Physics Professor

PHYSICS PROFESSORS TEACH, RESEARCH, AND CONSULT IN A VARIETY OF PHYSICS FIELDS, INCLUDING BIOPHYSICS, ASTROPHYSICS, HIGH-ENERGY PARTICLE PHYSICS, NUCLEAR PHYSICS, MEDICAL PHYSICS, OPTICS, COMPUTATIONAL PHYSICS, AND MATERIALS SCIENCE. THEY ALSO WORK ON RESEARCH PROJECTS, SUCH AS IN CONDENSED MATTER THEORY OR PARTICLE PHYSICS, AND MAY BE RESPONSIBLE FOR TEACHING BOTH UNDERGRADUATE AND GRADUATE STUDENTS. THE DAY-TO-DAY WORK OF PHYSICS PROFESSORS OFTEN INVOLVES CLASSROOM AND LABORATORY TEACHING, DEVELOPING COURSE MATERIALS, AND CONDUCTING RESEARCH. THEY ARE DEDICATED TO PURSUING RESEARCH TO FURTHER SCIENTIFIC KNOWLEDGE, PUBLISHING FINDINGS IN PROFESSIONAL JOURNALS, AND PRESENTING THEIR WORK AT CONFERENCES.

Required Education and Experience

PHYSICS PROFESSORS USUALLY HAVE A MASTER’S OR DOCTORAL DEGREE IN PHYSICS OR A RELATED FIELD. MANY HAVE POSTDOCTORAL RESEARCH EXPERIENCE. THEY MAY HAVE PREVIOUS TEACHING EXPERIENCE IN HIGHER EDUCATION. PHYSICS PROFESSORS TYPICALLY NEED STRONG COMMUNICATION AND INTERPERSONAL SKILLS. THEY MAY ALSO NEED TO MEET SPECIFIC TECHNICAL REQUIREMENTS FOR THE RESEARCH COMPONENT OF THEIR WORK.

Career Prospects

PHYSICS PROFESSORS OFTEN HAVE THE FLEXIBILITY TO CHOOSE THEIR PROJECTS, WORK ENVIRONMENT, AND THE BALANCE BETWEEN TEACHING AND RESEARCH. THEY MAY HAVE OPPORTUNITIES FOR PROMOTION AND LEADERSHIP WITHIN THEIR INSTITUTION OR DEPARTMENT. SOME PHYSICS PROFESSORS MAY PURSUE RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT JOBS IN INDUSTRY OR GOVERNMENT LABORATORIES.

Transferable Skills

THE SKILLS DEVELOPED IN PHYSICS PROFESSOR CAREERS, SUCH AS PROBLEM-SOLVING, CRITICAL THINKING, AND RESEARCH, ARE IN HIGH DEMAND IN OTHER FIELDS. FOR EXAMPLE, THESE SKILLS ARE VALUABLE IN CAREERS SUCH AS FINANCIAL ANALYSIS, SOFTWARE ENGINEERING, AND MANAGEMENT CONSULTING.

Day-to-Day Responsibilities

PHYSICS PROFESSORS MAY PERFORM THE FOLLOWING TASKS:

• TEACH COURSES IN PHYSICS AT THE UNDERGRADUATE AND GRADUATE LEVELS
• DEVELOP COURSE MATERIALS, ASSIGNMENTS, AND TESTS
• GRADE PAPERS AND EXAMS
• MEET WITH STUDENTS FOR OFFICE HOURS
• CONDUCT RESEARCH IN THEIR FIELD OF PHYSICS
• WRITE AND PUBLISH PAPERS IN PROFESSIONAL JOURNALS
• PRESENT THEIR WORK AT CONFERENCES
• MENTOR GRADUATE STUDENTS
• SERVE ON COMMITTEES AND BOARDS

Challenges

PHYSICS PROFESSORS MAY FACE CHALLENGES RELATED TO:

• HEAVY TEACHING LOADS AND ADMINISTRATIVE TASKS
• PRESSURE TO PUBLISH RESEARCH FINDINGS
• NEGOTIATING THE BALANCE BETWEEN TEACHING AND RESEARCH
• FUNDING FOR RESEARCH AND EQUIPMENT
• COMPETITION FOR GRANT FUNDING

Projects

PHYSICS PROFESSORS MAY TAKE ON PROJECTS SUCH AS:

• DEVELOPING NEW COURSE MATERIALS
• CREATING NEW LABORATORY EXPERIMENTS
• WRITING TEXTBOOKS OR RESEARCH PAPERS
• DESIGNING AND CONDUCTING RESEARCH PROJECTS
• MENTORING STUDENTS

Personal Growth

PHYSICS PROFESSORS HAVE OPPORTUNITIES FOR PERSONAL GROWTH THROUGH:

• MENTORING STUDENTS
• COLLABORATING WITH COLLEAGUES
• ATTENDING CONFERENCES
• ENGAGING IN RESEARCH
• SERVING ON COMMITTEES

Personality Traits of Successful Candidates

SUCCESSFUL PHYSICS PROFESSORS MAY HAVE PERSONALITY TRAITS SUCH AS:

• ENTHUSIASM FOR PHYSICS
• STRONG COMMUNICATION AND INTERPERSONAL SKILLS
• ABILITY TO WORK INDEPENDENTLY AND AS PART OF A TEAM
• ATTENTION TO DETAIL
• ORGANIZATIONAL SKILLS
• PROBLEM-SOLVING SKILLS

Self-Guided Projects

INDIVIDUALS INTERESTED IN BECOMING PHYSICS PROFESSORS CAN PREPARE THEMSELVES BY:

• TAKING COURSES IN PHYSICS, MATHEMATICS, AND COMPUTER SCIENCE
• CONDUCTING RESEARCH WITH A PHYSICS PROFESSOR
• PRESENTING THEIR RESEARCH AT CONFERENCES
• TAKING ONLINE COURSES IN PHYSICS
• READING PHYSICS JOURNALS

How Online Courses Help

ONLINE COURSES CAN PROVIDE THE FLEXIBILITY AND ACCESSIBILITY NEEDED TO GAIN THE KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS ESSENTIAL FOR A CAREER AS A PHYSICS PROFESSOR. ONLINE LECTURES, ASSIGNMENTS, QUIZZES, EXAMS, AND DISCUSSIONS CAN HELP LEARNERS DEVELOP A SOLID FOUNDATION IN PHYSICS PRINCIPLES AND RESEARCH METHODS. INTERACTIVE LABS CAN PROVIDE STUDENTS WITH HANDS-ON EXPERIENCE THAT IS CRUCIAL FOR PHYSICS PROFESSORS. ONLINE COURSES CAN HELP DEVELOP THE STRONG CRITICAL THINKING, PROBLEM-SOLVING, AND COMMUNICATION SKILLS PHYSICS PROFESSORS NEED TO BE SUCCESSFUL.

Whether Online Courses Alone Are Sufficient

WHILE ONLINE COURSES CAN BE A VALUABLE TOOL FOR PREPARING FOR A CAREER AS A PHYSICS PROFESSOR, THEY ARE USUALLY NOT SUFFICIENT ON THEIR OWN. PHYSICS PROFESSORS TYPICALLY NEED A MASTER’S OR DOCTORAL DEGREE IN PHYSICS OR A RELATED FIELD, WHICH REQUIRES IN-PERSON INSTRUCTION AND RESEARCH EXPERIENCE. ONLINE COURSES CAN BE A HELPFUL SUPPLEMENT TO TRADITIONAL DEGREE PROGRAMS OR CAN HELP INDIVIDUALS EXPAND THEIR KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS IN SPECIFIC AREAS OF PHYSICS.