The National Research Council rankings of graduate programs has placed UH Mānoa Department of Physics and Astronomy in the top 12 of all US programs. The department has an extensive laboratory and classroom building, Watanabe Hall. It has about 37,000 square feet of research and teaching laboratories, shops, classrooms with special demonstration facilities, and student study rooms. The Institute for Astronomy building, located above the Mānoa campus, is a greatly expanded facility for research in astronomy and astrophysics.
Academic Programs
UH Manoa Events
- Safeguarding Hawaiʻi's Swine
- Safeguarding Hawaiʻi's Swine
- Peter Rappa Fellows final presentations
- Regular and Substantive Interactions in Online and Hybrid Courses
- UHMCC Moving Sale
- Safeguarding Hawaii Swine: Building Biosecurity and FAD Preparedness
- Love what you Teach. Teach what you Love. Become a Teacher in Hawai‘i!
Department Events:
Latest News
Professor Keisuke Yoshihara Launches Open-Source ASIC (Readout Chip) Development Effort for High-Energy Physics
The University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa Department of Physics and Astronomy has received supplemental support from the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Science for Professor Keisuke Yoshihara to begin a new research effort on open-source application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs) or “readout chips” for high-energy physics instrumentation and readout.
UH Physics Professor Zepeng Li receives a DOE Genesis Award
Professor Zepeng Li from the UH Mānoa Department of Physics and Astronomy is leading a research project selected for the U.S. Department of Energy’s inaugural Genesis Mission. His work involves developing an AI foundation model to accelerate the search for neutrinoless double beta decay, a rare nuclear process that could reveal the nature of “ghost particles” known as neutrinos. The project aims to create a unified AI framework to streamline data analysis across various detector technologies used by researchers worldwide. This initiative is eligible for a Phase I award of up to $750,000 over nine months to develop these innovative AI-enabled scientific tools.
University of Hawaiʻi Physicists Contribute to U.S.–Japan Project to Advance Accelerator Diagnostics
Researchers at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa (UH) are contributing to a newly approved U.S.–Japan project to advance X-ray beam monitoring technology for SuperKEKB, the world’s leading electron-positron collider. The project, titled “Enhanced X-ray Beam Size Monitor,” has been approved by the U.S.–Japan Joint Committee for a total of $235,000, with support expected through the U.S. Department of Energy Office of High Energy Physics.
Dr. Chris Ketter has been awarded the annual Belle II PhD Technical Thesis Award
Dr. Chris Ketter, a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Hawaiʻi, has received the Belle II PhD Technical Thesis Award, announced last month at KEK in Tsukuba, Japan. The award recognizes his outstanding doctoral work on the Belle II K-Long and Muon detector. Chris began his work under the late Prof. Gary Varner and is currently working with Asst. Prof. Keisuke Yoshihara. Selected from more than 250 PhD students in the collaboration, this highly competitive award highlights his exceptional contributions. He will receive the award this summer in Vienna.
Assistant Professor Jeremy Sakstein’s study links dark matter to the galaxy’s silent core
Assistant Professor Jeremy Sakstein led the research, published February 3, by the American Physical Society. The research suggesting dark matter accumulates in stars near the galactic core, releasing energy that stops Cepheid variables from pulsing. This explains their absence and offers a new way to study dark matter with upcoming telescopes.
Honoring Dr. Gary Varner’s Legacy in Physics and Mentorship
Dr. Gary Varner was a pioneering experimental physicist and devoted mentor whose innovations advanced major projects like SuperKEKB/Belle II and ANITA, while shaping careers across the globe. His commitment to teaching and collaboration left a lasting impact at UH Mānoa, inspiring the creation of the Varner Graduate Award to support future physics graduate students. By contributing to the Varner Student Support Fund, donors help carry forward his legacy of discovery, mentorship, and excellence.