Yale Wright Laboratory

Yale Wright Laboratory Wright Lab leads scientific discoveries & research training in fundamental science & worldwide.

Wright Lab is advancing the frontiers of fundamental physics through a broad research program in nuclear, particle, and astrophysics that includes precision studies of neutrinos; searches for dark matter; investigations of the building blocks and interactions of matter; exploration of quantum science and its applications for fundamental physics experiments; and observations of the early Universe.

The laboratory’s unique combination of on-site state-of-the-art research facilities, technical infrastructure, and interaction spaces supports innovative instrumentation development, hands-on research, and training the next generation of scientists. Wright Lab is a part of the Yale Department of Physics and houses several Yale University core facilities that serve researchers across Yale’s Science Hill and beyond. The mission of Yale Wright Laboratory is to advance understanding of the physical world, from the smallest particles to the evolution of the Universe, by engaging in fundamental research, developing novel applications, training future leaders in research and development, educating scholars, and enabling discovery.

   1. Construction of Heavy Ion Accelerator building and Gibbs Laboratory2. Gibbs is completed (at least the outside) wh...
06/18/2026

1. Construction of Heavy Ion Accelerator building and Gibbs Laboratory
2. Gibbs is completed (at least the outside) while the Heavy Ion Acclerator building (that became Wright Lab West) is nearly done. Peabody Museum’s tower is visible too.

Images c. 1955 courtesy of historian Eun-Joo Ahn Yale Physics Department

This week, our summer students at   were invited to attend a dissertation defense, a walking tour of Yale, a planning me...
06/17/2026

This week, our summer students at were invited to attend a dissertation defense, a walking tour of Yale, a planning meeting for summer outreach events, and a discussion on responsible conduct in research and the use of AI (pictured). Yale Physics Department

  WNSL’s grassy pyramid and the parking lot, with East Rock in the background. Photograph by Peter Parker taken on May 3...
06/11/2026

WNSL’s grassy pyramid and the parking lot, with East Rock in the background. Photograph by Peter Parker taken on May 31, 1985.

Post courtesy of historian Eun-Joo Ahn.
Physics Department

Students in the   summer program attended an Introduction to Advanced Prototyping at Wright Lab. Advanced Instrumentatio...
06/10/2026

Students in the summer program attended an Introduction to Advanced Prototyping at Wright Lab. Advanced Instrumentation Development Center (AIDC) Director Jack DiSciacca provided a brief overview of the advanced prototyping capabilities available at Wright Lab and the upcoming AIDC (opening for Fall 2026), followed by demonstrations in the shop of the water jet cutter and laser cutter by Research Shop supervisor Craig Miller.

Yale Physics Department

Why I do  : “I do science for the same reason others play sports, make music, produce art, or raise children—because it’...
06/09/2026

Why I do :

“I do science for the same reason others play sports, make music, produce art, or raise children—because it’s fun, I love doing it, it produces something beautiful, and it makes us human."

"Physics matters because it often provides simple explanations for what first appear to be vastly different puzzling aspects of nature — think correlations in the locations of galaxies, wavelike cloud formations, ripples on the surface of a pond.”

— David Rabinowitz, Yale Physics Department Senior Research Scientist Emeritus at

Students in the summer program at   toured Wright Lab last Friday  and learned from some of our researchers in their lab...
06/08/2026

Students in the summer program at toured Wright Lab last Friday and learned from some of our researchers in their labs who are working on a variety of experiments that are exploring the invisible Universe, including the Electron-Ion-Collider at Brookhaven National Laboratory , Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment, ALPHA, QuIPs and MAST-QG, LEVISPHERE, drone calibration for radio telescopes, Project 8, and the and .

Yale Physics Department

  Ghosts of past and present: J.W. Gibbs Laboratory (at left) has been demolished, while WLW (at right) still stands tod...
06/04/2026

Ghosts of past and present: J.W. Gibbs Laboratory (at left) has been demolished, while WLW (at right) still stands today. Kline Tower and Sloane Physics Lab are in the background. Photograph by Peter Parker taken on May 31, 1985.

Yale Physics Department

Post courtesy of historian Eun-Joo Ahn.

Today some of our summer students received a safety orientation for the use of the Wright Lab machine and prototyping sh...
06/03/2026

Today some of our summer students received a safety orientation for the use of the Wright Lab machine and prototyping shops from Frank Pekarski of Yale Environmental Health & Safety .

Find out more about Wright Lab safety at https://wlab.yale.edu/safety

Yale Physics Department

Why I do  :  “Our innovations of recent decades have been like putting on glasses for the first time. People today are s...
06/02/2026

Why I do : “Our innovations of recent decades have been like putting on glasses for the first time. People today are seeing the Universe with greater sight than any that came before. This new frontier has only just opened before us; it would be a waste to not explore it. I do physics to be one of the first that gets to see this sight.” — Sophia Hollick, Yale Physics Department Ph.D. ‘25 ( alum).

Today we officially kicked off the 2026 Summer Student Research Program at Wright Lab! We welcomed our 57 students who a...
06/01/2026

Today we officially kicked off the 2026 Summer Student Research Program at Wright Lab! We welcomed our 57 students who are doing research with us this summer.

The 9-week Wright Lab summer student research program is open to undergraduates and postgraduates who are doing research this summer at the Yale Physics Department , the Yale Astronomy Department , or the Yale Quantum Institute (YQI), including those in certain associated programs at Hopkins School Authentic Research Program in Science (HARPS), SCSU (Werth IAF/Quantum Pie), and QuantumCT.

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Address

272 Whitney Avenue
New Haven, CT
06520

Opening Hours

Monday 8:30am - 5:30pm
Tuesday 8:30am - 5:30pm
Wednesday 8:30am - 5pm
Thursday 8:30am - 5pm
Friday 8:30am - 5pm

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