CCS Physics Faculty Tengiz Bibilashvili Leads U.S. Team to Five-Gold Victory at 2025 International Physics Olympiad

Ahead of the competition, the team of top high school physics students trained at an immersive mini-camp hosted by UC Santa Barbara

College of Creative Studies (CCS) Physics and Department of Physics Faculty Tengiz Bibilashvili led the United States Physics Team to a remarkable five-gold-medal victory at the 2025 International Physics Olympiad (IPhO) in Paris, France, this past summer. The team consisted of five of the nation’s top high school physics students selected by the American Association of Physics Teachers each year. They outperformed competitors from 85 countries and were the only team to achieve five gold medals, marking another major milestone for U.S. physics education. 

While this year’s in-person IPhO victory is the first of its kind for the United States, the team previously earned five gold medals at the 2024 European Physics Olympiad and at the 2021 virtual IPhO in Vilnius, Lithuania.

Prior to the competition, the team trained at a UC Santa Barbara immersive mini-camp, hosted by the Department of Physics and supported by participation from CCS physics students, alumni, and faculty.

Following their victory, the team was invited to the White House in recognition of this exceptional accomplishment. 

“We are all so incredibly proud of our U.S. Physics Olympiad team and grateful to our Professor Bibilashvili for his excellent coaching,” said CCS Dean Timothy Sherwood. “UC Santa Barbara is an amazing place to study Physics, and our students are lucky to have a chance to work with him through the rest of the year.”

Read the full story on the UCSB Mathematical, Life, and Physical Science website, September 24, 2025.