Doctor of Philosophy by Research

The Department of Physics, NUS, offers full-time and part-time graduate studies by research leading to the degrees of Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.). 

Graduate students in the Department have a choice of a wide range of research fields. Now, the department has 74 faculty members in which many of them are also members of one of the research centers – “Center for Quantum Technologies”, “Graphene Research Center”, “Nanocore” and “Mechanobiology Institute”, as well as the “Center for Ion Beam Application” and the “Center for Computational Science and Engineering”. It is supported by over 40 research staff, 54 technical/clerical staff and a well-equipped workshop. The Department has extensive facilities with state-of-the-art instrumentation suitable for both fundamental and applied research. Currently the graduate community numbers at about 200 with a good mix of local and foreign students. A friendly and informal atmosphere exists among staff and students as collaborative work with other disciplines and industrial R & D abound.

Candidates enrolled in the Graduate Programme by Research (part or full time) will pursue a rigorous course of study and research leading to a M.Sc. degree or a Ph.D. degree. The Ph.D. programme has a maximum candidature of five years.

Candidates are strongly encouraged to check with Registrar’s Office for any possible official updates.

  • A good relevant 4 years Bachelor and/or Master degree in Physics or its equivalent
  • NUS graduates should have at least a honours with Distinction
  • The ability to pursue research in the candidate’s proposed field of advanced study
  • GRE (General test) requirement:
    • For international applicants with strong academic performance,  GRE might be exempted. Candidates may opt not to submit their GRE general test scores; but will be subject to a higher bar for admission.
    • For local students from NUS/NTU/SUTD with CAP of 4.5 and above, GRE can be waived.
  • TOEFL/IELTS. Applicants whose native tongue and medium of university instruction is not in English should submit the TOEFL/IELTS as evidence of their proficiency in the English language. The minimum TOEFL scores for Internet Based Test (IBT) is 85; or IELTS score of 6.0.

Graduate level coursework, seminar attendance, dissertation, and an oral examination.

The Department of Physics at the National University of Singapore promotes excellence in a wide range of research areas, including condensed matter physics, surface physics, materials science, high energy physics, atomic physics, superconductor, solid-state ionics, astrophysics, infrared spectroscopy, laser optics, x-ray fluorescence, ion-beam applications, optics, acoustics and computer simulations.

Our aim in research development is not only to acquire new knowledge in fundamental areas, but also to tackle problems of relevance to Singapore’s Industry development. The Physics Department sees a major role in itself in the national effort to advance Singapore into a high-tech era. To this end, many staff members are now carrying out collaborative research work with industry, overseas universities, and government ministries, and engaged in multi-disciplinary research.

The Physics Department has a number of first-rate laboratories which are equipped with excellent and modern research facilities. Among them are the Surface Science Laboratory, the Centre for Nuclear Microscopy, Centre for High-Temperature Superconducting & Magnetic Centre, the Laser Spectroscopy Laboratory and the Image & Signal Processing Laboratory. In addition, the Department has a well-equipped workshop to support the research activities, and three Computer and Applications Laboratories with 200 high-power workstations and PCs, and scientific and advanced visualization software. There are 35 staff members who are actively involved in research work besides their primary teaching duties. The number of postgraduate students is 120. The amount of annual funding, from the university, industries and government agencies, for new and ongoing research projects exceeds 2.5 million dollars, exclusive of equipment costs. The Department’s excellence in research has been evidenced by the presentation of plenary/invited talks by its staff in international conferences and by their service as referees for internal journals.

Limited financial support in the form of research scholarship is available to outstanding Ph.D candidates. The research scholarship includes a tuition fee waiver and a monthly stipend which is sufficient to cover the expenses of the candidate. Presently, the majority of full-time Ph.D candidates in the Department are supported by research scholarships.

Application for research scholarship can be made using the same form on Application for Admission by ticking the relevant box. No separate application is required.

Please direct all queries regarding graduate admission to Ms. Lau Siew Keok, Maggie

  • Email: phylausk@nus.edu.sg
  • Office: General Office, Blk S12, Level 2, 2 Science Drive 3, Singapore 117542
  • Tel: +65 6516 4395