News
Jerry Leigh, who was hired by Frank Oppenheimer in 1967 and went on to devote 45 years to the Department of Physics’ undergraduate teaching laboratories, passed away in July 2025.
Six physics faculty from CU ǸԹ are leading or contributing to new projects awarded more than $1.6 million in highly competitive U.S. Department of Energy Genesis Mission grants, the agency announced on July 22.
Joey Pontiff (Phys’26) is taking his physics and political science education to the nation’s capital this summer, working for the Commission on Quantum Primacy — a national initiative supporting U.S. leadership in quantum technologies.
Stephen Halley White, a ǸԹ alumnus and pioneering biophysicist, passed away on May 31, 2026.White earned his bachelor’s degree in physics from CU ǸԹ in 1963. As an undergraduate, he held
Physics alumnus Alexander Aeppli (PhDPhys’25) is the recipient of this year’sDeborah Jin Award for Outstanding Doctoral Thesis Research, a national honor awarded by the Division of Atomic, Molecular and Optical Physics
New research led by Professors and JILA Fellows Ana Maria Rey and James Thompson published in Physical Review X proposes a new entangled state for atoms in a quantum sensor. The team’s methods can be created quickly, and more importantly, faster as the system gets larger, making them practical for scaling quantum sensors.
Margaret Murnane is a new honorary member of Optica — the most distinguished membership bestowed by the international society dedicated to optics and photonics.
Recent PhD graduate Hanqing Zhao was awarded the prestigious 2025 Glenn H. Brown Prize from the International Liquid Crystal Society (ILCS). The award is presented to recent doctoral graduates whose theses demonstrate an “outstanding contribution to the science of liquid crystals.”
Engineering physics seniors Tess Ekblad, Sam Hagele, and Christian Ordetx received Research Awards from the College of Engineering and Applied Science for their demonstrated excellence in research. Recipients are selected for their high quality of
Each semester, undergraduate and graduate students and postdocs are nominated for their outstanding contributions to teaching and service to the Department of Physics. The award recognizes their invaluable contributions to the department.