Physics
First Destinations
First Destinations
This graph illustrates the first destinations of recent alumni from the last four graduating classes. Details for each of these categories can be found below.
- 38% Employment
- 54% Graduate School
- 3% Post-Graduate Service
- 2% Fellowships
- 0% Continuing Education
- 3% Other
Top Locations
Top Locations
These are among the top locations of graduates in this major. Whether working, studying, or volunteering, you'll find Grinnellians all over the world.
- Chicago, IL
- Madison, WI
- San Francisco Bay Area, CA
Employment
Employment
There is no typical path of a Grinnell graduate. As this list illustrates, Grinnellians work across all types of industries working with a rich array of employers.
| Employer | Position |
|---|---|
| Ahlstrom-Munksjö | process engineer |
| Datavant | software engineer |
| Department of Energy | intern |
| National Renewable Energy Laboratory | research intern |
| Valiant Capital Partners | junior analyst |
Physics
Employment Data
| Employer | Position | Location |
|---|---|---|
| Ahlstrom-Munksjö | process engineer | Mosinee, WI |
| Arkadia Traiskirchen Lions | basketball player | Traiskirchen, Austria |
| Best Buy | sales associate | Flossmoor, IL |
| Datavant | software engineer | San Francisco, CA |
| Deloitte | technology analyst | Arlington, VA |
| Department of Energy | intern | Ames, IA |
| Dev10 | software developer | Portland, OR |
| Epic | technical problem solver | Verona, WI |
| Federal Reserve Bank of New York | research analyst | New York, NY |
| Glue Visualizations | freelance software developer | Lexington, MA |
| Grinnell College | MakerLab manager | Grinnell, IA |
| Los Alamos National Laboratory | post-baccalaureate researcher | Los Alamos, NM |
| National Renewable Energy Laboratory | research intern | Golden, CO |
| Noble Network of Charter Schools | engineering teacher | Chicago, IL |
| NVIDIA | solutions architect | San Francisco, CA |
| Rush University Medical Center | lab technician | Chicago, IL |
| Sean Casten for Congress Campaign | intern | Chicago, IL |
| TD Ameritrade | financial services trainee | Omaha, NE |
| Valiant Capital Partners | junior analyst | San Francisco, CA |
| WuXi AppTec | associate sample coordinator | St. Paul, MN |
| YMCA Camp Widjiwagan | Tripping Center staff | Ely, MN |
Positions Related to Career Goals
Positions Related to Career Goals
This graph illustrates the extent to which our graduates' first job is aligned with their career goals. It's one thing to find a job; it's an entirely different thing to land the job you want!
- 18% Completely
- 64% Moderately
- 18% Slightly
- 0% Not at All
Graduate Schools
Graduate Schools
Grinnell graduates are particularly well prepared for graduate study. You'll find Grinnellians attend the best graduate and professional school programs around the world.
| Institution | Degree | Field of Study |
|---|---|---|
| Columbia University | PhD | astronomy |
| Northwestern University | PhD | materials science & engineering |
| Oregon State University | PhD | civil engineering |
| Princeton University | PhD | science, technology & environmental policy |
| University of Edinburgh | MSc | physics |
| University of Illinois | MS | nuclear, plasma & radiological engineering |
| University of Wisconsin | PhD | biophysics |
Physics
Graduate Schools Data
| Institution | Degree | Field of Study | Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| Boston University | PhD | materials science | Boston, MA |
| California Institute of Technology | PhD | theoretical chemistry | Pasadena, CA |
| Columbia University | PhD | astronomy | New York, NY |
| Georgia Institute of Technology | MS | aerospace engineering | Atlanta, GA |
| Harvard University | PhD | astronomy | Cambridge, MA |
| Iowa State University | MS | materials science & engineering | Ames, IA |
| Northwestern University | PhD | astronomy | Evanston, IL |
| Northwestern University | PhD | materials science & engineering | Evanston, IL |
| Northwestern University | PhD | physics | Evanston, IL |
| Oregon State University | PhD | civil engineering | Corvallis, OR |
| Princeton University | PhD | science, technology & environmental policy | Princeton, NJ |
| Purdue University | PhD | chemistry | West Lafayette, IN |
| University of Alberta | MS | electrical & computer engineering | Edmonton, Canada |
| University of California | MEng | environmental health engineering | Berkeley, CA |
| University of California | PhD | physical chemistry | Berkeley, CA |
| University of California | PhD | physical chemistry | Berkeley, CA |
| University of California | PhD | physics | Davis, CA |
| University of Edinburgh | MSc | physics | Edinburgh, UK |
| University of Georgia | MA | classics | Athens, GA |
| University of Hawaii | MS | civil engineering | Honolulu, HI |
| University of Illinois | MS | accountancy | Champaign, IL |
| University of Illinois | MS | nuclear, plasma & radiological engineering | Urbana, IL |
| University of Illinois | PhD | materials science & engineering | Urbana-Champaign, IL |
| University of Iowa | MAT | science | Iowa City, IA |
| University of Minnesota | JD | law | Minneapolis, MN |
| University of New Hampshire | PhD | physics | Durham, NH |
| University of Science & Technology of China | MBA | business administration | Hefei, China |
| University of St. Thomas | MDiv | philosophy | St. Paul, MN |
| University of Texas | PhD | computer science | Austin, TX |
| University of Wisconsin | MS | electrical engineering | Madison, WI |
| University of Wisconsin | PhD | biophysics | Madison, WI |
| University of Wisconsin | PhD | physics | Madison, WI |
Graduate School Acceptance Info
Of those who applied to and were accepted to at least one program, this chart illustrates the percentage of admitted students who were accepted to either their first or second choice program and institution.
81%
81% of students are accepted to their first or second choice graduate institution and program
Service
Service
Each year, Grinnellians advance causes and serve communities around the world as full-time volunteers.
Organization
- Northeast Iowa Food Bank
- Peace Corps
Physics
Service Data
| Organization | Location |
|---|---|
| Northeast Iowa Food Bank | Waterloo, IA |
| Peace Corps | Chengdu, China |
Fellowships
Fellowships
Grinnell has a rich history of producing recipients of some of the most prestigious post-graduate fellowships and awards.
Physics
Fellowships Data
| Organization | Location |
|---|---|
| Grinnell College | Grinnell, IA |
Experiential Learning
Experiential Learning
Participation in high-impact experiences is a hallmark of a Grinnell education. The following graphs illustrate the percentage of graduates who completed internships, research experiences (both on- and off-campus), service, and/or off-campus study prior to graduating from Grinnell.
Internships
37%
Physics
Internships Data
| Organization | Field | Location |
|---|---|---|
| B3 Group Inc. | computing/technology | Hernden, VA |
| BRCK | computing/technology | Nairobi, Kenya |
| Caribbean Sustainable Energy and Innovation Institute | environment/sustainability | Kingston, Jamaica |
| CAVU Biotherapies | research/science | Houston, TX |
| College Kickstart | computing/technology | Pleasanton, CA |
| Commonwealth Edison, Inc. | research/science | Chicago, IL |
| Dash Arts | creative/performing arts | London, UK |
| Datavant | computing/technology | San Francisco, CA |
| Emera Caribbean Ltd. | environment/sustainability | Bridgetown, Barbados |
| FamilyWise | social services | Minnneapolis, MN |
| Fermilab | research/science | Batavia, IL |
| GINKIO | sales/marketing | Paris, France |
| Hawaiian Dredging Construction Company | business administration/management | Honolulu, HI |
| Hertie School of Governance | education | Berlin, Germany |
| History Factory | sales/marketing | Washington, DC |
| Horizon Fuel Cell Technologies | business administration/management | Chicago, IL |
| Horizon Fuel Cell Technologies | education | Prague, Czechia |
| Medical College of Wisconsin | research/science | Milwaukee, WI |
| MidCap Financial Services, LLC | finance | Bethesda, MD |
| Morningstar | finance | Washington, DC |
| NASA Goddard Space Flight Center | research/science | Greenbelt, MD |
| NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory | research/science | Pasadena, CA |
| Oppenheim and Zebrak Law, LLP | law/legal services | Washington, DC |
| Paktronix Systems LLC | data science/analytics | Omaha, NE |
| PD Aerospace | research/science | Aichi, Japan |
| Powerley | computing/technology | Royal Oak, MI |
| Space Telescope Science Institute | research/science | Baltimore, MD |
| The University of Tokyo | research/science | Tokyo, Japan |
| TPI Composites | computing/technology | Newton, IA |
| TrustRadius | business administration/management | Grinnell, IA |
| Washington University in St. Louis | research/science | St. Louis, MO |
Research
83%
Physics
Research Data
| Organization | Field | Location |
|---|---|---|
| California Institute of Technology | gravitational waves | Pasadena, CA |
| California institute of Technology | planetary physics | Pasadena, CA |
| CERN | particle physics | Geneva, Switzerland |
| Chinese Academy of Sciences | chemistry | Beijing, China |
| Cornell University | physics | Ithaca, NY |
| Department of Energy | materials science | Ames, IA |
| East Carolina University | biomechanics | Greenville, NC |
| Florida State University | physics | Tallahassee, FL |
| Harvard University | astronomy | Cambridge, MA |
| Montana State University | solar physics | Bozeman, MT |
| Morehead State University | satellite development | Morehead, KY |
| NASA Goddard Space Flight Center | astronomy | Greenbelt, MD |
| NASA Marshall Space Flight Center | heliophysics | Huntsville, AL |
| National Institute of Standards and Technology | structural engineering | Gaithersburg, MD |
| National Renewable Energy Laboratory | geothermal energy | Golden, CO |
| North Carolina State University | soil physics | Raleigh, NC |
| North Carolina State University | virtual world generation for interactive games | Raleigh, NC |
| Northwestern University | materials science | Evanston, IL |
| Oak Ridge National Lab | chemistry | Oak Ridge, TN |
| Oak Ridge National Laboratory | machine learning in computational chemistry | Oak Ridge, TN |
| Oak Ridge National Laboratory | materials science | Oak Ridge, TN |
| Oregon State University | robotics | Corvallis, OR |
| Oregon State University | robotics | Corvallis, OR |
| Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory | runaway electrons | Princeton, NJ |
| Princeton University | physical oceanography | remote |
| South Dakota State University | perovskite solar cells | Brookings, SD |
| Space Telescope Science Institute | exoplanetary astronomy | Baltimore, MD |
| Stanford University | robotics | Stanford, CA |
| University of California | electrical engineering | Los Angeles, CA |
| University of Colorado | solar and space physics | Boulder, CO |
| University of Colorado | solar physics | Boulder, CO |
| University of Michigan | particle physics | Ann Arbor, MI |
| University of Minnesota | material science | Minneapolis, MN |
| University of South Carolina | photolithography | Columbia, SC |
| University of Texas | materials science | Dallas, TX |
| University of Wisconsin | astroparticle physics | Madison, WI |
| University of Wisconsin | C++ modeling of neutrino particle collisions | River Falls, WI |
| University of Wisconsin | lithium ion battery physical chemistry | Madison, WI |
| Virginia Tech | neutrino physics | Blacksburg, VA |
| Zhejiang University of Technology | historic businesses | Hangzhou, China |
Service
66%
Off-Campus Study
32%