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
- CTAHRʻs Kauai Invasive Pests Meeting
- Safeguarding Hawaii's Swine: Building Biosecurity and FAD Preparedness
- East-West Toastmasters Leadership/Public Speaking Club Meeting
- Kani ka 'ōpala exhibit
- Unique Pre-Health Majors
- Love what you Teach. Teach what you Love. Become a Teacher in Hawai‘i!
- The E Ulu Kākou: Hawaiʻi’s Agriculture Market Readiness Program
Department Events:
Latest News
Associate Professor David Rubin contributed to the creation of the largest standardized collection of exploding stars
Associate Professor David Rubin contributed to the creation of the largest standardized collection of Type Ia supernovae—exploding stars used to measure cosmic distances. This groundbreaking dataset has revealed subtle hints that dark energy, the force driving the accelerating expansion of the universe, may not be constant over time.
This finding raises important questions about the current leading cosmological model, which is based on Einstein’s theory of general relativity.
“It’s exciting that our work from Hawaiʻi is part of a global effort to unlock the secrets of dark energy,” said Dr. Rubin.
Assistant Professor Jeremy Sakstein and Team of Scientists Propose Dark Dwarfs to Unlock Dark Matter Mysteries
Jeremy Sakstein, an assistant professor in the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa’s Department of Physics and Astronomy, led an international team of scientists in proposing a new type of star-like object called a “dark dwarf.” The discovery of these dark dwarfs could significantly advance our understanding of the elusive nature of dark matter and the fundamental composition of the universe.
The study by Dr. Sakstein and his collaborators was published in July 2025 in the Journal of Cosmology and Astroparticle Physics.
Dr. Jeremy Sakstein Receives Prestigious Frontiers of Science Award for Groundbreaking Cosmology Research
Dr. Jeremy Sakstein has been awarded the Frontiers of Science Award for his pioneering research on the implications of gravitational wave observations for fundamental physics.
Nobel Laureate and Queen’s Professor Emeritus Arthur McDonald delivered a public talk
Nobel Laureate and Queen’s University Professor Emeritus Arthur McDonald delivered a public lecture titled “How to Know a Neutrino from a Hole in the Ground” at Bilger Hall, as part of a multi-day symposium celebrating the career of longtime Professor John Learned.
During his talk, McDonald shared insights from his pioneering research on neutrinos conducted in underground laboratories and reflected on his experiences during Nobel Week in Stockholm, Sweden, in 2015, when he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics at the Nobel Medal Award Ceremony.
The symposium brought together a distinguished gathering of neutrino physicists from around the world to honor Professor Learned’s influential contributions to the field.
Public lecture: “How to Know a Neutrino from a Hole in the Ground!” by Nobel Laureate Professor Emeritus Art McDonald, SNOLab
Date: Friday, April 25
Time: 4:30 PM
Location: Bilger 152, University of Hawaii
To understand what’s above, some particle physicists are seeking answers below the Earth. Nobel Laureate and Queen’s Professor Emeritus Arthur McDonald will lecture on the topic of how researchers are uncovering the nature of the Universe and neutrinos from underground laboratories including SNOLAB in Sudbury, Canada.
Dr. McDonald received the 2015 Nobel Prize in Physics and shared in the 2016 Breakthrough Prize in Fundamental Physics for a discovery that redefined the basic laws of particle physics: neutrinos have mass.
STEAM on the Bookshelf program expands with new funding
The S.T.E.A.M. (Science, Technology, Engineering, Agriculture and Mathematics) on the Bookshelf program is expanding with new funding from the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa’s Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program (UROP). The program is to introduce Hawaiʻi preschool keiki and their ʻohana (families) to STEAM concepts with heads-on learning initiatives. Physics instructor Chad Junkermeier heard from parents in the programs that their children are now reading the books to younger siblings.