霍华德大学物理与天文学系的任务是力争在物理学研究和教学方面达到公认的国家和国际卓越水平，并确保非裔美国人和其他代表性不足的学生有机会实现自己的目标。物理学的最大潜能。该系首先于1930年代初提供理学硕士学位，并于1960年代初提供哲学博士学位。该系在研究生方面的目标包括：1.在博士级别上成为美国非裔物理学家国家中最大的制作人；以及2.在少数几个选定的物理学领域中成为该国规模最大的计划。对激光光谱学和光学学的研究主要集中在大气测量以及放电等离子体和有机分子的光谱测量。
Research in laser spectroscopy and optics falls under the broad umbrella of Atomic, Molecular & Optical Physics. A focused area of significant research involves the Raman spectroscopy of graphitic nanomaterials (e.g. single-walled and multi-walled carbon nanotubes, graphene, and functionalized graphene nanoplatelets) and metal oxides (e.g. tungsten trioxide and tin dioxide) with an aim to characterize such materials for gas-sensing applications, energy storage and photovoltaics. In addition, we use other spectroscopy techniques (e.g. Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy, UV-VIS Spectroscopy Scanning Electron Microscopy, Atomic Force Microscopy and X-Ray Diffraction) to gain a better understanding of the vibrational phonon modes, crystallite size, chemical composition, morphology and thermal characteristics of these nanomaterials for a wide range of applications relating to frontier areas in optoelectronics and quantum science. In addition, supersonic jet-cooled free radicals of significance for combustion processes (e.g. alkoxy and alkylthio radicals) have been characterized spectroscopically, along with their associated chemical kinetics for reactions with NOx and molecular oxygen. Computational modeling and numerical simulations of vibrational phenomena associated with nanomaterials are being studied for gas-sensing applications, along with machine learning and artificial intelligence techniques for differentiating a variety of functionalized groups (e.g. carboxyl, ammonia, oxygen, fluoro-carbon, nitrogen and hydroxyl) in graphene nanoplatelets. Terahertz spectroscopy of metamaterials is also being pursued with an eye towards applications related to spatial light modulators and liquid crystals.