Are there Research Areas which combine Computer Science with Physics or Space Technology? If yes, please give details.

Question

Throughout my high school i loved physics very very much. I always wanted to a PhD in physics. Along with i thought of pursuing space science. But due certain reasons i ended up in Computer Science. I have started with the third year of my bachelors degree. I don't hate computer Science, it's just that i loved physics a lot(I dunno about now, maybe yes even now and that's the reason i am nostalgic). Suddenly i have become nostalgic about physics. And i was thinking whether it is advisable to chose physics for my MS. So my questions are as follows:-

Are there research areas (I have always wanted to do research) which combine Physics and Computer Science? If Yes, what should i do to get into it? I am doing Bachelors from India and i don't mind doing MS from the US (as in US they allow to change your branch in MS, it is not allowed in india)

What should be my strategy to get into a research career which involves both physics and Computer Science? (Right now I am in the third year of a 4 year Bachelors Course in Information Technology). I want to do a PhD.

Will there be future research career options in the combined field of Physics and Computer Science?

Following are certain points i would want to stress out:-

1)I talked to some of my friends who are good coders and they suggested me to get into making apps that simulate certain physics fundae. But that is not what i want. I would want to stress again that i liked actual physics. So i don't think i would enjoy just simulating stuff. I am more of a research kinda guy not an application oriented person.

2)Once again i want to stress that it is not at all that i hate computer science or i consider it bad. It's just that i want to do what i loved more and rather than completely changing my stream (which is difficult as well as risky and above all makes me guilty conscious as i would waste four whole years), i want to strike a balance between what i want and what i have.

3)Anything which would allow to me study Computer Science with Physics or Space Technology with a decent research career later on in it is what i want.

4)Just to give you all an idea of what exactly i loved in physics... We did not have advanced physics in high school, but i managed to do stuff on my own to a fair extent. I loved mechanics, electrostatics, relativity, fluid, thermodynamics and such stuff and i enjoyed solving the 'very tough' category of problems (for instance books by I.E.Irodov and another one by Krotov)

P.S. I am new to stack overflow and i don't whether i am allowed to ask such questions. I am sorry if i am not. I would request you all to please help me as this is affecting me a lot as i cannot see what i will be doing in future.(I keep on pondering and that is affecting my studies)

Added later: this sounds a good option as in to do Masters in CS (with as many physics related electives as there can be..if there are) and trying to get a job which we will allow me to do sum research in physics as well... is this possible? I really liked you line "Just because you're writing code doesn't mean you're not doing "real physics.""... So you mean to say that i can be in touch with real-physics even if i do a masters in CS??

Answer 1

Ever hear of NASA ?!...

Answer 2

Your program in Info Technology is probably a waste of time. You're missing the hardcore courses they have in traditional Physics and CS majors.

There are many applications of computer science and physics (as well as cs and biology, cs and chem, etc.) There are basically entire fields of modern physics that wouldn't exist if not for CS -- chaos theory, for example. Computational astrophysics and crap like that.

If you want a phd job in theoretical physics, nowadays, knowing as much of CS as you can will help you a lot -- unless you are cut out for high-end theoretical math, it is basically all about simulations (and even then, you still run simulations to test your theories).

Also, this problem is probably better asked at http://physicsgre.com - you would want to consider taking the GRE Physics Examination for admissions to US graduate programs in physics. You can also ask your questions regarding various academic programs there. Stackoverflow.com is more of a problem/answer (with instant real world solution) site, with most of its contributors coming from a background other than academia.

Answer 3

Sadly (at least to us CS types), the traditional sciences would rather have a physicist who can code as opposed to a computer scientist that knows physics. The difference here is that physicists (and most scientists) have no clue about proper program structure or flow, and produce horrible (albeit working) code. Computer scientists know code and do research on that front, but the lack of actual knowledge in the field limits them. So, most laboratories choose the physicist over the computer scientist.

That said, it would be better to get a Master's and PhD in Physics, and take a few courses in CS, if this is the career field you want. Choose your PhD based on a very limited field, and I guarantee you'll be writing code for it, and probably horribly written code, but that's the way things are.

But, you're also not limited in what you can do with a CS degree. For example, I've worked for a company that did research in the Nuclear field, and now I deal with Chemometrics. In both jobs I've had to do a lot of scientific research and read journals and get involved with the field, but my primary role is to write code that supports it. Basically, go the route that would make you most happy while studying, and work out the messy details later.

Answer 4

I'm working on a project that involves physics simulations of nerve cells, some polymers and FDTD with fiber optics. (It's really, really involved so I won't get into the details.) The upshot is that, in order to design the device we're after, you need expertise in many different fields. We're fortunate enough to have experts in all the areas we require readily available, but it takes a fair amount of programming acumen and excellent communication skills to be able to integrate these areas.

A lot of physics problems and applications require a numerical analysis, which is one area where programming becomes important. Just because you're writing code doesn't mean you're not doing "real physics."

Update

One of the great things about pursuing a graduate degree is the relationships you build with your faculty and advisor. If you want a career in physics (probably in academia), you'll need those relationships to get started. A CS degree will let you hang with the CS crowd. If that's not where you want to be, pursue a physics program, but figure out a way to fit in some CS. A lot of places will give you enough flexibility in your degree requirements to make this a reality.

Answer 5

To get to do MS in Physics in a top college in US, you need your CV to show your passion in Physics. Especially because (A) Being from India, the only thing US universities will go by is your CV and your SoP as they have no other means to know you and (B) Being from a field other than Phy, you need that extra something to make them accept you. You could build your profile in a way suitable for MS in Physics.

Some ways to do that and also to start following your passion right now rather than waiting until you complete your graduation:

1. May be you can get into some projects that your university Physics department may have.
2. If there are options for electives out of your major, go for all the Physics electives, try to score well in those.
3. Try to do an internship in a Physics research oriented field/place.
4. Get recommendations from Phy profs.
5. CGPA - The bottom line. Ultimately it all boils down to this. Try to have a good CGPA even if in CS. It's just a number but lacking any other means to judge you, people place a lot of importance on this.

P.S : I have just completed my BTech in Engineering Physics from IIT-D and I'm the exact opposite of you haha. I wanted to do CS and I like applied more than research. But thankfully for me changing field was easy because there are a lot of Programming jobs here. Still I'll want to do MS/PhD in CS sometime but my case is kinda hopeless because it was too late before I discovered my passion (Too late to do what I say in points 1-5 above) . Anyway, I hope this post helps. Cheers and Good luck! :-)