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Physics Education Research

Physics education research (PER) is an inherently interdisciplinary endeavor that studies how people learn the content and culture of physics. Investigations in PER are diverse and include looking at student learning in the classroom all the way up to the policies that govern the physics community and affect physicist’s careers.

Students of PER move on to many interesting careers, including academia, high school teaching, consulting, university administration, entrepreneurship and more. A research program in PER can be undertaken both at the undergraduate and graduate level at the University of Utah and students are always encouraged to apply.

Physics Education Research Faculty

Ramón Barthelemy, Ph.D.

Ramon Barthelemy Headshot
Dr. Ramón Barthelemy is a former Fulbright in Finland, AAAS science policy fellow in the US Department of Education, and has been elected as a Fellow of the American Physical (APS). As a faculty member he has led The Physics Education Research Group at the University of Utah (PERU) where he has been awarded over $5 million in federal grants, won multiple awards, and published many articles in peer-reviewed journals. He is the first faculty member to achieve tenure for PER in Physics and Astronomy at the University of Utah and the only tenure line faculty member in the department holding a PhD in the PER or to have done PER post-doctoral work.

His research focuses on the experiences of minoritized physicists and the policies that can be changed in order to create a more equitable field with a focus on race, gender, and LGBTQ+ identity. His research has been presented at university department colloquia and conferences across both the United States and world. Throughout his career he has launched the careers of multiple postdoctoral scholars and graduate students at the MS and PhD levels.

In addition to his research, he has conducted significant volunteer work including his recent role as the APS Chair of the Forum on Diversity and Inclusion (FDI). His work has went beyond the academies and included a Utah State House run in 2024, focused on science education, where he lost in the primary. His awards include the 2021 AAPT Doc Brown Early Career Award, the 2023 Betty Vetter Research Award, the 2023 APS Five Sigma Physicist recognition and the 2024 Western Michigan University Alumni Achievement Award.

Jordan Gerton

Jordan Gerton headshot

Prof. Jordan Gerton founded the Collaborative for Interdisciplinary Science Education Research (CISER) together with Prof. Lauren Barth-Cohen in the Department of Educational Psychology. CISER includes faculty from the departments of Physics & Astronomy and Educational Psychology, and includes collaborators at several other universities. CISER also includes graduate and undergraduate students from a diverse range of disciplines including Physics, Astronomy, Engineering, Education, Biology, Mathematics, etc.

Current CISER projects include:

  • Forces First:  Student reasoning about forces and kinematics in a reformed introductory physics course
  • Thinking Quantum-ly:  Making sense of "wonky" quantum by leveraging classical and mathematical intuition
  • Group Sync:  How teaching assistants (TAs) and learning assistants (LAs) can support sensemaking and productive social dynamics in introductory physics lab groups

Research Experiences for Undergrads

The Department of Physics & Astronomy at the University of Utah offers a research experience program in physics and astronomy that allows undergraduate students to work closely with a faculty mentor and their research group on an individual project.

All interested students are invited to apply for this 10-week summer program.

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