The department offers a wide range of introductory courses in Astronomy and Physics as well as research project courses for senior students. Astronomy and Physics faculty in the DPES specialise in the study of the differences between the solar system and extrasolar planetary systems; general relativity and its application to the evolution of black holes; and the thermal evolution of solid planet interiors, including the Earth.
Research strengths in Physics and Astrophysics include theoretical work and high-performance computing related to current questions in the fields of general relativity, planetary system formation and the evolution of planetary interiors. Faculty participate in the interpretation of ground-based and space-borne observations of astrophysical objects, propose novel theories of the planet forming process, and use supercomputers to run large-scale particle-based and fluid dynamics models.
