Physics - Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Science Buildings

Science Teaching Complex (STC) and Quantum-Nano Centre (QNC) Buildings Located on Waterloo's Campus.

Be at the cutting edge of discovery in one of the largest physics and astronomy graduate programs in Canada.

The department’s tradition of collaboration and innovations offers a rich and varied graduate experience that’s unparalleled. You’ll work closely with a supervisor to perform original research in an area of physics, culminating in a PhD thesis. Funding will be provided to cover tuition and some living expenses.


Research fields

  • Astrophysics and Gravitation
  • Atomic Molecular and Optical Physic
  • Biophysics
  • Chemical Physics
  • Condensed Matter and Materials Physics
  • Industrial and Applied Physics
  • Quantum Computing
  • Subatomic Physics

Research project opportunities for this program

Observational Cosmology

Seeking MSc and PhD students to work on projects to understand the universe and what drives its evolution. The expansion of the universe is accelerating, and we do not know why. Dark energy, the name given to the mechanism driving this expansion, is unknown. Graduate students will analyze the latest cosmological data to further our understanding.

Silicon Thin-Film Applied Research

Dr. Karim's lab at UWaterloo has been developing imaging device technology based on propagation-based X-ray phase-contrast (XPC) for the past decade. With Dr. Keller, we are applying this technology to obtain three-dimensional images of medical tissues with sub-cellular resolution.

Program overview

Department/School: Physics and Astronomy
Faculty: Faculty of Science
Admit term(s): Fall (September - December), Winter (January - April), Spring (May - August) 
Delivery mode: On-campus
Program type: Doctoral, Joint, Research
Length of program: 48 months (full-time)
Registration option(s): Full-time, Part-time
Study option(s): Thesis

Application deadlines

  • January 9 (for admission in September)
  • June 1 (for admission in January of the following year)
  • October 1 (for admission in May of the following year)

Key contacts

Holly Haig-Brown
gwp@uwaterloo.ca

Cameron Morgan

I feel like everyone has at least a little bit of this fascination with space and the universe. Being able to share that sense of wonder with people is something I really enjoy.

Cameron Morgan, Physics, PhD

Supervisors

Admission requirements

  • Normally a master's degree in physics, with at least a 75% standing.
  • Students with an undergraduate degree in physics may apply for admission directly to the PhD program. Successful applicants will have an outstanding academic record, breadth of knowledge in physics, and strong letters of recommendation.

Degree requirements

Application materials

  • Program-specific questions (PSQ)
    • These are questions specific to the program you’re applying to. They can be viewed once you’ve started an application and are completed through a form in the online application.

Tuition and fees