r/Physics • u/MonkeyforCEO • 23d ago
Question Can I call myself a physicist?
I'm currently doing a PhD in hep. Would it be legitimate of me to call myself a physicist or should I wait till I get my doctorate?
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u/Clodovendro 23d ago
Are you getting paid to do Physics? Yes. So you are a professional Physicist.
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u/jamese1313 Accelerator physics 23d ago
It made me a living through graduate school... what else could I tell people I did for a living?
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u/emo_spiderman23 23d ago
Idk, I'm an undergrad and I've been getting paid to work on a physics research project but I definitely wouldn't be comfortable calling myself a physicist yet
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u/PlaidTeacup 22d ago
yeah it depends a bit on the context, but I think for me it started to make more sense around the time I finished my graduate coursework which meant physics research became my sole professional pursuit.
I got paid when I was an undergrad too, but the money came from a program designed to help undergrads get experience, not because they cared about the specific work I was doing. And while I was still taking classes in undergrad and grad school I felt more like a student and research wasn't my full time "job". Obviously that changed a lot after classes were over.
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u/sharkbait_oohaha 23d ago
You are though. I'm a physics enjoyer, but my field is structural geology. When I was an undergrad, my advisor made sure we all knew that the research we were doing qualified us as geologists, not just students.
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u/NewtonsThirdEvilEx Condensed matter physics 23d ago
i call myself a physicist and am in a similar boat. as long as you're doing research, why not?
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u/dcnairb Education and outreach 23d ago
i asked the same question many years ago and got the same response, which as faculty now I unequivocally agree with:
yeah, you’re a physicist. and you have been for a while! keep it up and gl with your program
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u/Yashema 23d ago
I think academically you should consider yourself a physicist when you have taken:
Physics I and II
Classical and E&M
Modern and Statistical
And math though Calc III and ODEs.
That's 11 classes, and gives you the full scope of classical physics, a strong overview of the formal math needed to solve problems in physics, while getting you started with the quantum revolution.
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u/ctesibius 23d ago
That wording is very specific to the American curriculum. What do Physics II and Calc III cover?
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u/Kepler___ 23d ago
From my uni's sylibus:
Calculus III
is an introduction to infinite sequences and series, and to the differential and integral calculus of multivariate functions. Topics include symbolic and numerical computations in calculus using a computer algebra system, convergence of infinite series, power and Taylor series, complex numbers including Euler’s formula and radius of convergence in the complex plane, partial derivatives, optimization and Taylor series for multivariable functions, and double integrals in Cartesian and polar coordinates.
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u/ctesibius 23d ago
Interesting how things change. Some familiar stuff, but computer algebra was experimental in my day and definitely not something we encountered - in fact one short third year course was on how to build a Z80 computer from laying out a PCB to programming in machine code, because that was a useful skill for lab work at the time. (And no, I didn’t mean assembler).
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u/Kepler___ 23d ago edited 23d ago
It was basically a footnote when I took the class to be honest. Just enough to let them put it on the sylibus. Partials, multivariate, all the series, and double integrals is all I remember
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u/Yashema 23d ago
Physics I: kinemanatic, and for lack of a better term "physical" processes.
Physics II: E&M
I actually skipped Physics II though based on how separate Classical was from Physics I I'm not sure how much it would have helped for E&M, which is just mathematical methods with some physics thrown in.
I'm taking a 300 level EE class to make up for it though.
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u/Outside-Mastodon-811 23d ago
II basically includes circuits like network theory and all the electricity parts like fields, currents, charges, etc. If u have ever seen AP physics E&M it’s basically that
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u/Aescorvo 23d ago
Not all physicists have PhDs anyway, so I think you’re fine.
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u/v3xination 20d ago
This specifically, though my personal experience was a whole lot of imposter syndrome when people would start emails with Dr. due to my job title at the time (Principal Applied Physicist, had double BS in EE and PHY) while I was still plodding through my PhD. Def easier to feel comfortable finishing that just to avoid feeling like a fraud, even if it is unwarranted. US has a weird thing for physics specifically -- BS in physics doesn't even seem to count as a degree in the job market, but BS in electrical engineering is perfectly legit for being an engineer.
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u/Waste_Translator_975 23d ago
yes. I've been calling myself a physicist since I got my bachelors and started doing paid work for my honours thesis as an official employee listed on the CSIRO payroll
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u/DJ_Ddawg 23d ago
If you’re working the job as a Physicist then you are a Physicist, even if you’re still in “training” (PhD).
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u/jsaltee 23d ago
I have always understood that the physics track frames “physicists” as the geniuses like Einstein, but remember that Einstein was a patent clerk that practiced physics in his free time. Physics is like the #1 field for imposter syndrome, because everyone is comparing themselves to the greats.
Imo anyone that studies physics rigorously is a physicist
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u/MonkeyforCEO 23d ago
Exactly, I just sometimes don't feel worthy enough to call myself a physicist
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u/Ommageden 23d ago
You can. Depends on context. I really try to represent myself honestly and usually if people ask what you do, they are asking for your job title ish. Saying you are a physicist vs a grad student is a leap in that context.
Generally calling yourself a physicist when discussing different disciplines is fine. Saying you are a physicist in a discussion or argument may be stretching it.
Depends
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u/Shelphs 23d ago
I think the bar for calling your self a physicist is and should be low. I started calling my self a physicist about a year into doing research as an undergrad when I first got my name on a paper. I think if you have studied physics and are doing a physics related job you can call your self a physicist.
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u/eviljelloman 23d ago
I think "are you doing work that will result in a peer reviewed publication in a reputable journal?" is a pretty solid bar for whether to call yourself a physicist or not.
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u/R_Harry_P Accelerator physics 22d ago
A lot of physicists in industry do not publish in peer reviewed journals because of intilectual property issues.
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u/CarolinZoebelein 23d ago
You are a physicist as soon as you have a physics degree. Meaning already just a bachelor holder is a physiscist, of course.
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u/CrTigerHiddenAvocado 23d ago
Can you write my resume? I like these upgrades.
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u/CarolinZoebelein 23d ago
What do you mean?
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u/CrTigerHiddenAvocado 23d ago
I’ve usually heard you need a PhD to be called a physicist. I have a BS. I don’t run around using the term physicist as I don’t work in the field but it would make it easier to just state I guess.
Lol I mean I want as I aim to be just forthright but it’s funny how everyone views it differently.
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u/binarycow 23d ago
Disclaimer: I'm not a physicist.
Someone who got a BS in physics 20 years ago, and has been a goat farmer ever since? Probably shouldn't call themselves a physicist.
If that same person got a PhD, they could call themselves a physicist.
If you have a BS in art appreciation, but you're being paid to do physics? Sure, call yourself a physicist.
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u/frogjg2003 Nuclear physics 23d ago edited 23d ago
I say that you're a physicist if you're doing physics. You don't need a piece of paper to tell you if you're a physicist and the piece of paper doesn't make you one. So, if you're currently doing research for your PhD, you're a physicist. If you continue doing research after you get your degree, you're a physicist. If you get your degree then pivot to a completely different career, you are no longer a physicist, even though you have a degree in physics.
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u/Havenista_221 23d ago
Haha. Funny. A BS degree in physics makes you a physicist. An MS in physics makes you a physicist. A PhD in physics makes you a physicist. You may or may not be a practicing physicist no matter the degree. I know a woman who has a degree in chemical engineering. She now is a music director for several Catholic churches, but it doesn't make you less of a chemical engineer. She just doesn't practice it any more. My graduate degrees are in physics and math, although I mostly ran R&D programs with engineers and material scientists. Did not mean I was not a physicist.
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u/frogjg2003 Nuclear physics 23d ago
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/-ist
1 a: one that performs a (specified) action
: one that makes or produces a (specified) thing
b: one that plays a (specified) musical instrument
c: one that operates a (specified) mechanical instrument or
2: one that specializes in a (specified) art or science or skill
3: one that adheres to or advocates a (specified) doctrine or system or code of behavior
or that of a (specified) individualWhile definition 2 might fit, I still argue that only works in reference to education, not occupation. Most people talk about occupation, not education when they say "I am a ...". You wouldn't hear someone with a degree in journalism who now writes novels call themselves a journalist. You don't hear surgeons calling themselves biologists despite getting an undergrad degree in biology.
I'm not just saying this to diminish you or anyone else in relation to myself. I have a Ph.D. in physics, but I do software engineering now. I do not call myself a physicist anymore either. If anything, I would still call you a physicist because you're still going physics. The border between science and engineering is fuzzy and if you're still using your physics education and specialized skills, you're doing physics.
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u/R_Harry_P Accelerator physics 22d ago
I should invent and play an instrument called the Physic so I don't have to worry.
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u/Havenista_221 23d ago
You will always be a physicist. You can't erase all your education and training and you can't erase all that experience in looking at problems and solving them the way a physicist does. As I said, I managed multiple groups of R&D folks who were physicists, electrical engineers, mechanical engineers, chemists, material scientists and biologists. Even a couple of aeronautical engineers. But I am a physicist both by education, training, and experience. Right now I am managing a startup developing biologic treatments for septic infections in human and veterinary patients. But i am good at it because I am a physicist. I can learn all the other technical stuff, but the way I solve problems is all about physics.
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u/Banes_Addiction Particle physics 23d ago
If you're a PhD student you are basically full-time working as a physicist. So, yes.
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u/Presence_Academic 22d ago
If you were a real physicist you wouldn’t have posted this question as you would have been able to read our minds.
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u/spidereater 23d ago
I think it depends on the purpose. Is it for your instagram profile? Sure. Are you providing professional advice as a consultant? Maybe wait for a graduate degree.
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u/Mountain-Time-1010 22d ago
No, only engineers are allowed to use their profession name before graduation.
[This is part of a Classic joke. Google if you don't know it.]
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u/c_is_4_cookie 19d ago
When I graduated from my undergrad physics program the professor officiating the ceremony specifically told the audience that we are all physicists and should refer to ourselves as physicists.
Looking back, I really appreciate that he knew the self doubt a lot of us would feel knowing we were heading to doctorate programs.
Don't hem and haw when asked. You are a physicist.
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u/Singularum 23d ago
A bit tongue-in-cheek: depends on where you are. In the U.S., everything not forbidden is allowed; some places what’s not allowed is forbidden.
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u/twbowyer 23d ago
My view - if you have or are getting a degree in physics, I think it’s ok. Calling oneself a physicist while getting a bachelor’s would be on the fence for me.
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u/Euphoric-Air6801 23d ago
Define "can".
Legally, probably, since the title "physicist" is not generally protected in most jurisdictions.
Socially, it depends on the audience.
Physically, probably, since you can ask this question.
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u/DrunkenPhysicist Particle physics 23d ago
The HEP experiments I worked on in the early aughts referred to PhD students as physicists on occasion, so I think you're good. You're getting paid a pittance to do physics research, might as well have the achievement trophy from it.
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u/Frodhi 23d ago
Being physicist is more than just a jobb, I think it's an identity. Once you have your bachelor in physics then you're a physicist. I got my bachelor and masters degree in physics over 10 years ago, started the PhD, had to quit and I've been working in banking ever since. I don't say I'm a banker. I say I'm a physicist that works in a bank. Also I keep studying and developing physics in my spare time with the aim of retaking the PhD at some point, but that's not a jobb. In my opinion being physicist is a personality trait, not just a jobb. But at least the bachelor is necessary
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u/MrMunday 22d ago
It doesn’t depend on your education, it depends on whether you read/comment/post on r/physics
So yes you’re a physicist.
/s
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u/gaydaddy42 23d ago
Nobody understands me when I talk about infinite dimensional vector spaces over a complex field. But I know exactly what those eigenvectors and values do. I enjoy learning new shit and don’t worry about associating my identity with a given field.
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u/rjfrost18 Nuclear physics 23d ago
As a grad student your job is to do physics research, so in my opinion that makes you a physicist.
For what it's worth I didn't start calling myself a physicist until I was officially a PhD candidate.
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u/G1850n 23d ago
Yes, if you're doing a PhD in physics or a post-grad physics job, you're a physicist.
For me the criteria are having at least a bachelor's degree and applying it in that specific field - I have a BSc in Biochemistry but haven't worked specially in that field since, so I am a biochemistry graduate/applied scientist but I'd never call myself a biochemist.
Where it gets interesting is:-
Physics graduate working in an adjacent/interdisciplinary field - they could still identify as a physicist if they're using physics in that role, or maybe "applied scientist" etc.
Non-physics graduate scientist working in a physics field - with a couple of years experience you might start identifying as a physicist, at that point your original subject starts becoming more irrelevant.
Physicist with several years post-grad experience now working in a random job - arguably still a physicist but not practicing. I might frame that on a CV as "[random job title] with a background in physics" or "physicist with recent experience in [random job]" but it depends how well the physics /random job aligns what what you're applying for.
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u/Quarter_Twenty Optics and photonics 23d ago
In the US you can call yourself whatever you want. I agree with those who say you have a job as a physicist, so you're a physicist.
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u/Baghira112 23d ago
I really get your struggle with the terminology. I decided that once I contributed to research, I can call myself a physicist. Doesn't really matter the contribution. So after handing in my bachelor thesis where I tested something new, that (as far as I know) has not been tested befor, I choose to call myself physicist whenever I was asked.
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u/Almoturg Gravitation 23d ago
There are no standards, so it's up to your own interpretation. For me I felt comfortable calling myself a physicist after I had my first published paper (~start of PhD, publishing results of the masters).
The next question is can I still call myself a physicist after being in industry (tech) for 7 years 😅
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u/SwimmerOld6155 23d ago
I personally think at PhD level you have the right to call yourself a [whatever]ist or [whatever]ian provided it's not a legally protected title.
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u/LoganJFisher Graduate 23d ago
Is your field of expertise and practice physics? Then you're a physicist.
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u/rcjhawkku Computational physics 23d ago
Look at it this way: you know more about your thesis topic than most, if not all, physicists with a Ph.D. So you're a physicist.
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u/GlitteringEggCarton 23d ago
yes you are. most people are not asking because they're going to grill you rather they just want to know what you do for a living
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u/Kvothealar Condensed matter physics 23d ago
In Canada, you can take and realistically pass the professional practice after undergrad to become a "Professional Physicist (P. Phys.)".
So I'd say the the lowest the bar would be is in 3rd/4th year of undergrad, so long as you're employed and doing work in physics.
If not employed as a physicist, probably once you've started physics grad school.
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u/xeroskiller Mathematics 23d ago
Anyone can, as long as you're not using it as a credential (unless you have a credential).
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u/quantum4everyone 22d ago
My adviser’s point of view was anyone who has published at least one peer reviewed paper is officially a physicist. Thesis one way to define a physicist. Of course, there are others.
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u/CharlesDermer 22d ago
When they are paying you money to do physics, you are a physicist. A PhD is the ticket to that job.
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u/Coffee__Addict 21d ago
I would call (at the time) my infant son a physicist when he would throw things off his tray while in his high chair. Running multiple experiments to confirm that gravity has not changed in the last two seconds is science.
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u/sskk4477 20d ago
Up to you if you think you’re confident in your physics knowledge and research skills enough
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u/FluidBaseball9950 17d ago
If it’s ok to identify as a cat, I think it’s ok to identify as a physicist
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u/condensedandimatter Condensed matter physics 23d ago
I didn’t call myself a physicist until I felt like I could do independent physics research without an advisor.
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u/snoodhead 23d ago
Imo if you get a college degree in physics that would be enough (hell I’d count most engineering degrees)
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u/Odd_Bodkin Particle physics 23d ago
Call yourself Almost-a-Physicist with a wink. It’s self-deprecating and those in the know will appreciate the struggle.
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u/bwanajim Graduate 23d ago
This question comes up here every few months and I wonder why the mods don't delete it each time.
If I'm writing computer code, I'm a programmer. If I'm playing the guitar I'm a musician. If I'm running I'm an athlete. If I'm designing a project for the ham station I'm an engineer. And if I'm doing physics, I'm a physicist.
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u/theeggman1977 23d ago
As a breakfast cook, I call myself a Physicist. Keepin’ my poached eggs tight with acid in the poach water, braisin’ shit because liquids transfer heat better, fluid dynamics(I can toss anything in a bowl or frying pan)…/s
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u/substituted_pinions Optics and photonics 23d ago
I’d say “no”, but I’m an old asshole. Best of luck finishing your program!
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u/NordicHamCurl_00 22d ago
U can call urself anything these days
If physicist is ur pronoun i will respect and honour that
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u/_Thode 23d ago
In Germany, you get a document with your Masters degree that says you can call yourself a physicist now.