Major investment in research excellence, targeted developments of recognised strengths and successful leadership of external collaborations have fostered an innovating and dynamic physics research community at Strathclyde. A strategic decision to concentrate critical mass in areas of research underpinned by optical sciences was implemented in 2002. Recognised strengths in computational optics, photonics, plasma physics, biomolecular physics, and widegap semiconductors led to a reorganisation of the Department into three complementary research divisions – Nanoscience, Optics, and Plasmas. Evidence of international standing in these targeted areas comes not only from high impact publications, leadership of national and international projects, and strong and sustained growth in research income, but also from highly effective knowledge transfer through industrial engagement and commercially significant outputs. Theory and experiment work together to enhance the pull-through of fundamental physics to applications, and underpin effective realisation of an expanding range of multidisciplinary initiatives.

Multi-million-pound extra-University collaborations, notably within the Scottish Universities Physics Alliance (SUPA) and industry, and expanded intra-University collaborations have led to significant enhancements in our research portfolio. These have reinforced existing excellence and, at the same time, enabled us to make rapid impact in emerging multidisciplinary areas, such as nanometrology, complexity, quantum optics and laser-plasma based nuclear physics and ion acceleration.