The Department of Physics and Astronomy includes five research programs. Research in these areas involve faculty, postdocs, visitors, graduate, and undergraduate students.
The Astronomy and Astrophysics group carries out research in extragalactic astronomy focused on galaxy formation and evolution across cosmic time, co-evolution with galactic supermassive black holes and the role of the large scale environment. This research is primarily observational and involves advanced computational methods and close collaboration with theorists.
The Condensed Matter Physics program group performs experimental and theoretical studies of soft materials, including polymers, biological materials, liquid crystals, emulsions and colloids, as wells as theoretical work on quantum computing.
The Tufts Institute of Cosmology is engaged in fundamental research relating to the origin and evolution of the universe, particularly in the areas of inflation, cosmic strings, and other topological defects.
The High Energy Physics group is engaged in experimental and theoretical research across a broad range of topics, including neutrino and collider physics, quark studies, and searches for beyond-the-standard-model physics such as dark matter.
The Physics Education program conducts research on how students learn physics, and how instruction can help, with an emphasis on undergraduate courses and in collaboration with other scholars in the learning sciences.