following either BSc (three-year) or MPhys (four-year) degree courses, and over 70 postgraduate students registered for a higher degree.
The main Physics building is the primary base for two research groups — Planetary Science and Astrophysics – as well as centres for supercomputing, microscopy, Gamma and X-ray astronomy, and the Swift UK Data Centre. Space Park Leicester, officially opened in 2022, is the main home of the Earth Observation Science and Space Projects and Instrumentation groups. The department also runs the University of Leicester Observatory in Manor Road, Oadby. With a 20-inch telescope it is one of the UK's largest and most advanced astronomical teaching facilities. The department has close involvement with the National Space Centre also located in Leicester.
The department is home to the university's ALICE 3400+ core supercomputer and is a member of the UK's DiRAC (DiStributed Research utilising Advanced Computing) consortium. DiRAC is the integrated supercomputing facility for theoretical modelling and HPC-based research in particle physics, astronomy and cosmology.
=== College of Social Sciences, Arts and Humanities ===
The college has 10 schools including:
American Studies
Archaeology and Ancient History
School of Arts
School of Business
Criminology
Education
History, Politics and International Relations
Leicester Law School
School of Media, Communication and Sociology
Museum Studies
==== Archaeology and Ancient History ====
The School of Archaeology and Ancient History was formed in 1990 from the then Departments of Archaeology and Classics, under the headship of Graeme Barker. The academic staff currently (as of January 2017) include 21 archaeologists and 8 ancient historians, though several staff teach and research in both disciplines.
The School has particular strengths in Mediterranean archaeology, ancient Greek and Roman history, and the archaeology of recent periods; and is also home to the University of Leicester Archaeological Services (ULAS).
==== Business ====
The School …
