of the most pressing and fundamental questions in science today: the origin and the evolution of our universe, the nature of dark matter and dark energy, the study of neutrinos and of the ultimate constituents of matter, the search for gravitational waves, the investigation and explanation of the cosmic rays.

Astroparticle Physics represents one of the preeminent interests of SISSA and has been singled out as one of the areas that SISSA will further strengthen in the near future. It is a young and interdisciplinary field,