The UC Riverside Department of Physics and Astromony has dynamic research programs in Extragalatic Astrophysics, Space Physics, Condensed Matter Physics, Biophysics, High Energy Physics, Relativistic Heavy Ion Physics, and Surface Physics. The experimental High Energy Physics program includes major participation in the Compact Muon Solenoid experiment at CERN, the D-ZERO experiment at FERMILAB , the BABAR experiment at SLAC, and the Neutrino Factory and Muon Collider Collaboration.

The Astrophysics program includes theoretical space physics, and high energy gamma ray and extragalatic astronomy.