Physics and Physical Oceanography
Welcome
The Department of Physics and Physical Oceanography provides quality programs leading to B.S. and B.A. degrees in Physics, Coastal Engineering, or 3+2 Physics/Electrical Engineering degrees.
Within a physics degree, students have an option of General Physics, Applied Physics, Environmental Physics, or Physical Oceanography.
We provide courses that stimulate intellectual curiosity, imagination, rational thinking, and thoughtful expression, and we have a strong commitment to providing research opportunities for students in our department.
Please feel free to wander our website. Here you will find how our department excels in teaching, research, and service.
Upcoming Events
Departmental Seminars/Colloquia
Spring 2023 colloquia information will be posted as available.
- 2/03 - Qianqian Liu
- 2/17 - Moorad Alexanian
- 3/17 - Ralph Reda
- 3/31 - Sam Wurzel
- TBD - Annika O'Dea
Jobs
Summer Research Opportunities for Undergraduates 2023
- River plume and wave data collection for Frying Pan Shoals Project
- Laboratory data and numerical model comparison of surface wave characteristics
- Representing rocky bottom bathymetry in numerical models of currents and waves.
- Remote Estimates of Surf-zone Vorticity Forcing from Short-Crested Breaking Waves
- Modeling Surf-zone Vorticity
The department is supported by a generous and inspiring community of friends and alumni.
News
Faculty Search Assistant Professor in Physical Oceanography - Closing Date March 15, 2021
March 2021 - Andrew Castagno, current MS marine science student, receives prestigious Fulbright scholar award to continue his research on the linkage of arctic sea ice meltwater and marine ecosystem productivity in Iceland. The Fulbright Program is a highly competitive, merit-based grant for international educational exchange for students, scholars, teachers, professionals, scientists and artists. Andrew's MS thesis advisor is Dr. Till Wagner. UNCW article
January 2021 - UNCW physics student (BS Spring 2020), Conner Lester and professors Dr. Wagner and Dr. McNamara publish paper in Geophysical Research Letters on the role that meltwater plays in phytoplankton blooms near sea ice edge. Conner is now a PhD student at Duke University. Congrats Conner!! https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley
.com/doi/10.1029/2020GL091758.
January 2021 - The department welcomes new faculty member Dr. Ata Suanda, Physical Oceanography.
December 2020 - Dr. Mark England, Postdoctoral research fellow, and Dr. Till Wagner publish research in cover article of Science Advances, Modeling the breakup of tabular icebergs https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.abd1273 Additional information Image Credit: Tui De Roy/Miden
December 2020 - Dr. Ryan Mieras and team are featured in a news article by SpectrumNews1: Coastal Engineering Fights Climate Change. SpectrumNews1 feature T: @coastalprof IG: @coastal_prof
March 2020 - Dr. Qianqian Liu, published Probabilistic forecast of microcystin toxin using satellite remote sensing, in situ observations and numerical modeling Environmental Modelling and Software, 10.1016/j.envsoft.2020.104705
January 2020 - New Coastal Engineering facility to house teaching and research space is currently in the planning stages. WECT news story
January 2020 - The department welcomes Dr. Qianqian Liu, Physical Oceanography; Dr. Ryan Mieras, Coastal Engineering; and Cheryl Humphrey, Administrative Associate with the start of the spring semester.
December 2019 - Professor Alexanian published Quantum Rabi Oscillations in Coherent and Squeezed Coherent States Via One- and Two-Photon Transitions Armenian Journal of Physics, 12 (4). pp. 304-315.
September 2019 - Professor Alexanian published Statistical Entropy of a Schwarzschild-anti-de Sitter Black Hole. Armenian Journal of Physics, 12 (2). pp. 178-184 (2019).
March 28, 2019 - Amanda Ceroli ’19, a physics major, has received a Fulbright Research Grant. The Fulbright Program is a highly competitive, merit-based grant for international educational exchange for students, scholars, teachers, professionals, scientists and artists.
March 15, 2019 - Dr Till Wagner's paper on the many faces of a small glacier, a collaboration with scientists at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, was published today in The Cryosphere.
March 7, 2019 - Professor Alexanian’s paper, Integral representation of the cosmic microwave background spectrum, has been accepted for publication in the Physical Review D.
February 2, 2019 - Congratulations to the Physics team for winning UNCW Homecoming's CAS 5K Run on Saturday!
