Department of Physics

The Department of Physics at the South Dakota Mines is a leader in physics research.

Proximity to the Sanford Underground Research Facility, the nation’s premier site for underground particle physics experiments, provides unique opportunities for work on experiments such as DUNE, LZ, and CASPAR, and complements the department's historic strengths in condensed matter and atmospheric science. We pride ourselves on our excellent department culture and the individual attention that we pay to our students. Our high-quality undergraduate program maintains a low student-per-faculty ratio, enabling faculty to provide their students with comprehensive courses and a depth of knowledge beyond what many physics programs offer. There is a strong emphasis on developing research skills for use in industry and academia. Because physics is the basis of most engineering disciplines, understanding basic principles of physics can help one become a better engineer. Our national-award-winning Society of Physics Students provides excellent co-curricular support of the program.

Our graduate program takes advantage of the strong research opportunities and department culture. The program maintains a high retention rate and provides excellent placement at national labs, in industry, and in academia.
Come explore the department of physics at South Dakota Mines and see what we have to offer!

Meet Our Faculty

Work with our renowned faculty and collaborate on groundbreaking projects that address real-world challenges. The hands-on experience and expertise you will acquire here will not only contribute to your academic growth but also prepare you for successful careers in academia, industry, or government agencies.

IceCube, the largest neutrino observatory at the South Pole, allows scientists worldwide to study high-energy neutrinos from extreme cosmic events, cosmic rays, dark matter, and more, advancing multi-messenger astronomy.

Our condensed matter faculty are active in computational condensed matter physics of quantum materials, including functional oxides, intermetallic alloys, and the two-dimensional Van der Waals materials, and in investigations of ferroelectric, magnetic, and magnetoelectric materials.

Astrophysical observations suggest that most of the Universe's mass is "dark" and made of particles yet to be directly detected.

Researchers at South Dakota Mines are advancing our understanding of neutrinos through their involvement in four major international experiments—DUNE, MicroBooNE, ANNIE, and T2K—pioneering groundbreaking studies on neutrino properties, interactions, and astrophysical phenomena.

Nuclear Astrophysics explores the nuclear processes driving stellar burning, nucleosynthesis, and the chemical evolution of the universe, with research centered on low-temperature stellar environments and the groundbreaking CASPAR experiment at the Sanford Underground Research Facility.

2024-2025 Academic Catalog