The Physics Department engages students in cutting edge research to advance the frontiers of our understanding of the universe and to innovate practical solutions to societal challenges. Faculty and students in the department carry out research in a broad range of fields—from a new understanding of quantum mechanics to the search for fundamental particles to robotics and medical imaging. Fundamentally, physicists develop models for understanding how the world works. The training is a basis for a broad range of careers that rely on analytical problem solving. These fields are as diverse as cosmology, engineering, software development, and financial analysis.