Stanford - Santa Cruz Cosmology Fellowship

The Kavli Institute for Particle Astrophysics and Cosmology (KIPAC) at Stanford University and SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, and the University of California Santa Cruz (UCSC), seek recent Ph.D. scientists for the Stanford - Santa Cruz Cosmology Fellowship. This new, independent fellowship is for four years, to be split between Stanford and UCSC, and offers a competitive salary, benefits, and research funds.

This fellowship offers an opportunity to carry out independent research and to be connected with two vibrant cosmology programs. Stanford and UCSC are located 50 miles apart. Fellows will split their time between the two institutes over the duration of the fellowship, including the option to spend two years at each institute. The fellow will choose a mentor at each institute. The selected candidate will have access to the Lick Observatories, and, through collaborating faculty, to the Keck Observatories. Fellows will also have access to extensive computing facilities at Stanford, SLAC, and UCSC, and will have the opportunity to organize joint workshops between UCSC and Stanford.

Existing cosmology research programs at KIPAC and UCSC include studies of dark energy, cosmic dynamics and structure formation, studies of and searches for dark matter, and related studies of galaxies and galaxy clusters. KIPAC and UCSC are active in cosmic surveys including DES, DESI, and LSST. Other joint activities include participation in the Fermi Gamma-Ray Space Telescope and planning for the WFIRST mission.

KIPAC is a joint institute between Stanford University and SLAC, which is the lead laboratory for the construction and integration of the LSST camera, and the host laboratory for the LSST Dark Energy Science Collaboration; KIPAC members are playing leading roles in both enterprises. KIPAC is playing a leading role in CMB experiments including BICEP/Keck Array, the South Pole Telescope, the Atacama Cosmology Telescope, LiteBIRD, the Simons Observatory, and planning for CMB Stage 4. KIPAC is also involved in X-ray observatories including the NuSTAR, IXPE (X-ray polarization) and the future Athena and Lynx missions.

At UCSC, the Astronomy and Astrophysics department, Physics department, and the Santa Cruz Institute for Particle Physics (SCIPP), maintain a diverse and vibrant research program in theoretical and experimental particle physics, cosmology, and high-energy/particle astrophysics (https://cosmology.sites.ucsc.edu). UCSC has a strong expertise in instrumentation in both particle physics and astronomy, and has access to Lick Observatory and the twin Keck telescopes. Postdocs can serve as PI on any of the Lick Observatory facilities (APF, Shane 3m). In addition to those listed above, faculty at UCSC are involved in a variety of programs including the Hyper Suprime Cam Survey, LSST Camera construction and characterization, and the commissioning of the DESI spectrograph.

Candidates should have or expect to receive a Ph.D. in astronomy or physics by Fall 2019. Preference will be given to candidates on their first postdoctoral fellowship, or who received the PhD during or after 2018.

Please submit your application materials at https://academicjobsonline.org/ajo/fellowship/11770. Candidates should provide a curriculum vitae including a publication list, and a 3-page statement of research interests, and arrange to have at least three letters of recommendation submitted to the same site. We encourage applicants to address how they would make optimal use of a joint Stanford--UCSC fellowship in their research statement or cover letter.

The deadline for applications is November 12, 2018. Late applications will be considered at the discretion of the search committee. More information about KIPAC can be found at http://kipac.stanford.edu/ and about UCSC astronomy at https://www.astro.ucsc.edu. KIPAC and UCSC are committed to an inclusive work environment and especially encourage applications from candidates that will diversify the workforce in astrophysics and cosmology.