The Department of Physics of Milano-Bicocca University exists since 1997. It is named after Giuseppe (Beppo) Occhialini, the co-discoverer of the positron and of the pion.

The Department consists of roughly fifty faculty and technicians, in collaboration with INFN researchers active in many of main topics of reasearch in Physics:

• Theoretical Physics: quantum field theory, phenomenology of fundamental interactions, statistical physics, computational physics, string theory;
• Particle Physics: experiments on fundamental interactions as part of international collaborations (high-energy colliders at CERN; neutrino physics at Gran Sasso); measurements in particle physics relevant for astrophysics; measurements of neutrino masses;
• Astrophysics and cosmology: experiments on the cosmic microwave background and on the distribution of antimatter in the universe; earth- and space-based observations at millimeter, sub-millimiter and infrared wavelengths;
• Biophysics: experiments on the dynamics and shape of biomolecules, analysis of single proteins and DNA with optical and pulsed-laser microscopy;
• Plasma Physics: experiments on nonlinear and chaotic phenomena in plasmas, turbulence and transport in magnetized plasmas, plasmas produced by lasers, magnetic and inertial fusion;
• Electronics: Design of integrated circuits for physics and astrophysics experiments.

There are applied physics activities in all these research sectors:

• parallel computing and computational physics;
• environmental radioactivity;
• industrial uses of plasmas;
• neutron spectroscopy;
• criogenic and low-noise instruments.

There are also collaborations with other Departments at Milano-Bicocca University, and with several Italian and international Universities and Laboratories, such as: CERN, Gran Sasso, LN-Frascati, Osservatorio di Brera, DESY, Fermilab, MPI, Efda-JET.

The department has several research grants, coming from the Italian Ministry of Research (MIUR), from several Research agencies (INFN, CNR, ASI, INAF), from the Europen Union and from industries.