Our department provides an attentive, hands-on research and learning community for undergraduate and graduate students up through the PhD level.

Our dynamic and diverse faculty (30% female and 42% persons of color) have major research efforts in stellar astronomy/astrophysics, biophysics, and condensed-matter/materials physics. Notably, 50% of our research faculty are recipients of the prestigious CAREER awards from the National Science Foundation, reflecting their commitment to groundbreaking research and innovation. State-of-the-art instrumentation is available both in the department and through collaborations with nearby national institutes in the region (NIST and NREL, in particular). DU maintains a computer cluster for in-house high-performance computational needs.

Our graduates find success in diverse career paths, with a significant percentage securing industrial jobs and others continuing as postdoctoral researchers at world-renowned institutions. Our program offers unparalleled opportunities for international collaborations, enabling students to work with leading researchers in Asia and Europe.

Additionally, we provide one of the highest graduate student's compensations in Colorado, fostering a supportive and thriving academic environment. Our students and research groups are known for their friendly and collaborative spirit, making our graduate program a vibrant and enriching place to pursue advanced studies.

Our high percentage of female students (30-50% at both undergraduate and graduate level) among US PhD-granting departments has been consistently recognized by the APS.