2006 IRISH SCIENTIST YEAR BOOK

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Trinity College Dublin
Colm Stephens
Physics at Trinity College Dublin – from spin to stars

Trinity student, Claire Rafferty (centre with cap), pictured with other Irish students participating at the FÁS Science Challenge at the Florida Space Authority, USA in 2005.

The School of Physics at Trinity is not only known for its long tradition in research and teaching – it is the oldest physics institute in Ireland. The school is the largest of its kind in the country with a community of over 200 academics, research fellows, post-graduate students, technicians and support staff.

It is the leader in physics research in Ireland with a wide range of areas under investigation. Its strengths are in magnetic, electronic and photonic materials, nanoscience and computational physics with a growing competency in astrophysics and so the areas of research span the range from spin electronics to solar and stellar physics. The areas of core competency are highly relevant to the national priority themes of leadership in Information and Communications Technology as articulated in the Government's recent strategy document. Research and teaching is led by over 20 academic staff members, including a number who have received outstanding international recognition – for example, there are three Fellows of the Royal Society and two Royal Irish Academy Medal winners in the school. There are approximately 55 post-doctoral research fellows and 100 post-graduate students in the school pursuing M.Sc. or Ph.D. degrees by research.

The school is well resourced with significant funding from SFI and other sources and it has close ties with other research and teaching institutes within Trinity and elsewhere. For example, nanoscience research in the school is closely integrated with CRANN, Ireland's centre for nanoscience which is located on the Trinity campus.

The school offers four undergraduate courses leading to degrees in Physics, Physics and Astrophysics, Physics and Computer Simulation, Theoretical Physics, and Physics and Chemistry of Advanced Materials. The honours courses are four years and comprise structured teaching through lectures, tutorials and laboratory and project work providing a firm grounding in all branches of physics. They bring students into contact with the forefront of international research as practised in the school. About 40 students graduate each year from the school. The school's undergraduate courses are accredited by the Institute of Physics and, for the first time this year, the IoP and the school will offer bursaries to incoming students who come from groups that are under-represented in Physics at Irish universities (students in the Trinity Access Programme, mature and female students).

Contact: Dr. Colm Stephens,
School Administrator, School of Physics,
Trinity College Dublin 2, Ireland
Tel: +353 (0)1 608 2024
E-mail: [email protected]
Web: www.tcd.ie/physics