Congratulations 2023 Physics Grads!

Student speaker Elena Vasquez at the podium
May 17, 2023

Berkeley Physics was pleased to hold the 2023 Commencement event in-person this year on Sunday, May 14 at 7:00 p.m. in Zellerbach Hall. This year 142 graduates walked the stage: 97 undergraduates and 45 graduate students (44 PhDs and 1 masters). The ceremonies were lead by Physics Chair James Analytis. Student Speakers were Elena Grace Vasquez (undergraduate, pictured above) and Chitraang Murdia (graduate).


Black and white portrait of Natalie Wolchover

This year's principal speaker was Natalie Wolchover, a former Berkeley Physics PhD student and a senior writer and editor for Quanta Magazine. In 2022 she won a Pulitzer Prize for Explanatory Reporting.


Watch a video of the 2023 Berkeley Physics Commencement event:

Physics Graduation - May 14, 2013


View photos from the commencement ceremony and celebration here.

Please note that they are not in order.


The 2023 Student Awards

Department Citation
James McGreivy

Lars Commins Memorial Award in Experimental Physics
Paul Corbae

Jackson C. Koo Award in Condensed Matter
Hongyuan Li

The Alex Zettl Graduate Student Award in Physics
Yimu Bao

Student Services Awards
Morgan Cole
Tessa Cookmeyer
Gwen (Kathleen) Hanley
Elena Grace Vasquez

2022-2023 Outstanding Graduate Student Instructor Awards
Michael Arumainayagam
Jordan Edmunds
Thomas Ersevim
Adam Frim
Luc LePottier
William McArthur
Serah Moldovsky
Nathaniel Morrison
Aditya Prasad
Matthew Self
Jose Soria
Bethany Suter
Caitlin Wolfe