Welcome to the Department of Experimental Physics at Maynooth University.
Maynooth has a long tradition of excellence in Experimental Physics. The inventor of the induction coil, Nicholas Callan, was Professor of Experimental Physics from 1826 to 1864. Callan's work has been recognised by the Institute of Physics and the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineering. Much of Callan's scientific equipment is on display at the National Science Museum here in Maynooth.
One of Callan's most distinguished pupils, Gerald Molloy, did pioneering work in the development of wireless telegraphy, and his international reputation in this field was such that Marconi came to Dublin to attend some of his lectures.
Currently, staff of the Experimental Physics Department are involved in a number of research areas, and are playing key roles in two European Space Agency satellite missions - the Herschel Space Observatory and the Planck Surveyor.
Facilities at Maynooth
Experimental Physics at the National University of Ireland Maynooth is now housed in the New Science Building on the North Campus in 1998. This building accommodates the departments of Experimental Physics, Mathematical Physics, and Chemistry and the new facilities, in equipment as well as in space, mean that Maynooth has one of the most modern and best equipped physics departments in the country. The departmental staff are heavily committed to both teaching and research. Much of the research work involves international collaborations and opportunities exist for undergraduates to be introduced to topics relating to some of these areas of investigation.
The staff-student relationship is highly valued and the department operates an open-door policy so that students can gain advice or assistance with ease.
Graduates from the department have progressed to working at ESA, NASA, Caltech, Intel, Hewlett Packard, and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California, to name but a few.