Physics, Atmospheric (ATPH)

Program Admission Requirements
Financial Assistance
Programs and Courses

MICHAEL L. HAYDEN, Chair
TERRANCE L. WORCHESKY, Associate Chair
ZHIBO ZHANG, Graduate Program Director

DEMOZ, BELAY, Ph.D., University of Nevada; Atmospheric physics and chemistry, meteorological observations.
FRANSON, JAMES D., Ph.D., California Institute of Technology; Quantum optics, quantum information, fundamentals of quantum theory
HAYDEN, L. MICHAEL, Ph.D., University of California, Davis; Photo-refractive and electro-optic properties of polymers, non-linear optics, terahertz science and imaging
JOHNSON, ANTHONY, Ph.D., City College of the City University of New York; Non-linear optics, photonics, fast optical phenomena
MARTINS, J. VANDERLEI, Ph.D., University of Sao Paulo, Brazil; Atmospheric physics, aerosols, clouds, instrument development, in situ and remote sensing
ROUS, PHILIP J., Ph.D., Imperial College of Science and Technology and Medicine, U.K.; Theoretical physics, surfaces, interfaces and nano-structures
SHIH, YANHUA, Ph.D., University of Maryland, College Park; Non-linear and quantum optics, laser physics
TURNER, T. JANE, Ph.D., University of Leicester, U.K.; X-ray astronomy, active galactic nuclei.

Associate Professors

GEORGANOPOULOS, MARKOS, Ph.D., Boston University, high energy astrophysics, active galactic nuclei, relativistic jets, extragalactic background light.
GEORGE, M. IAN, Ph.D., University of Leicester, U.K.; X-ray astronomy, active galactic nuclei, quasars, photo-ionized gas.
GOUGOUSI, THEODOSIA, Ph.D., University of Pittsburgh; Dielectric properties of thin films, surface and interface physics, nano-physics.
HENRIKSEN, MARK J., Ph.D., University of Maryland, College Park; X-ray astronomy, astrophysics.
KRAMER, IVAN, Ph.D., University of California, Berkeley; Theoretical physics, mathematical-modeling techniques.
PITTMAN, TODD B., Ph.D., University of Maryland, Baltimore County; Quantum optics, quantum information, non-linear optics.
SPARLING, LYNN, Ph.D., University of Texas, Austin; Atmospheric physics.
TAKACS, LASZLO, Ph.D., Lorand Eotvos University, Budapest; Mechanical alloying, X-ray diffraction.
WORCHESKY, TERRANCE L., Ph.D., Georgetown University; Electro-optic effects in III-V semi-conductors.

Assistant Professors

KESTNER, JASON, Ph.D., University of Michigan; Theoretical physics, semiconductor quantum dots, cold atoms, quantum information
PELTON, MATTHEW, Ph.D. Stanford University; Optical Studies of Nanoscale Physics
ZHAI, PENGWANG, Ph.D., Texas A&M University; Light scattering, radiative transfer, and remote sensing in coupled atmospheric and ocean systems.
ZHANG, ZHIBO, Ph.D., Texas A&M University; Remote Sensing, Cloud Physics, Aerosol-Cloud-Precipitation Interactions.

Research Faculty; Professor

STROW, L. LARRABEE, Ph.D., University of Maryland, College Park; Infrared molecular spectroscopy, atmospheric physics.

Research Faculty; Associate Professors

KOCHUNOV, PETER, Ph.D., University of Texas Health Science Center San Antonio; MRI, quantitative imaging, imaging genetics.

Affiliated Faculty: Professors

REMER, LORRAINE, Ph.D. University of California, Davis; Aerosols, remote sensing and climate change.

Affiliated Faculty: Associate Professors

DAVIS, DAVID S., Ph.D., University of Maryland, College Park; Multi-wavelength studies of galaxies.
HOBAN, SUSAN, PhD, University of Maryland, College Park; Planetary Science, Comets, Dust in the Solar System, STEM Education.
MCCANN, KEVIN, Ph.D., Georgia Institute of Technology; Atmospheric physics, atomic and molecular scattering.
OLSON, WILLIAM, Ph.D., University of Wisconsin; Modeling of cloud processes.
POTTSCHMIDT, KATJA, Ph.D., University of Tuebingen, Germany; High energy astrophysics, accreting X-ray binary stars.
VARNAI, TAMAS, Ph.D. McGill University, Canada; Cloud heterogeneities.

Affiliated Faculty: Assistant Professors

ENGEL, DON, Ph.D., University of Pennsylvania; Computational physics, molecular biophysics, statistical artificial intelligence.
DE-SOUZA-MACHADO, SERGIO, Ph.D., University of Maryland, College Park; Atmospheric spectroscopy, plasma physics
YUAN, TIANLE, Ph.D., University of Maryland, College Park; atmospheric and oceanic sciences.

Program Description

The Department of Physics at UMBC offers a graduate program leading to the M.S. and Ph.D. in Atmospheric Physics. The Department is located in the 78,000 sq. ft. Physics building (built in 1999), which contains numerous research and teaching labs, offices, classrooms, a machine shop, and a physics library.

Research in the UMBC Physics Department is centered in 4 main areas: condensed matter physics, quantum optics and quantum information science, astrophysics, and atmospheric physics. Faculty members are engaged in both theoretical and experimental research in these areas.

Detailed information about UMBC Physics Department research and facilities can be found at www.physics.umbc.edu

Program Admission Requirements

The admission process is competitive, with selections determined by an Admissions Committee comprised of faculty members of the Department of Physics. The number of available admission slots varies from year to year based on faculty and financial resources. Applicants are required to submit undergraduate transcripts, 3 recommendation letters, a personal statement, and scores from the Graduate Record Exam (GRE) General Test. The GRE Subject Test is not required.

Financial Assistance

All full-time PhD students are supported by 12-month Teaching Assistantships, Research Assistantships, or Research Fellowships. These include a stipend, tuition coverage, and health benefits.

Course Listing

The courses listed below are Department of Physics courses that are either required for the Ph.D. in Atmospheric Physics and/or are specialized courses offered by the department in atmospheric physics. Students also may take other courses offered by the Physics department (see the Physics Ph.D. program entry in this catalog). In addition, relevant courses offered by the departments of Biochemistry, Chemistry, Computer Science and Electrical Engineering, Mathematics and Statistics and Mechanical Engineering may also be available.

Programs

Courses

Physics

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