What is IF?

The Institute for Fundamental Study “The Tah Poe Academia Institute” (IF, formerly the TPTP) is a research institute established as the 21st faculty of Naresuan University, Thailand. IF academic mission is to provide research and academic programs in Theoretical Physics and other related disciplines. IF also accommodates the previous TPTP former activities, e.g. the Tah Poe Lecture Course, the Tah Poe Seminar Series. IF is hence the legitimate physical body of the pre-existing TPTP. (The Crossing Examination stoped running since 9th November 2015.)

IF official inauguration was announced on 14 March 2011, retroactive from 30 January 2011 by Naresuan University Council. IF’s origin as the TPTP can be traced back from the 1st Jan 1994 as Students’ Forum for Theoretical Physics (SFTP) at Chiang Mai University. The SFTP was reformed to the Tah Poe Group of Theoretical Physics (TPTP) at Naresuan University on the 8th August 1996. In 2006 the group was renamed the Tah Poe Academia Institute for Theoretical Physics (also called the TPTP) until its official inauguration as IF in 2011. (Read IF’s history.)

The faculty members are historically styled as “Tapaian Masters”. We have now 12 Tapaian Masters, 1 Adjunct Professor, 1 Honourary Tapaian Associate, 3 Tapaian Assocaites. See information about IF on AAPPS Bulletin [Vol. 24 | no. 5 | Oct. 2014].

IF is currently running two programs:

Ph.D. (Theoretical Physics) English Program (S.TP.)
M.S. (Theoretical Physics) Semi-English Program (M.TP.)

IF faculty members (called Master Tapaian) have postdoctoral research experience and continuously publish high quality publications. IF has been recognized by research funding sources and high-level institutions of the country, such as TRF academic scholarships , scholarships for NRCT, RGJPHD, Toray Foundation scholarships, Foundation for the Promotion of Science and Technology under the Patronage of H.M. the King, Thai Academy of Science and Technology and The National Astronomical Research Institute of Thailand. IF was allocated as Cosmology and Gravitational Research Laboratory of the Center of Excellence in Physics of the OHEC (ThEP) (during 2009-2015).

IF programs intend to prepare manpower in theoretical physics for the country. They are designed in a similar way with the courses at top British universities including Durham, Cambridge, Oxford, and London. IF students are called “Nisit” (meaning good students). The student will get an intensive academic supervision in the system “Academia Institute”. The first year Master’s students and senior graduate students are called Theory Apprentice students, with special academic activities throughout the year. In the second year, students will be called as Research Students and also will be allocated into preferred laboratories including

Students from other universities are welcome to participate in doing research at IF. As an In-Resident Visiting Student, you will spend 10 to 3 months in each IF research laboratory (sedentary student). No bench fee is charged for undergraduate students while graduate students (Master’s and Doctoral degree) are charged a bench fee 9,000 baht each semester for an internship.