The mission of the Department of Physics is captured by the triangle of teaching, research, and innovation.

Physics is the science that deals at the most fundamental level with matter and energy, their interactions, and their transformation. It presents major challenges to the human mind and provides the foundation for engineering and other sciences. By pursuing research at the frontier of knowledge and innovation at the cutting edge of technology, it is the ultimate purpose of the physics faculty to preserve and nurture a sense of wonder about the natural world, and to impart it to the students as a driving motivation for learning.