School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Leicester

School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Leicester

Established	1924
Location	Leicester , United Kingdom
Website	le.ac.uk/physics

The School of Physics and Astronomy is an academic department of the University of Leicester, England, specialising in research and teaching in physics, astrophysics, and space science. ^[1] . It is based at the University's main campus in Leicester, with additional facilities at Space Park Leicester.

History

The study of physics at the University of Leicester began in the 1920s ^[2] , when the institution admitted its first small cohort of students under a single lecturer. A separate Department of Astronomy was established in 1965 ^{[3] [4]} , and in 1973 the two departments jointly introduced one of the United Kingdom's first combined honours degrees in Physics with Astrophysics.

The University's involvement in space science started in 1961 with the launch of its first instrument on a Skylark rocket ^[5] . Notable alumni from the early decades of the School include author C. P. Snow ^[6] and optics pioneer Harold Hopkins ^[7] . From 1967 onwards, at least one piece of Leicester-built hardware has been operating in space in any given year ^[8] . In 2025 the School marked its centenary ^[4] , by which time it had expanded to more than 650 students, around 45 academic staff, and over 100 research, technical, and administrative staff. Former and present staff include three former presidents of the Royal Astronomical Society ^[9]

In 1994, the University of Leicester celebrated winning the Queen's Anniversary Prize for its work in Physics & Astronomy. The prize citation reads: "World-class teaching, research and consultancy programme in astronomy and space and planetary science fields. Practical results from advanced thinking". ^[10]

The School of Physics and Astronomy played a central role in the creation of the National Space Centre in Leicester, which opened in 2001. The idea for a public space science facility was developed during the 1990s in collaboration between the University, Leicester City Council, and local industry. Staff from the School contributed scientific expertise, educational input, and exhibit development, helping to establish the Centre as a national hub for space science outreach and engagement. ^{[11] [12]}

In 2012, the university was selected as one of four sites for national high performance computing facilities for theoretical astrophysics and particle physics ^[13] . An investment of £12.32 million, from the Government's Large Facilities Capital Fund, together with investment from the Science and Technology Facilities Council and from universities contribute to a national supercomputer. The university currently hosts the Data Intensive At Leicester super computer as part of the DiRAC UK super computing facility. ^[14]

Research

The school includes four research groups ^[15] :

• Astrophysics—Focuses on both observational and theoretical studies across the electromagnetic spectrum. Research includes transient phenomena, galaxy formation and evolution, variable stars, supernovae, and exoplanet detection. The group contributes to international projects such as the Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory, NGTS, GOTO, JWST, CTA, XMM-Newton, SVOM, and ESA's NewAthena. Theoretical work emphasizes accretion physics, stellar dynamics, and cosmic evolution, supported by high-performance computing via the UK's DiRAC facility ^[16] .
• Planetary Science—Investigates the environments of planets, including atmospheres, magnetospheres, ionospheres, surface conditions, and planetary materials. The group combines instrumentation development for planetary missions, ground-based planetary astronomy, and theoretical modelling across the Solar System. The group's contributions include designing and building the Raman Laser Spectrometer for ESA's Rosalind Franklin rover; leading the development of the Mercury Imaging X-ray Spectrometer ^[17] aboard the ESA–JAXA BepiColombo mission to Mercury; serving as the UK's only formal co-investigator on NASA's Juno mission to Jupiter ^[18] ; and participating in ESA's JUICE mission to Jupiter's icy moons ^[19]
• Space Projects and Instrumentation—Specialises in developing instruments for space science missions. The group is based at Space Park Leicester and includes academic, engineering, technical, and support staff. It has maintained an unbroken record of delivering operational instruments to space for over 60 years. Recent projects include the building of an X-ray telescope for the SMILE space mission ^[20]
• Earth Observation Science —Studies the natural environment to address environmental challenges such as climate change, air pollution, and land-surface changes. The group combines modelling and remote-sensing technologies across satellites, airborne campaigns, and ground-based observations, hosting a high-resolution spectroscopy facility and a sun-photometer site ^[21] . Earth Observation Science leads several international projects, such as the European Space Agency's Land Surface Temperature project ^[22] . Staff work alongside the National Centre for Earth Observation ^[23] , which is hosted at Space Park Leicester.

References

1. "School of Physics and Astronomy". University of Leicester. Retrieved 2025-09-08.
2. "The history of Chemistry and Physics at Leicester | School of Physics and Astronomy". University of Leicester. Retrieved 2025-09-08.
3. ASIS&T Staff (2016-08-18). "Jack Meadows 1934-2016". Association for Information Science and Technology | ASIS&T. Retrieved 2025-09-08.
4. "100 years of Physics at Leicester | School of Physics and Astronomy". University of Leicester. Retrieved 2025-09-08.
5. Watson, Mike (2010). "50 years of space science at Leicester". Astronomy & Geophysics. 51 (6): 6.12 –6.15. Bibcode:2010A&G....51f..12W. doi:10.1111/j.1468-4004.2010.51612.x. ISSN   1468-4004.
6. "C.P. Snow | Novelist, Physicist, Cambridge | Britannica". www.britannica.com. Retrieved 2025-09-08.
7. "Harold H. Hopkins | Optica". www.optica.org. Retrieved 2025-09-08.
8. "65 Years of Space at Leicester". University of Leicester. Retrieved 2025-09-08.
9. Simion @Yonescat, Florin. "Past RAS Presidents". The Royal Astronomical Society. Retrieved 2025-09-08.
10. "Winner Archive - Royal Anniversary Trust". Royal Anniversary Trust. Retrieved 2025-09-08.
11. "House of Commons - Science and Technology - Written Evidence". publications.parliament.uk. Retrieved 2025-09-09.
12. "Two million visitors at Space Centre, Leicester". BBC News. 2010-09-20. Retrieved 2025-09-09.
13. "University of Leicester to get £2m 'supercomputer'". BBC News. 2012-06-07. Retrieved 2025-09-08.
14. "Data Intensive Service: Leicester – DiRAC High Performance Computing Facility". dirac.ac.uk. Retrieved 2025-09-08.
15. "Research | School of Physics and Astronomy". University of Leicester. Retrieved 2025-09-08.
16. "Computing resources on the STFC DiRAC HPC facility". 2023-08-03. Retrieved 2025-09-08.
17. "UK-built spacecraft BepiColombo set to explore Mercury's mysteries". Sky News. Retrieved 2025-09-08.
18. Sample, Ian (2016-08-26). "Nasa's Juno probe to make closest pass of Jupiter". The Guardian. ISSN   0261-3077 . Retrieved 2025-09-08.
19. "University of Leicester scientists excited about Jupiter mission". BBC News. 2023-04-13. Retrieved 2025-09-08.
20. "Cutting-edge telescope built at University of Leicester makes final departure to join SMILE mission". EurekAlert!. Retrieved 2025-09-08.
21. "SpacePark_Leicester AERONET site". Aerosol Robotic Network. Retrieved 2025-09-16.
22. "Land Surface Temperature". ESA Climate Office. Retrieved 2025-09-16.
23. "Our People and History". National Centre for Earth Observation. Retrieved 2025-09-08.