The Department of Physical Sciences at IISER Kolkata, often called as δ π σ or simply DPS, officially began its journey on 25 June, 2009. While the formative years of DPS have been challenging, our laboratories and research groups have steadily grown in numbers, expertise and ability. We have learnt to leverage our research strengths by collaborating with one another. Our togetherness has yielded yet more: even as we have focused on working on the fundamentals of basic physics, we have enjoyed working in inter-disciplinary areas by joining hands. This is also reflected in a steady output of research publications, a significant number of which are in the very best Physics journals.

Our research portfolio encompasses almost all major areas of physics, exploring ideas and phenomena that range of over several orders of magnitude not only in terms of length but also in energy and time. This ranges from the search for exotic particles inside colliders to understanding the complex phenomenology of a collection of particles placed in extreme conditions (e.g., temperatures, pressures and magnetic fields). Several of us are working towards understanding the basis of life and evolution, order and chaos. While some ponder the mechanics of biological systems, others are working on quantizing gravity and hunting for gravitational waves. Some focus on the magneto-hydrodynamics of the Sun and worry about the weather in space. With a diverse faculty possessing a wide variety of research interests, DPS engenders a truly vibrant atmosphere. Our members seek to pose cutting-edge questions, and answer them adopting a blend of creativity, ingenuity and state-of-the-art research methods.

At DPS, we have committed ourselves to the cause of communicating to and involving our students in the ideas, concepts and excitement of being in the immense and wonderful realm of physics. In addition, our aim is to ensure that when our students graduate, they have in their arsenal the theoretical and experimental tools that will enable them to become successful researchers as well as teachers in their own right. In this, it is our constant endeavour to expose our students to the very best of present-day research methods and practices, in physics as well as in related interdisciplinary fields.