Join a hub of physics excellence

Team up with one of Canada’s top Physics departments and work alongside award-winning faculty, including multiple Canada Research Chairs and a Canada Excellence Research Chair. As a graduate student, you’ll join a collaborative research community, access cutting-edge facilities, and build advanced expertise in a supportive environment. Located in the national capital, you’ll be ideally positioned to pursue careers in research, industry, or education.

Conduct leading-edge research

Our students study through the Ottawa-Carleton Institute for Physics, which offers advanced courses from both uOttawa and Carleton University. Our program includes research in the:

  • International Photonics Centre with ties to Engineering researchers
  • Largest concentration of Biological Physics faculty
  • Rapidly growing field of Material Physics

Highly qualified students benefit from competitive financial support packages and teaching assistantships.

Access world-renowned laboratories

Our facilities include new state-of-the-art buildings:

  • Advanced Research Complex (ARC), housing Photonics and materials physics labs
  • STEM Complex, housing Biological physics labs and materials physics labs

Research themes

Our graduate programs offer research opportunities across a broad range of physics topics. Explore the themes below to find the areas that align with your interests and career goals.

We host one of the largest concentration of faculty in experimental and theoretical biophysics in Canada; they are a highly interdisciplinary group, at the edge of science and technology.

We focus on cell biophysics, single molecule biophysics, sensing with micro-nano fluidic devices, biomolecular assemblies, polymer physics, neurophysics and soft matter.

Programs

Aerial view of campus

Short duration master’s

Earn a course-based Master’s in just 12–16 months. Dive into photonics, quantum materials, and real-world applications with hands-on learning and optional CO‑OP.

Find your research mentor

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Finding a thesis supervisor

Get practical advice to identify and connect with a thesis supervisor.

Xiaoyi Bao.

Professor Directory

Explore the faculty and their research areas.

Graduate research experience

Leah Frackleton.

Unveiling the mysteries of light: Leah Frackleton’s journey in physics

Graduate student Leah Frackleton uses ultrashort-pulse lasers for label-free microscopic imaging with biomedical and global research impact.
Nicolas Couture.

From lasers to global communications: Nicolas Couture’s journey

Alumnus Nicolas Couture went from lasers at uOttawa to terahertz research and now develops next‑gen global communications tech at Ciena.
Nazanin Dehghan.

Quantum optics: Nazanin Dehghan’s path to the 2024 Xanadu Graduate Prize

PhD student Nazanin Dehghan won the 2024 Xanadu Graduate Prize for her work on entangled photons and quantum imaging with broad applications.

Contact us

30 Marie-Curie, Ottawa ON
Canada, K1N 6N5
Book an appointment online
E-mail: [email protected]

Thomas Brabec
E-mail : [email protected]