Physics Department

Kumaun University has Physics departments at DSB Campus, Nainital as well as SSJ Campus, Almora. Under Agra University, Department of Physics in D.S.B. Campus, Nainital was originally established in 1951 as a leading department of Thakur Dev Singh Bisht Govt. P.G. College, Nainital. Dr. D.D. Pant was appointed as the first Head of the Physics department and he initiated the research work in the field of Spectroscopy. In S. S. J. Campus, Almora, the Department of Physics was established in 1962 and since 1971 it was upgraded as a PG department with minimum resources. Since 1973 after the establishment of Kumaun University these departments were recognised as a model department of the University with its excellent research work. After being merged with the University and with subsequent extensions & development, the department earned remarkable name and fame in the field of research work. This was the time when renowned Physicists Dr. D.P. Khandelwal founder of IAPT and Prof. H.D. Bisht , first Head of Physics Department, Kumaun University carried out their research work in the department. Later in 1980s research work was also initiated in the field of High Energy Physics under the dynamic leadership of Prof. B.S. Rajput ,which subsequently achieved great heights in this new area of research. This period also witnessed the initiation of research work in another renowned field of Astrophysics. Now departments at both places have been well established in the University and are recognised nationally as well as internationally for their excellent teaching & research in the abovementioned branches of Physics. Because of its excellence in the field of teaching and research the departments were selected for DRS – I in 1987 and subsequently DSA – I under the Special Assistance Programme of UGC, New Delhi. Excellent research work in the field of Spectroscopy was also recognised by the Department of Science & Technology, Govt. of India, New Delhi and included the Spectroscopy Laboratory of the department under National Laser Programme in the 90s and provided sufficient grants for the Upgradation and establishment of sophisticated lasers in the laboratory. Apart from this the department at DSB CAMPUS was also recognised and provided grants by DST, New Delhi under its FIST Phase – I programme. Presently the departments have successfully completed the DSA Phase – III and has been awarded CAS – I under the special assistance programme under which a grant of Rs. 1.37 crores has been provided to the department for a period of five years (i.e., from 01.04.2013 to 31.03.2018). Since the department has been recognised under the special assistance programme of the UGC, five junior research fellowships are being awarded to the department annually under the RFSMS scheme of the UGC from 2006 onwards for promoting research environment in the department. An MOU has been signed between the University Physics department and ARIES, Nainital for the benefit of the students for promoting teaching & research and utilizing the expertise available in both the institutions. Moreover, many faculty members of both the departments are engaged as Principal Investigators of various International Collaborative programmes and other research projects funded by various funding agencies, the details of which are available in the individual profiles of concerned faculty members. In both the campus departments also have well-equipped computer laboratories, and very good laboratories for UG and PG students and rich libraries which have collection of more than 6000 reference & text books both for PG as well as research students including many rare and excellent reference books by foreign authors. Various national as well as international seminars / symposia have been organized by the department from time to time where scientists of national as well as international repute have presented their research work. Every year many reputed scientists are invited to deliver invited / guest lectures in both departments for the benefit of the students as well as faculty under the DSA / CAS programmes of the UGC. The faculties of the departments are well connected with other National and International Universities/ Research Institutes not only in India but abroad also. Prof H C Chandola, Prof Sanjay Pant from DSB Campus & Prof. O. P. S. Negi and Prof. P. S. Bisht of Almora Campus are collaborating in their specific fields of High Energy Physics (Theoretical),Spectroscopy and Astrophysics with prestigious foreign Scientific Institutes specially Institute of Theoretical Physics Beijing, China, Kavali Institute of Physics, Beijing, China, University of Konstanz Germany, European Nuclear Research Organisation (CERN) Geneva, International Centre for Theoretical Physics (ICTP) at Trieste (Italy) and Institute of Physics, Beijing, China continuously since 2005 under CAS – TWAS Visiting Scholar Fellowship and UNESCO – TWAS Associateship programme. In spite of this the faculty members and the research scholars of the department have been participated in several International/ National conferences and presented their research work. In the PG programme of four (6 monthly) semesters, commencing from July every year, 25 students are normally admitted in DSB Campus, Nainital and maximum 20 students are admitted in SSJ Campus, Almora.