Institute of Physics
"Ing. Luis Rivera Terrazas"

History of IFUAP

The origins of the Institute for Physics of the Autonomous University of Puebla (IFUAP) date in the time when the Faculty of Physical-Mathematical Sciences was founded in the same university. This faculty, named at that time "school for physics and mathematics", was founded in 1950, just a few years after the creation of the Faculty of Sciences of the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM), the first in the country.

At the time of the creation of the school for physics and mathematics, stands out the figure of the prominent scientist and social fighter Ing. Luis Rivera Terrazas. He was the director of the school during its first two years of existence.

The presence of professionals in physics research was visible from the very beginning, but it was just from 1972 that a scientific group was formed. It was dedicated to the study of low temperature physics, and it was constituted by academics of the university (the most of them from the school for physics and mathematics). Just after that, Luis Rivera Terrazas founded the Institute for Sciences in the university (ICUAP), being himself the first director, from 1974 to 1975. Then he accepted the offer to be the dean of the university from 1975 to 1981.

They represented a big accomplishment for a public university at that time. Immediately afterwards, the Master of Science program in physics was created in 1978. Then, after the physics department was consolidated, the Doctorate in Sciences program (physics) was also created in 1984.


During its first two decades, the physics department extended its research areas beyond solid state physics, being Luis Rivera Terrazas the general coordinator of the department from 1981 until his death in 1989. In 1990 the physics department transforms into what today is known as Institute for Physics "Ing. Luis Rivera Terrazas".

From the first evaluations performed by the National Council for Science and Technology (CONACyT) to the graduate programs of the physics department in 1984, they were considered consolidated programs. Years later, counting with a solid academic plant and an infrastructure without precedent in the university, the graduate programs in Materials Science (masters and doctorate programs) were open from 1995 in the Institute for Physics.

Since the creation of the list of excellence programs of CONACyT, the four graduate programs of the institute form part of it.

The Institute for Physics IFUAP was and continues being a national referent. At the moment, it counts with an academic plant of 37 full-time researchers with doctoral level. 94 % of the researchers are part of the National Society of Researchers (SNI).

From its origins as department of ICUAP, and later transformation into Institute, IFUAP has always reached its objectives: Development of high quality scientific research and development of human resources under the same standards.





Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla
4 sur 104 Centro Histórico C.P. 72000
Teléfono +52(222) 2295500
Instituto de Física "Ing. Luis Rivera Terrazas"
Av. San Claudio y Blvd. 18 Sur, Col. San Manuel
Edificios 1IF1, 1IF2 y 1IF3, Ciudad Universitaria,
C.P. 72570, Puebla, Pue.
Tel.: (52 222) 229 56 10 - Fax: (52 222) 229 56 11