Carnegie Postdoctoral Fellowship in Astronomy and Planetary Science

The Earth and Planets Laboratory (EPL), a division of the Carnegie Institution for Science, invites applications for postdoctoral fellowships at its campus in Washington, DC. Multiple positions are available. We invite applications from theorists, observers, and experimentalists working in the fields of star and planet formation, extrasolar planet detection and characterization, planetary astronomy, and astrochemistry. Carnegie’s Earth and Planets Laboratory emphasizes interdisciplinary theoretical, observational, and experimental research toward understanding the origin and evolution of Earth and planetary bodies. Applicants are encouraged to review information about our department and research at https://epl.carnegiescience.edu.

Fellows are eligible to apply for time at Carnegie’s Las Campanas Observatory in Chile (http://www.lco.cl/), which includes the twin 6.5-meter Magellan telescopes, 2.5-meter du Pont, and 1.0-meter Swope telescopes. Carnegie is a member of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey IV and V collaborations. Theoretical calculations can be performed on high performance computing clusters on-campus and at Caltech. Funding is available for travel to scientific conferences and observation sites, as well as publications. At EPL, we value a culture of mentoring and offer professional development opportunities specifically for postdoctoral scientists. The Carnegie Institution strives to enable a scientifically excellent, equitable, and inclusive community, and therefore aims for diverse groups of people to collaborate and thrive.

Carnegie Postdoctoral Fellowships are awarded once a year, with allowed start dates between July 1 and December 31, 2023. Fellowships are initially for one year but are typically renewed for up to a total of 3 years. Applicants should have a Ph.D. in a relevant field by the start of the fellowship. The principal selection criteria will be research accomplishment, promise of future achievement, originality and achievability of the research proposal, independence, and relevance to the ongoing scientific pursuits at EPL. Only complete applications submitted online at https://jobs.carnegiescience.edu/jobs/apply/72854/ will be considered and must include (in PDF format): 1) a cover letter, 2) curriculum vitae, 3) list of publications; 4) research plan / proposal (4 mages max, inclusive of figures and references), 5) a brief description of previous research (3 pages max, all inclusive; and 6) contact information for three references familiar with the applicant’s work and willing to provide letters of support. Applicants may use the cover letter to describe, in under one page, their prior, ongoing, and/or new ideas for efforts to create an equitable, positive, and inclusive working environment. The deadline for application materials is November 14, 2022. Reference letters must be submitted online by November 17, 2022. Address any questions to [email protected].

We encourage applicants from under-represented groups and backgrounds to apply. The Carnegie Institution is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment and will not be discriminated against on the basis of gender, race/ethnicity, protected veteran status, disability, or other protected group status. Candidates of any nationality are eligible to apply. Contact us if you would like more information on how we help with visas. Postdoctoral fellows are employees and receive benefits associated with employment; see https://hr.carnegiescience.edu/offering/postdoctoral-fellow.