Dr. Mahua Biswas and two students in a lab, interacting with computer monitors and scientific equipment.

Research

Research at Illinois State University’s Department of Physics connects classroom learning with real-world discovery.

ISU Physics is recognized and valued by students for its strong culture of research engagement and personalized advising. Our faculty are deeply committed to providing meaningful undergraduate research experiences that build technical skills, curiosity, and confidence for future success. Please visit individual research group pages below.

Student Research

Every student has the opportunity to engage in one-on-one hands-on research with faculty, collaborating directly on real projects. Together, students and professors have co-authored nearly 100 peer-reviewed publications in the past five years, showcasing a strong culture of mentorship, discovery, and collaboration.

Student Research Funding Opportunity

Get support for your research or travel to present at conferences.
Faculty fund students through their research grants, offering valuable hands-on experience. In addition, students have oppurtunities for

Faculty/Research Spotlights

Manna and Biswas receive $391,078 National Science Foundation grant to Selective Excitation and Charge Dynamics of Dark Molecular Transitions (09/2025).
Harris receives $234,795 National Science Foundation grant to Harnessing Machine Learning Techniques for Atomic and Molecular Collisions (09/2025).
Caplan receives $193,500 funding from Lawrence Livermore National Lab to perform research on Molecular Dynamics for Calculating Line Shapes (01/2025).
Harris receives ISU The Outstanding University Researcher Award (01/2025).
Biswas, Manna, and Alam (Dept of Electrical Engg.) receive $200,000 Advancing Research and Creative Scholarship (ARCS) to study Advanced Nanopatterning for Next-Generation Resistive Switching Memory Devices (08/2025).
Bergfield receives $100,000 National Science Foundation grant for Quantum Information of Interference Features in Transport (09/2024).
Christensen receives $150,000 National Science Foundation grant for Advancing the Constructive Standard Model: Efficient Techniques for High-Multiplicity Amplitude Calculations (08/2024).
Medvedev is working on a BlueHalo/UES–funded research project titled Proof-of-Concept, Chemical Aerosol Decomposition for THz Detection.

View previous faculty/research spotlights

Research Groups

Applied Nanomaterials Research Lab

Fabrication of nanometer scale materials for emerging technologies, structural and optical properties of these nanomaterials for optoelectronic devices.
Atomic Physics with a Twist

This research uses state-of-the-art high performance computing techniques to a model various collision processes.
Biophysics: Understanding the Mechanisms of Migraine Initiation

This research combines fruit fly models and computational neuroscience to uncover the cellular mechanisms that trigger migraines.
Biophysics: Computational Neuroscience and Nonlinear Dynamics

Study the physics of living systems. Our approach uses computational and nonlinear dynamics methods to investigate how neurons operate individually as well as in the collective of networks.
Computational Astrophysics Lab

The CAPLAB uses large scale supercomputers to simulate the hot dense matter insides of neutron stars, white dwarfs, and accreting black holes – and also nuclear weapons.
Condensed Matter Theory

Investigate the quantum mechanical aspects of the heat, charge, and spin currents at the nanoscale with an emphasis on strongly correlated and molecule-based systems.
Experimental Nanophotonics Laboratory

Research light-matter interactions at the nanoscale.
Experimental Solid State Physics Lab

This lab is devoted to the synthesis and characterization of bulk, thin film, and nanocrystalline materials.
High Resolution Astro-Bio-Chemical Sensing
Research in bio-medical, astronomical, and chemical sensing applications of Terahertz (THz) Spectroscopy, with primary focus on the study of THz high resolution molecular ro-vibrational spectroscopy.
Intense Laser Physics Theory Unit

Research the interaction of laser light with matter.
Relativistic Quantum Mechanics

From sub-atomic particles to astrophysics, research in relativistic quantum mechanics, or quantum field theory, expands our knowledge of matter and interactions.
Space and Plasma Physics

Perform computational research in space physics and nonlinear dynamics.