UoA 9 Physics
Our overall GPA of 3.45 reflects the international quality and impact of our work, with 99% of our submission deemed world-leading or internationally excellent. Our research power (an indicator of the scale and quality of our submission) has almost tripled since REF 2014.
We foster an inclusive, diverse and collaborative research community. Reflective of this, we submitted 100% of our eligible staff to this Unit of Assessment.
Our results
| Quality level | 4 star % | 3 star % | 2 star % | 1 star % | Unclassified % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | 46.0 | 53.0 | 1.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Outputs | 43.4 | 54.1 | 2.5 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Impact | 50.0 | 50.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Environment | 50.0 | 50.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
Our research environment
The School of Physics and Astronomy has a vision to address significant research and societal challenges while contributing to national economic growth through international collaborations and advancing the understanding and application of physics and astronomy.
We achieve this through our research structure which aligns with our strengths and future research aspirations.
Since REF 2014, there have been considerable developments within the School including:
- the foundation of the Institute for Compound Semiconductors (ICS) jointly with the School of Engineering
- the expansion of gravitational wave research with the addition of an experimental group and new positions in transient astronomy
- pivotal role in the establishment of the Data Innovation Research Institute (DIRI) designed to strengthen interdisciplinary research in data science via sharing of expertise
Our research income has increased by 147% to £114 million and we have seen our cohort of postdoctoral researchers (PDRAs) and postgraduate (PGR) students also increase to its highest ever level.
As well as new space as part of Cardiff University’s new £131 million Translational Research Hub which brings a state-of-the-art semiconductor fabrication facility and a further 1000 m2 of high-quality physics laboratories, we have won over £63 million contributing to research across multiple departments, demonstrating that Physics is driving multi and interdisciplinary research.
Examples include understanding the interface between diamond and aluminium nitride to facilitate diamond heatsinks for nitride-based radio frequency (RF) electronics (Physics and Astronomy and Engineering, Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council EPSRC program grant) and developing non-linear optics for microscopy of cells (Physics and Astronomy and Biosciences, EPSRC and Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council).
We are also passionate about increasing our diversity and the quality of our working environment and have received Institute of Physics (IOP) Juno Champion status and more recently an Athena Swan Silver award recognising our progress.
Discover our research
Our research groups are working at the very cutting edge of research to solve current problems and improve the quality of life.
