cornell physics phd application

Physics is an exciting, living, discipline that continually moves in new directions: biophysics, nanophysics, and experimental cosmology are all areas which did not exist until relatively recently. Some of the greatest challenges we now face, such as how to manage our dwindling resources of fossil fuels and how to control/mitigate global warming, require a deep understanding of physics. Additionally, with the recent turn-on of the Large Hadron Collider, we are on the threshold of a new era of particle physics.

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Studying physics at Cornell is a gateway to your future.  For our alumni, a degree from Cornell has opened doors to employment with companies like Apple, careers in law, and research and faculty positions across the globe. Our combination of first-class research facilities and congenial atmosphere provide our students with the best environment to learn theoretical and experimental physics.  At Cornell there is no need to limit yourself to coursework within our department.  Many of our students choose to expand their education with coursework and research in complementary fields like Astronomy, Engineering, Biology and Computer Science.

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Faculty, students pair up for summer Nexus Scholar research projects

More students can afford to stay on campus to work in faculty labs during the summer thanks to generous alumni.

DOE funds new Cornell accelerator science trainee program

The program’s goal is to “produce a diverse body of broadly educated fellows” in areas targeted by DOE’s Office of Science, including RF superconducting structures, high brightness electron sources for linear accelerators, physics of large accelerators and system engineering, and operation of large-...

A&S honors 10 faculty with endowed professorships

With these new appointments, the number of A&S faculty appointed to endowed professorships since fall 2018 has reached 76.

Simons Observatory begins measurements to probe Big Bang inflation

The new Simons Observatory in Chile’s Atacama Desert may soon answer the great scientific question of what happened in the tiny fraction of a second after the Big Bang.

Peter Loewen named dean of Arts and Sciences

Coming from the University of Toronto, where he is the director of the Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy, Loewen begins his five-year appointment as the Harold Tanner Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences Aug. 1.

Three doctoral students selected for Department of Energy program

Virginia McGhee, doctoral candidate in chemistry and chemical biology; and Liana Shpani, doctoral candidate in physics, are two of three Cornell doctoral students selected for the Department of Energy’s Office of Science Graduate Student Research (DOE SCGSR) Program’s 2023 Solicitation 2 Cycle.

'I learned to build expertise in new sub-fields from scratch'

Devisree Tallapaneni is a physics, statistical science and College Scholar major.

'I made a major contribution to my research group’s software'

Brandon Li is a physics & mathematics major.

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Accepted to Cornell for a Physics PhD! What is it like?

I found out I've been accepted to Cornell's PhD program in physics and I was hoping to learn more about what it is like. Should I be nervous about the qualifying exam? What is the environment like for graduate students? Are there things I should know while considering my decision? How is the work-life balance? I'm attending the Visit Day, but I want to make sure I am getting honest feedback about the department from all angles. Thanks!

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Pre-admission Requirements

Applicants should have undergraduate preparation in physics or another physical science or in an engineering field with a strong emphasis on mathematics and modern physics. The GRE general and subject exams are not used in our evaluation process and should not be submitted.

Applicants whose native language is not English must also take the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or the IELTS (see the Graduate School’s English Language Proficiency Requirements ) for details). An exception to the TOEFL requirement is made for students who have studied for two years at a university in an English-speaking country or received an undergraduate degree from such a university. The TOEFL should be taken no later than November for scores to be available for admissions review.

Ph.D. Requirements

Graduate students engage in a wide range of cross-disciplinary research activities, bringing their expertise as an applied physicist to bear in a collaborative environment. As such, they are required to demonstrate a competency in a common core of physics subjects prior to proceeding to their admission to candidacy “A” exam.   These subjects are Quantum Mechanics, Electrodynamics, Statistical Mechanics, and advanced laboratory techniques.

At present, these requirements can be satisfied by taking one course from each row of the following table, usually in the first year, followed by the PHYS6510 Advanced laboratory class the following year, and obtain a B- or better in all. All classes must be completed by the end of the second year.  Students who need more time to take preparatory classes such as mathematical physics AEP5100 or AEP5200, with the permission of their field-appointed advisor, can delay this schedule to complete the needed background.  Students should prepare a plan of study laying out the timeline for their course schedule and have it discussed and approved by their field-appointed advisor by the 4th week of class in their first semester.

After discussion with, and with the written permission of their field-appointed advisor, students may also take the final exams of AEP5620, AEP5560, and AEP5230 at the regular exam time for those classes as a place-out option in lieu of taking the full class.  However, if a student fails to achieve the equivalent of a B- in any place-out exam, they are not eligible to take any subsequent place-outs exams and must demonstrate competency in all unsatisfied areas by coursework instead.

The Admission to Candidacy "A" Exam is an oral exam to prepare for beginning full-time research in a particular area of applied physics as well as ensure competency in the minor area of study. This exam is administered by the student’s special committee. It is typically taken in the second or third year of studies. Students are required to demonstrate a competency in a common core of physics subjects prior to proceeding to the A-exam. Upon successful completion of the A-exam, the student is awarded a master’s degree and formally admitted into the Ph.D. program.

The student then undertakes a project of original research and writes a thesis. In the Final "B" Examination , the student makes an oral defense of this thesis at a hearing administered by the special committee. A successful defense and approval of the written thesis are the final steps in fulfilling the degree requirements for a Ph.D. in applied physics.

The total time required to earn a doctorate in applied physics generally ranges from five to six years, depending on a student’s preparation and research topic.  

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Cornell physics PhD admissions? Is it pointless for me to even apply?

• Thread starter Physics_UG
• Start date Sep 24, 2013
• Tags Admissions Apply even Phd Physics Physics phd
• Sep 24, 2013

A PF Molecule

• Novel ratchet mechanism uses a geometrically symmetric gear driven by asymmetric surface wettability
• Physicists successfully observe Kibble–Zurek scaling in an atomic Fermi superfluid
• Ultrathin quantum light sources: Scientists show excitonic interactions boost efficiency of entangled photon generation

Most engineering programs will take you for an unfunded MS. If you do well, then they may take you for a PhD. With your background you might try for an Applied Physics program.  

• Sep 26, 2013

Why the problems with the quantitative section? You will want to address that prior to applying to any PhD program in physics: you cannot do physics without the quantitative skills. You might do this through self-study. Spend six to eight weeks working through vector calculus via Schey's "Div, Grad, Curl and All That", working all of the problems as you go. https://www.amazon.com/dp/0393925161/?tag=pfamazon01-20  

UltrafastPED said: Why the problems with the quantitative section? You will want to address that prior to applying to any PhD program in physics: you cannot do physics without the quantitative skills. You might do this through self-study. Spend six to eight weeks working through vector calculus via Schey's "Div, Grad, Curl and All That", working all of the problems as you go. https://www.amazon.com/dp/0393925161/?tag=pfamazon01-20

Related to Cornell physics PhD admissions? Is it pointless for me to even apply?

1. what are the minimum requirements for admission into the cornell physics phd program.

The minimum requirements for admission into the Cornell physics PhD program include a bachelor's degree in a related field, a strong background in physics and mathematics, competitive GRE scores, letters of recommendation, and a statement of purpose.

2. Is research experience necessary for admission?

While research experience is not required for admission, it can greatly strengthen your application. It shows that you have a passion for physics and have already gained valuable experience in a research setting.

3. What is the average acceptance rate for the Cornell physics PhD program?

The acceptance rate for the Cornell physics PhD program varies from year to year, but it is typically around 10-15%. This means that while it is competitive, it is not impossible to be accepted.

4. What can I do to increase my chances of being accepted?

In addition to meeting the minimum requirements, you can increase your chances of being accepted by having a strong academic record, obtaining strong letters of recommendation, and showcasing your passion for physics through your statement of purpose and any research experience you have.

5. Is it pointless for me to even apply if I do not have a perfect GPA or GRE scores?

No, it is not pointless to apply if you do not have a perfect GPA or GRE scores. While these factors are important, they are not the only factors considered in the admissions process. Having a strong overall application and showcasing your potential through your academic and research experiences can still make you a competitive candidate.

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As a physics major, you’ll develop analytical and problem solving skills while being able to customize your studies. You’ll take a common core set of courses and can then choose a concentration that complements the core, such as physics, or an interdisciplinary concentration such as chemical physics, geophysics, astrophysics, biophysics, applied math, philosophy of science, computer science, etc. The combination of biology/chemistry as a concentration is appropriate if you’re pre-med; you can also create an individualized concentration with courses in physics-related economics, history, law or business.

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All information below is based on the 2022 First-Destination Post-Graduate Survey. Lists are not exhaustive, rather they are a sampling of the data. If you would like more information, please email [email protected]

What can you do with a degree in Physics?

Graduate school:.

In 2022, 64% of physics majors embarked on graduate school journeys. They pursued various advanced degrees, with 75% focusing on their PhD, 12% working towards an MEng, 7% dedicated to an MS, and more. Their graduate field interest ranges from physics (58%) to computer science (4%) and applied physics (3%).

These ambitious individuals have chosen to continue their education at prestigious institutions like the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Northwestern University, Princeton University, Stanford University, and Washington University in St. Louis.

Employment: 

30% of physics graduates secured employment, and the majority entered sectors in technology (32%), financial services (12%), and consulting/professional practice (9%). Goldman Sachs, Google, and Microsoft were the top 2022 employers.

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/images/cornell/logo35pt_cornell_white.svg" alt="cornell physics phd application"> Cornell University --> Graduate School

With more than 80 fields of study, your critical first step in the admission process is to identify the field and faculty with whom you wish to study.

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Ph.D. Fellowship Opportunities

New student fellowships.

• Deadlines: All New Student Fellowships are considered with the January 5th   application deadline. New student fellowships are not available for Spring semester. Many new student Ph.D. fellowships are based on merit.

Cornell Fellowship

The Cornell Fellowships provide one academic year of funding, including stipend, tuition, and individual health insurance. This award is taken in the first year, unless otherwise noted by your field. These fellowships may be awarded to U.S. students, permanent residents, or international students. Admitted Ph.D. students will be notified of any fellowship awards as part of the admissions offer.

How to apply: Cornell University Fellowships are awarded at the time of admission; continuing students are ineligible to apply. Prospective students apply for fellowships on the admissions application. To be considered for a university fellowship, respond “yes” to the question on the admissions application asking if you wish to be considered for university assistantships and fellowships.

Diversity Recruitment Fellowships

There are several graduate school recruitment fellowships in support of diversity for incoming doctoral students, our admissions committee has the ability to nominate applicants for a Deans Excellence Fellowship for new research degree students (current students are not eligible.)

For consideration for nomination for a Graduate School Diversity Fellowship, students must also use the Personal Statement to indicate how one or more of the following identities and/or experiences apply to them. Eligibility and submission guidelines are accessible here. Diversity Programs in Engineering (DPE) awards diversity fellowships to students who have been admitted to PhD programs in select fields. The fellowships are designed enhance recruitment, enrollment, and retention of first-generation college and/or underrepresented racial/ethnic minority students in doctoral and master’s level programs. Contact: [email protected]  

GEM Fellowship Program

The GEM fellowship is a one (1) year fellowship for Ph.D. and M.Eng. underrepresented domestic students supported via a partnership between Cornell Engineering (Ithaca campus only) and the National GEM Consortium.

Thanks to Scandinavia Fellowship

Students from Denmark, Finland, Norway, Sweden, or Bulgaria are eligible to apply for this fellowship established by Thanks to Scandinavia in gratitude for the humanity and bravery of the people throughout Scandinavia and Bulgaria who protected persons of the Jewish faith during and after World War II. The fellowship includes a nine-month stipend, full tuition, and Cornell individual student health insurance. To request consideration for this fellowship, please notify your graduate field of your eligibility and request that they nominate you to the Graduate School prior to the fellowship deadline of February 15.

Continuing Student Fellowships

In addition to the university fellowships, competitive fellowships are available to current students from a number of sources including the Foreign Language and Area Studies (FLAS) Fellowships, Provost Diversity Fellowships, and the Africa Fund.

Foreign Language and Area Studies (FLAS) Fellowships

The U.S. Department of Education has awarded Cornell’s South Asia Program and Southeast Asia Program highly competitive grants, allowing them to offer Foreign Language and Area Studies (FLAS) fellowships to Cornell graduate students. These FLAS fellowships support training in South and Southeast Asian languages and a fuller understanding of the areas, regions, or countries in which those languages are commonly used.

Academic-year awards provide a nine-month stipend and a tuition allowance. Ph.D. and research master’s students who receive FLAS awards usually also receive a stipend supplement to bring the award to the nine-month assistantship minimum and tuition supplementation, along with individual Cornell Student Health Insurance (SHP).

Languages - South Asia: Bengali, Hindi, Nepali, Persian, Punjabi, Sinhala, Tamil, Modern Tibetan, Urdu Southeast Asia: Burmese, Khmer (Cambodian), Indonesian/Malay, Filipino (Tagalog), Thai, Vietnamese

Only U.S. citizens and permanent residents are eligible to receive these grants, due to U. S. Department of Education regulations. During the academic-year fellowships, students must enroll in one foreign language and one Area Studies course each semester.

• Deadline: The initial deadline is in February or March each year.
• Contact: Information is available through the  Einaudi Center for International Studies .

Provost Diversity Fellowship for Advanced Doctoral Students

The Provost Diversity Fellowship is a competitive one‐term (fall, spring, or summer) dissertation completion fellowship designed to advance the Graduate School’s commitment to diversity, access, equity, justice, and inclusion. It is available to advanced Ph.D. students who are U.S. citizens, permanent residents, or hold DACA, TPS, refugee, or asylee status. Criteria for the award and the application process is available via this site.

To be eligible for an award, nominees must have received at least one year of support (e.g. assistantship, training grant, etc.) from their graduate field. Priority consideration for the Provost Diversity Fellowships will be given to students who meet all of the following conditions: have passed the A Exam prior to the award period for the fellowship; and expect to complete all requirements for the doctorate within three terms (spring, summer, or fall) from the semester of nomination.

• Deadline: September ( see site for specific dates.)
• Contact: [email protected]

Africa Fund

Ph.D. applicants who are citizens of an African country and not permanent residents of the United States are eligible for this award. The fellowship includes a stipend, full tuition, and Cornell individual student health insurance. Awards may be granted for one semester or two. To request consideration for this fellowship, please notify your graduate field of your eligibility and request that they nominate you to the Graduate School.

• Deadline: December
• Contact: [email protected]

External Fellowships

To find out about the vast array of awards that will be appropriate for you the UCLA’s fellowship database  offers an extensive list of external fellowship opportunities to consider.

The NSF GRFP recognizes and supports outstanding graduate students in NSF-supported STEM disciplines who are pursuing research-based master’s and doctoral degrees at accredited US institutions. The five-year fellowship includes three years of financial support including an annual stipend of $34,000 and a cost of education allowance of $12,000 to the institution. To be eligible, applicant must be a US citizen and submitting an application either in their first or second year of graduate study.

• Deadline: October
• Contact: [email protected]

DOE Fellowships

The DOE Office of Science Graduate Fellowship program (SCGF) has supported outstanding graduate students pursuing graduate training in basic research in areas of physics, biology (non-medical), chemistry, mathematics, engineering, computational and computer sciences, and environmental sciences relevant to the Office of Science mission areas to encourage the development of the next generation of scientific and technical talent in the U.S.

• Deadlines: various, fellowships listed
• Contacts: listed by concentration

Fulbright Scholars

Fulbright offers many opportunities for funding and collaboration with international educational institutions. Funding packages can cover anything from books to tuition. Review their site for more information. *Fulbright also offers MS funding opportunities as well.

• Deadline: Rolling
• Contact: [email protected]

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The 2023 Consider Cornell: Experience cohort.

News directly from Cornell's colleges and centers

Program prepares prospective Ph.D. students

By katya hrichak.

Over 110 prospective graduate students visited Cornell in mid-October to learn the ins and outs of the graduate school application and admissions processes and make connections across the Ithaca campus as participants in the  Consider Cornell: Experience  program.

Offered by the Graduate School Office of Access and Recruitment, Consider Cornell: Experience is a two-day, all-expenses paid, immersive program designed to demystify the entry to graduate school by providing detailed information on the application and admission processes and facilitating uniquely tailored connections based on the academic interests of each participant.

Read more on the Graduate School website .

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Capital One

Current phd, applied research intern – summer 2025.

• Share This: Share Current PhD, Applied Research Intern – Summer 2025 on Facebook Share Current PhD, Applied Research Intern – Summer 2025 on LinkedIn Share Current PhD, Applied Research Intern – Summer 2025 on X

At Capital One, we are creating trustworthy and reliable AI systems, changing banking for good. For years, Capital One has been leading the industry in using machine learning to create real-time, intelligent, automated customer experiences. From informing customers about unusual charges to answering their questions in real time, our applications of AI & ML are bringing humanity and simplicity to banking. We are committed to building world-class applied science and engineering teams and continue delivering our industry leading capabilities with breakthrough product experiences and scalable, high-performance AI infrastructure. At Capital One, you will help bring the transformative power of emerging AI capabilities to reimagine how we serve our customers and businesses who have come to love the products and services we build.

Participation in the program requires that you are located in the continental United States with in-person attendance at your assigned location, in accordance with Capital One’s hybrid working model .

This is a paid internship. This is a limited-time internship position, and Capital One will not sponsor a new applicant for employment authorization for this position. However, a full-time Applied Research role, for which you may be considered upon completion of the internship (subject to business need, market conditions, and other factors) is eligible for employer immigration sponsorship.

Basic Qualifications:

• Currently enrolled in an accredited PhD Program
• Completed 2nd year of PhD coursework by program start date (for example: 2nd year of PhD program completed by program start date OR qualifies, at minimum, as a 2nd year in PhD program because of completed Master’s)

Preferred Qualifications:

• Completed 3rd or 4th year of PhD Program
• PhD in Computer Science, Machine Learning, Computer Engineering, Applied Mathematics, Electrical Engineering or related fields
• Programming experience (e.g. Python) and experience with at least one deep learning framework (e.g. PyTorch)
• Publications in leading conferences such as ICLR, NeurIPs, ICML, ACL, NAACL, EMNLP, KDD, or CVPR
• Foundation Models (Language, Vision, Graphs, Time Series), including finetuning and pretraining
• Causal Inference
• Reinforcement Learning
• User Behavior Modeling
• Model Optimization

Team Description:

The AI Foundations team is at the center of bringing our vision for AI at Capital One to life. Our work touches every aspect of the research life cycle, from partnering with academia to building production systems. We work with product, technology and business leaders to apply the state of the art in AI to our business.

In this role, you will:

• Join Capital One for a full-time, 12 week, summer applied research experience, discovering solutions to real world, large-scale problems.
• Engage in high impact applied research with the goal of taking the latest AI developments and pushing them into the next generation of customer experiences, or contributing to publications in this field.
• Partner with a cross-functional team of applied researchers, data scientists, software engineers, machine learning engineers and product managers to test and design AI- powered products that change how customers interact with their money.
• Leverage a broad stack of technologies — Pytorch, AWS Ultraclusters, Huggingface, Lightning, VectorDBs, and more — to reveal the insights hidden within huge volumes of numeric and textual data.
• Flex your interpersonal skills to translate the complexity of your work into tangible business goals.
• Partner with leading researchers to publish papers at top academic conferences.
• Develop professionally through networking sessions, technical deep dives and executive speaker sessions from across Capital One.

The Ideal Candidate:

• You love the process of analyzing and creating, but also share our passion to do the right thing. You want to work on problems that will help change banking for good.
• Innovative. You continually research and evaluate emerging technologies. You stay current on published state-of-the-art methods, technologies, and applications and seek out opportunities to apply them.
• Creative. You thrive on bringing definition to big, undefined problems. You love asking questions and pushing hard to find answers. You’re not afraid to share a new idea.
• Technical. You possess a strong foundation in mathematics, deep learning theory, and the engineering required for contributing to the development of AI.
• Determined. Strengthen your field of study by applying theory to practice. Bring your ideas to life in industry.

Michael Cohen, Physics & Astronomy

• August 20, 2024
• vol 71 issue 2

Born in Manhattan, New York, Dr. Cohen attended Horace Mann School and then Cornell University, where he was a member of Telluride House and the team that won the 1951 William Lowell Putnam Mathematical Competition. After graduating Phi Beta Kappa with a BS in physics in 1951, he enrolled in the graduate program in physics at the California Institute of Technology. At CalTech, Dr. Cohen researched the behavior of liquid helium under famous physicist Richard Feynman. Dr. Feynman was notoriously picky about graduate students, and Dr. Cohen was one of only 30 trainees Dr. Feynman took on throughout his career. In an interview with the American Institute of Physics, Dr. Feynman remembered how he’d given up on a particular set of calculations because he’d decided they were “too hard.” However, he recalled that Dr. Cohen “found they weren’t as hard as I thought” and cracked them.

Dr. Cohen earned his PhD in 1956 from CalTech, then stayed on to complete a postdoctoral fellowship with Dr. Feynman. On the strength of his mentor’s recommendation, Dr. Cohen then did a second postdoc at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton with J. Robert Oppenheimer, father of the atomic bomb. Then, heeding the counsel of “Oppie,” he came to Penn in 1958 as an assistant professor of physics. He became an associate professor two years later and a full professor in 1973.

Dr. Cohen spent the rest of his career at Penn. A condensed matter physicist, he studied the quantum mechanics of liquid helium, as well as ferroelectrics and phospholipid membranes. He enjoyed leading a problem-solving seminar for graduate students preparing for the PhD qualifying exam; for this work, he jokingly described himself as “the department’s Stanley Kaplan.” He also reveled in campus politics, serving as a longtime member of Penn’s faculty senate.

In 1962, with George Stranahan and Robert Craig, Dr. Cohen co-founded the Aspen Center for Physics in Aspen, Colorado. According to The New York Times, the center has “proved pivotal in the development of the Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory, for a long time the world’s most powerful particle accelerator, and the formulation of string theory, regarded by many physicists as the most promising candidate for a ‘theory of everything’ that would explain all the universe’s physical phenomena.” When the center became an independent nonprofit in 1968, Dr. Cohen was elected its first treasurer. He followed this with a term as the center’s vice president, and then, for another 48 years, as an honorary trustee.

In retirement, Dr. Cohen wrote an introductory textbook in classical mechanics, which is available for free here .

Dr. Cohen is survived by his sister, Vera Gottlieb; his three children, Adam (C’90) (Mary), Jonathan, and Alison (Nurit Bloom); his seven grandchildren, Will, Theo, Leah, Aiden, Naomi, Vivi, and Daph; and his caregiver, Jeanette Edwards.

Donations in Dr. Cohen’s memory may be made to the Aspen Center for Physics . If you choose to give, you can notify Dr. Cohen’s family of the donation by clicking the email notification box and entering [email protected] .

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