Is there a career that combines engineering and theoretical physics?

[VantagePoint72]

I was wondering if someone could help me out here...
there are two career paths I'd be interested in following. One is aerospace engineering. The other is theoretical physics. I love the physics of fluid dynamics, orbital trajectories, etc. but I also love things like relativity, quantum mechanics, string theory, etc. I know that by definition engineering and theorizing are polar opposites, but I was wondering if anyone new of any sort of career that sort of combines the two. Is there any such thing as a physicist who studies the nature of the Universe and then uses this information to engineer new space technologies or experiments to test the theories?

 

[Entropy]

Man, wish I could help you there. An aerospace engineering job with quantum mechanics sounds like fun though!

 

[chroot]

There are many places where the two fields come together.

Astrophysicists have to design special purpose cameras for their work; particle physicists have to design accelerators. Most physical experiments require quite sophisticated apparatus, and a sort of half-engineer/half-physicist is needed to design and oversee their construction. Such people are called 'experimentalists.'

- Warren

 

[VantagePoint72]

OK, thanks. I'll look into that, it sounds like exactly what I'm looking for.

 

[Clausius2]

I I know that by definition engineering and theorizing are polar opposites,

You are so wrong. The "commander-in-chief" of the department in which I am working at now (Fluid Mechanics) is an aeronautical engineer and Ph.D. in physics engineering and he is one of the best sciencist in this field, better than any physicist or mathmatician. You may be surprised how he theorizes.