Ottawa-Carleton Institute for Physics

Established in 1983, the Ottawa-Carleton Institute for Physics (OCIP) combines the research strengths of the University of Ottawa and Carleton University. The Institute offers graduate programs leading to the master’s (MSc) and doctoral (PhD) degrees in Physics.

Research facilities are shared between the two campuses. Students have access to the professors, courses and facilities at both universities; however, they must register at the “home university” of the thesis supervisor.

Members of the Institute are engaged in research in different fields of Physics: condensed matter; high energy and biological physics; medical physics; photonics. Additional information is posted in the departmental website.

Particularly for the medical physics program, research supervision may be provided by members of other institutions in the area such as hospitals, cancer clinics and government laboratories.

Most of the requirements of these programs must be fulfilled in English. A very good knowledge of this language is therefore required.

The program operates within the general framework of the regulations and procedures for Joint Graduate Programs and the general regulations of the graduate faculty at each of the two universities. The general regulations of the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies (FGPS) of the University of Ottawa are posted on the website of the FGPS.

The professors included in the list below are members of the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies. This means that they are authorized to supervise or co-supervise theses. A complete list of the faculty and staff members associated with the program can be found at http://www.physics.uottawa.ca/welcome.html

BAO, Xiaoyi, Full Professor
Distributed fibre sensors; brillouin scattering; polarization mode dispersion; strain and temperature; acoustic waves; vibration; PMD_PDL emulators; mode locked fibre lasers; nonlinear optics

BHARDWAJ, Ravi, Assistant Professor
Ultrafast photonics; strong laser field physics; atomic and molecular physics; attosecond science; multi-electron dynamics in complex systems; laser processing of materials

BOYD, Robert, Full Professor
Nanophotonics Methods for Quantum Nonlinear Optics

BRABEC, Thomas, Full Professor
Ultrafast photonics; theoretical quantum mechanics; photonics; intense laser matter interaction; nonlinear optics; nanophysics; quantum dynamics; molecular electronics

CHARBONNEAU, Sylvain, Adjunct Professor
Semiconductor physics

CHEN, Kuiying, Adjunct Professor

CHEN, Liang, Associate Professor
Photonics; polarization mode dispersion; polarization dependent loss; chromatic dispersion; stimulated Brillouin scattering; Monte Carlo simulation

CORKUM, Paul, Full Professor
Attosecond science

CZAJKOWSKI, Andrzej, Assistant Professor

DE KEMP, Robert, Cross-appointment
Medical imaging physics and engineering; including positron emission tomography (PET); single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT); X-ray computed tomography (CT); X-ray angiography; and multi-modality image fusion

DESGRENIERS, Serge, Full Professor
High-pressure physics; materials under extreme conditions; dense molecular systems dense gas hydrates; synchrotron radiation; X-ray diffraction; laser light spectroscopy

DUPLICATE FILE, Do not use, Adjunct Professor

FAFARD, Simon, Adjunct Professor
Semiconductor physics

FINNIE, Paul, Adjunct Professor
Nanostructures; crystal growth

FORTIN, Émery, Emeritus Professor
Seminconductor physics

GIORGI, Javier, Full Professor
Catalysis; surface chemistry; surface science; fuel cells; materials; physical chemistry

GODIN, Michel, Assistant Professor
Biosensing, Micro- & Nanofluidics, Lab-on-a-chip, Nanoparticles, Microfabrication

HARDEN, James, Associate Professor
Biological physics; soft condensed matter

HAWRYLAK, Pawel, Adjunct Professor
Condensed matter theory

HODGSON, Richard, Adjunct Professor
Condensed matter theory

JOOS, Bela, Full Professor
Condensed matter theory

KAERN, Mads, Assistant Professor
Gene regulation and systems biology

KIESER, William, Associate Professor
Accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) to (a) provide chronological information for Earth related processes and (b) trace chemical pathways in complex biological or geological systems to establish new techniques for AMS analysis.

L'HEUREUX, Ivan, Associate Professor
Nonlinear dynamics; geophysics; pattern formation; nonlinear dynamics; transport in porous media; diagenesis; oscillatory zoning; periodic precipitation; biogeochemistry; noise-induced transitions

LAMARCHE, Gilles, Adjunct Professor
Low temperature physics

LEUCHS, Gerhard, Adjunct Professor

LONGTIN, Andre, Cross-appointment
Nonlinear dynamics, stochastic dynamics, biological physics and mathematical biology.

LU, Ping, Adjunct Professor
The interaction between polarization mode dispersion (PMD) and polarization dependent loss (PDL); the interaction between higher order PMD and frequency chirp; PMD and PDL induced power penalty

LUNDEEN, Jeff, Adjunct Professor

MADEJ, Alan, Adjunct Professor
Laser frequency stabilization, frequency and time, laser wavelength standards, trapped-ion wavelength standards, laser frequency synthesis, optical frequency, high resolution spectroscopy

MIHAILOV, Stephen, Adjunct Professor

PELLING, Andrew
Biological physics; cell and tissue mechanics; mechanotransduction; mechanobiology; cellular and molecular statistical fluctuations; atomic force microscopy; fluorescence and laser scanning confocal microscopy

PIERCY, Peter, Associate Professor
Surface physics; low energy electron diffraction; diffusion; annealing; lattice deformation

PY, Christophe, Adjunct Professor

RAMUNNO, Lora, Assistant Professor
Advances in materials processing on submicrometre to nanometre length scales (the nanoscale) are opening new frontiers in science and technology

RAYMOND, Sylvain, Adjunct Professor
Optical properties of nano-structure materials

ROGERS, Michael, Adjunct Professor

SCHRIEMER, Henry, Associate Professor
Nanophotonics & optoelectronics; complex systems & optical metamaterials; integrated photonic components; scanning probe microscopies; multiphysics simulation

SLATER, Gary, Full Professor
Polymer physics; computer simulations; polymer dynamics; micro fluidics; electrophoresis; diffusion processes; biophysics; biofilms

SONG, Augustin, Adjunct Professor
Self-trapping of electrons; holes and excitons in insulating crystals; various problems of radiative and non-radiative recombinations of electron-hole pairs in insulators; atomic processes induced by electronic excitations in insulating solids, large scale atomic motion induced by electronic excitation

STADNIK, Zbigniew, Full Professor
Condensed matter physics; quasicrystals; metallic glasses; heavy-fermion systems; geometrically frustrated magnets; electronic structure; magnetism; Mössbauer; photoemission

STAUDTE, André, Adjunct Professor

STOLOW, Albert, Adjunct Professor
Time-resolved femtosecond chemistry; optical phase control of material processes; femtosecond laser technology; gas phase chemical physics; molecular beams; ion and electron beams

SUSSMAN, Benjamin J., Adjunct Professor

TABARD-COSSA, Vincent, Assistant Professor
Development of novel techniques to manipulate and characterize single molecules using nanoscale devices, and to the translation of discoveries into new tools for the health and biological sciences

VILLENEUVE, David, Adjunct Professor
Femtosecond science at NRC; attosecond science; molecular photonics; theory and computation

WILLIAMS, Robin, Adjunct Professor
Growth and optical properties of semiconductor nanostructures

In accordance with the University of Ottawa regulation, assignments, examinations, research papers and theses can be produced in either English or French.

Applications are evaluated based on the following criteria:

• Be the holder of a master's degree in Physics (or equivalent) with a minimum average of 75% (B+);
• Demonstrate a good academic performance in previous studies as shown by official transcripts, research reports, abstracts or any other documents demonstrating research skills;
• Provide at least two confidential letters of recommendation from professors who have known the applicant and are familiar with the student work;
• Provide a statement of purpose indicating the career goals and the interests in the proposed research area;
• Identify at least one professor who is willing and available to act as thesis supervisor.

NOTE: The choice of supervisor will determine the primary campus location of the student. It will also determine which university awards the degree.

Transfer from master's to PhD program

Students enrolled in the MSc program may be allowed to transfer to the PhD program without being required to write a master’s thesis provided they meet the following conditions:

• Achievement of an A- average in the last two years of undergraduate studies;
• Completion of at least two graduate courses (6 credits) with a grade of A- or better in each;
• Satisfactory progress in the research program;
• Written recommendation by the supervisor;
• Approval by the graduate studies committee.

The transfer must take place within sixteen months of initial registration in the master’s. Please note that the minimal admission average requirements for the doctoral program must also be met. Following the transfer, all of the requirements of the doctoral program must be met: a total number of 18 credits of graduate coursework (MSc+PhD); the comprehensive exam (PHY9998) to be completed within 12 months of the transfer; participation in the departmental seminar series; and a thesis.

• 12 credits at the 5000 level or above in physics or in related disciplines approved by the Department of Physics. Students must take PHY5355 or PHY5170 as one of these courses if not already completed at the master's level ;
• Successful completion of a comprehensive examination (PHY9998) within twelve months of the initial admission into the program;
• Presentation and successful defense of a thesis (PHY9999) based on an original research carried out under the direct supervision of a faculty member of the Institute.

Minimum Standards

Residence

Duration of the Program

Physique de la matière condensée / Condensed Matter Physics

Physique des particules, nucléaire et atomique / Particle, Nuclear and Atomic Physics

Photonique / Photonics

Physique médicale / Medical Physics

Physique de la technologie moderne / Physics in Modern Technology

Général / General

Cours spécialisés / Specialized Courses

Academic Unit Coordinates