Assistant Professor in Astronomy, Exoplanet Research

Submission Information
Publish Date: 
Wednesday, October 20, 2021
Archive Date: 
Wednesday, December 15, 2021
Job Summary
Job Category: 
Faculty Positions (tenure and tenure-track)
Institution Classification/Type: 
Large Academic
Institution/Company: 
Columbia University
Department Name: 
Astronomy
City: 
New York
State/Province: 
NY
Country: 
United States of America
Announcement
Job Announcement Text: 

The Department of Astronomy at Columbia University invites applications for a tenure-track, Assistant Professor position in exoplanet research.  The position is imagined to include any research area and methodology broadly related to exoplanets, including but not limited to, observational, theoretical, and laboratory studies of exoplanets, planet formation, sub-stellar objects and the signatures of life.  The successful candidate will be expected to teach undergraduate and graduate courses, sustain an active, independent research group, participate in committee and service work at the departmental and university levels, and exemplify academic and professional leadership.  The position will begin July 1, 2022.

The Columbia Department of Astronomy offers many opportunities for faculty to collaborate with colleagues at Columbia, and at nearby institutions, including the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, Nevis Labs, the Data Science Institute, the Climate School, the Flatiron Institute’s Center for Computational Astrophysics, the American Museum of Natural History, and NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies.  Columbia Astronomy is a member of the MDM Observatory and of the LSST Corporation, and department faculty, research scientists, postdocs, and students have access to, and use, a broad range of ground and space-based astronomical facilities.

As a department located in upper Manhattan, in the heart of New York City, and as part of a university whose student body is growing ever more diverse, we encourage applications from women and minorities. We also seek applications from those with a record of success advising and mentoring students from groups underrepresented in astronomy. Columbia University is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer, and the department is committed to diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEIA).

Qualifications: 

Applicants must have a PhD at the time of appointment.

Application Instructions:

To support an equitable search and reduce bias, the initial longlist of candidates will be decided through an anonymized application process described below.

Applicant Materials should include:

  1. Anonymized Research Statement: up to 3 pages, including a summary of previous research achievements and future interests. The merits of the applicant’s work should be emphasized, but we ask that the applicant name, institution names, and group names be removed. Citations within the text should be numbered. (See statement example text below.)
  2. Anonymized Statement of Community Contributions: up to 1 page, providing a summary of the contributions and future plans beyond research and teaching, such as in DEIA work. The merits of the applicant’s work and personal experiences can be emphasized, but we ask that the applicant name and group names be removed.
  3. Anonymized Statement of Teaching: up to 1 page, providing a summary of teaching experiences and future pedagogical goals. The applicant name, institution names, and group names should be removed.
  4. Non-anonymized Curriculum Vitae. All names can be included, and full references should be listed.
  5. Names and contact information for three individuals who can provide non-anonymized letters of reference.  The most useful letters will specifically address the applicant’s accomplishments in several of the following categories: teaching; mentorship; achievement in research;  DEIA work; project leadership; independence and individuality in thought; proposal and grant writing; and public communication.  Letters are expected to be solicited for a subset of candidates and to be due in late January 2022.
  6. Non-anonymized Cover Letter (optional).  A cover letter will only be read after the initial selection round.

All applications must be made through Columbia University’s Academic Search and Recruiting (ASR) system at https://apply.interfolio.com/96746

All materials should be submitted together; the anonymized components will be separated as part of our evaluation process by a non-committee member.

Review of Applications will begin on December 15, 2021 and will continue until the position is filled.

 

We provide, below, an example of non-anonymized vs. anonymized text. By anonymizing, the goal is not to make it impossible to find out the identity of the applicant, but rather to keep the focus on the applicant’s work, experiences, and ideas.

Statement Example Text:

Traditional, non-anonymized:
Text: “As a Superstar Fellow at Columbia University, I worked with the GIGA simulation data from the Flatiron Center for Computational Astrophysics with Prof. C. Leopard to show that the Universe is expanding (Unicorn et al., 2019).”

Reference: A. Unicorn et al., ApJ, 2019

Anonymized:

Text: “I worked with the GIGA simulation data to show that the Universe is expanding (12).”    

Reference: 12: Applicant #3 out of 9 authors, ‘Article title,’ 2019

Anonymized Citations and Reference List: 

Citations within the text should be numbered. Additionally, for papers authored by the applicant, indicate authorship position, e.g. Applicant: #3 out of 9 authors, followed by the complete article title and year of publication.  For all other references, include the article title and year only.

Example Reference List:

1: ‘Article title,’ 2001

2: ‘Article title,’ 2010

3: Applicant #1 out of 2 authors, ‘Article title,’ 2020

 

Equal Employment Opportunity Statement

Columbia University does not discriminate against or permit harassment of employees or applicants for employment on the basis of race, color, sex, gender (including gender identity and expression), pregnancy, religion, creed, national origin, age, alienage and citizenship, status as a perceived or actual victim of domestic violence, disability, marital status, sexual orientation, military status, partnership status, genetic predisposition or carrier status, arrest record, or any other legally protected status.

 

Application Deadline: 
Wednesday, December 15, 2021
Current Status of Position: 
Accepting Applicants
Apply to Job
Attention To: 
Astronomy Faculty Search