Honours and postgraduate research

Physics at La Trobe offers research training to students at all postgraduate levels and a range of undergraduate physics and nanoscience research projects. 

Our postgraduate alumni have been successful in achieving research appointments at prestigious institutions such as the Kavli Institute of Nanoscience in Delft, the Fritz-Haber Institut in Berlin and the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in California.

 

Honours

We offer a dynamic Honours program linked to our research specialisations that is excellent preparation for entry into a subsequent PhD program.

Entry requirements

To be eligible for Honours, students must have an average grade of at least 65% in third year physics. Students who do not meet this requirement may consult with the Physics Research Coordinator about admission to the Postgraduate Diploma program.

Assessment

Our Honours students undertake four advanced courses (15 credit points each) and undertake a major research project (60 credit points) hosted by one of our research laboratories. View the Department’s research specialisations in functional materials and surface science, X-ray science and space science to see our research projects and find the relevant group leader to contact.

Contact

To apply or for further information contact Physics Research Coordinator Dr Chris Pakes (c.pakes@latrobe.edu.au).

Postgraduate

Postgraduate research programs

We offer a vibrant and energetic research environment that is internationally recognised in the areas of condensed matter physics and X-ray science. Postgraduate studies at Masters and PhD level by research are available.

Students interested in applying are encouraged to first contact prospective supervisors to discuss potential research projects. See the Department’s research specialisations in functional materials and surface science, X-ray science and space science to find the relevant group leader to contact.

Alternatively contact Physics Research Coordinator Dr Chris Pakes (c.pakes@latrobe.edu.au).

PhD scholarships

Other scholarships may be available throughout the year. Contact us at physics@latrobe.edu.au for more information.

Postgraduate coursework programs

We also offer two-year coursework Masters programs and a one-year Postgraduate Diploma that may contain a significant research project and opportunities to undertake student exchange with international partner institutions:

  • Masters of Science in Physical Sciences
  • Master of Nanotechnology
  • Postgraduate Diploma in Science

Details of our postgraduate coursework programs.

Contact

Physics Research Coordinator Dr Chris Pakes (c.pakes@latrobe.edu.au).

Current postgraduate projects

Current research projects at the Department of Physics include:

Alberto Cereser – PhD student
Metals in Alzheimer’s disease by combined synchrotron-based approaches
Supervisors: Andrew Peele, Grant van Riessen

Chandni Doshi – PhD student
Optimisation of phase retrieval algorithms for segmentation of 3D data
Supervisors: Andrew Peele, Grant van Riessen

Mark Edmonds – PhD student
Surface transfer doping of hydrogen-terminated diamond
Supervisors: Chris Pakes

Mas Jaffri Masarudin – PhD student
Chitosan nanoparticles for targeted chemotherapy drug delivery
Supervisors: Paul Pigram, Suzanne Cutts

Giang Tran Nhan – PhD student
Quantifying the effects of partically coherent X-rays on coherent diffraction imaging
Supervisors: Andrew Peele, Chanh Tran

Thanh-Bao Pham – PhD student
Understanding the thin film structure and interfacial morphology in organic solar cells
Supervisors: Chanh Tran, Andrew Peele

Kevin Rietwyk – PhD student
Surface termination effects in diamond and silicon
Supervisors: Chris Pakes

Jason Siddaway – PhD student
Investigating dynamics and variability of atmospheric ozone in relation to climate change
Supervisors: Svetlana Petelina

Yaou Smets – PhD student
Photoemission studies of porphyrin-fullerene interfaces
Supervisors: Chris Pakes

Christian Stark – PhD student
STM studies of porphyrin-surface interfaces
Supervisors: Chris Pakes

Jonathan Wood – MSc student
Novel techniques for electronic characterisation by scanning probe microscopy
Supervisors: David Hoxley

Juliana Wong – PhD student
Understanding the thin film structure and interfacial morphology in organic solar cells
Supervisors: Paul Pigram, Narelle Brack

Fadhlia Zakaria – PhD student
Functional surface acceptors on diamond
Supervisors: Chris Pakes