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COLLEGE OF LIBERAL ARTS AND SCIENCES

DEPARTMENT OF PHYSICS

image of students at a computer with the professor

The Department of Physics harnesses theory, hands-on laboratory work, and cutting-edge research opportunities to teach Villanova students about the fundamental building blocks of the natural world.

Physics majors at Villanova learn about the world around them from the ground up, beginning with the fundamental forces and laws of nature. We reinforce the significance and implications of classroom concepts by engaging our students in faculty research—which encompasses magnetic, low-dimensional, and nanoscale materials, black holes, gravitational waves, and building instruments to study cosmology and star formation. By integrating theoretical principles, laboratory techniques, and computational methods, we train versatile, creative scholars for a broad array of careers in quantitative fields.

Department of Physics 
Villanova University
347 Mendel Science Center
800 E Lancaster Ave
Villanova, PA 19085

Department Chair:
David Chuss, PhD

Administrative Assistant:
Tori Cornelius

NEWS & EVENTS

IN MEMORIAM: AMBER STUVER, PhD

With great sadness, the Physics Department announces the death of their beloved colleague Amber Stuver on Sunday, Sept. 8. Dr. Stuver’s research was in the exciting field of gravitational-wave astrophysics. Before joining Villanova in 2017, she was a researcher at the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-wave Observatory (LIGO) in Louisiana, a member of the Nobel prize-winning team that discovered this phenomenon, which Einstein predicted in 1915. Equally dedicated to teaching and research, she inspired numerous Villanova students, providing them with the invaluable opportunity to participate in her cutting-edge research. A memorial service on campus is planned for later this semester. MORE...

headshot of amber stuver

First Image of Sagittarius A*

Dr. Joey Neilsen and Caleb Kwon, ’22, joined the Event Horizon Telescope (EHT) collaboration in publishing the first image of Sgr A*, the supermassive black hole at the center of the Milky Way. Neilsen and Kwon used NASA’s Chandra and NuSTAR telescopes to study the X-ray brightness of Sgr A* during the 2017 EHT observations. Their measurements helped rule out some physical interpretations of the bright ring detected by the EHT.

image of black hole glowing on black background

Study Abroad

Through a study abroad program at Boston University, which organizes enrollment at the University of Geneva (UNIGE) and internships at CERN, Moboluwagbe (Bolu) Adesanmi ’24 is spending the spring semester in Geneva, Switzerland. The Compact Muon Solenoid (CMS), a general-purpose detector at the Large Hadron Collider at CERN, plans to upgrade its muon system with new gas electron multiplier (GEM) detectors. Bolu is working on testing the prototypes for the new muon chambers, evaluating the electronics and system performance.

image of Moboluwagbe Adesanmi standing in front of the compact muon solenoid

Fellowship Award

Congratulations to postdoctoral researcher Dylan Paré, PhD for being named a Cycle 10 ALMA Ambassador Fellow, which provides him with training and support to expand his ALMA/interferometry expertise and share that knowledge with the Physics Department. Stay tuned for Dylan’s ALMA proposal preparation and data reduction workshop at Villanova later this year. Anyone who is interested in submitting an ALMA proposal and/or expanding their knowledge of radio astronomy is welcome to come!

image of Dylan Paré in front of a full book case

EDUCATION WITH IMPACT

 

AN EDUCATION IN THE LIBERAL ARTS AND SCIENCES promotes intellectual curiosity and rigor; instills the fundamentals of critical insight, mature judgment and independent thinking; and strengthens students’ sense of their moral responsibility for others and for the betterment of society.