Associate Research Scientist, CCA (Joint with Cooper Union)

Submission Information
Publish Date: 
Tuesday, November 3, 2020
Archive Date: 
Tuesday, January 19, 2021
Job Summary
Job Category: 
Post-doctoral Positions and Fellowships
Institution Classification/Type: 
Other
Institution/Company: 
Simons Foundation/Flatiron Institute & Cooper Union
City: 
New York
State/Province: 
New York
Country: 
United States of America
Announcement
Job Announcement Text: 

POSITION SUMMARY

The Physics Department at The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art, jointly with the Center for Computational Astrophysics (CCA) of the Simons Foundation’s Flatiron Institute invites outstanding candidates to apply for a joint faculty position.  We seek candidates from any area of computational astrophysics, broadly defined. The position is generally a 50-50 joint appointment between The Cooper Union and CCA, with the appointee spending half of their effort in each place. At The Cooper Union, the position is a tenured track full-time faculty position in physics and will be engaged in accordance to Cooper’s relevant policies and procedures. At CCA, the position will be at the Associate Research Scientist level, in accordance to the Foundation’s relevant policies and procedures. The position is based at the Simons Foundation and The Cooper Union offices in New York City. It is expected that, subject to satisfactory progress in research, the Associate Research Scientist appointment at CCA will last for the duration of three years; afterwards, the joint appointment will end and the person in this position will continue with their faculty appointment at The Cooper Union.

 

The Cooper Union is consistently ranked among the top ten undergraduate engineering institutions in the nation and is focused on providing an exceptional engineering education through an intimate experience characterized by small class sizes and a student-faculty ratio of 7:1. We value interdisciplinary approaches and the intersections among art, architecture, engineering, humanities and sciences.

 

The successful candidate is one who is passionate and dedicated to teaching and mentoring undergraduate students in physics at all levels and committed to enhancing and supporting Cooper Union’s engineering programs.  We seek candidates who demonstrate potential to develop an accomplished, active and visible research program that engages students within The Cooper Union’s rigorous and supportive academic environment.

 

The Cooper Union was founded in 1859 by philanthropist Peter Cooper to provide an education ``equal to the best’’ to all who qualify, regardless of race, religion, gender, wealth or social status. Today, The Cooper Union provides a rigorous professional education in the Schools of Art, Architecture, and Engineering, including a broad curriculum offered by the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences. Fostering a culture of collaboration among a diverse student body and faculty, The Cooper Union teaches students that art, architecture, and engineering have cultural, environmental, and ethical contexts and consequences. As students develop their professional abilities, they recognize their responsibility to advance science and art and to create a sustainable future. We encourage and are interested in engaging with candidates from a diversity of experiences and perspectives with the talent to challenge our students to maximize their learning potential and with an interest in working within a culture that embraces diversity, equity and inclusion.

 

The Simons Foundation is a private foundation established in 1994 in New York City by Jim and Marilyn Simons. With an annual grants and programs budget of $300 million, the foundation’s mission is to advance the frontiers of research in mathematics and the basic sciences. The foundation pursues its mission through its grant-making division, comprising programs in Mathematics & Physical Sciences, Life Sciences, Education & Outreach and autism research, and through its internal research division, the Flatiron Institute.

 

Directed by Dr. David Spergel, the mission at the Flatiron Institute’s Center for Computational Astrophysics is to create new computational methods, tools and frameworks that allow scientists to analyze big astronomical datasets and to understand complex, multi-scale physics in astrophysical systems ranging in scales from planets to the Universe. In 2021, CCA research groups will include Astronomical Data, Compact Objects, Galaxy Formation, Gravitational Wave Astronomy, Cosmology X Data Science, Planet Formation, and Dynamics. Please see https://www.simonsfoundation.org/flatiron/center-for-computational-astro... for a full description of the goals of the research groups and science staff. The CCA has formal or informal partnerships with The Simons Observatory, The Terra Hunting Experiment, Sloan Digital Sky Survey V, The Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory, and the NASA SPHEREx mission.


MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

An earned doctorate in physics or in a closely related discipline is required. Interested and qualified candidates should submit in one searchable PDF document:

  • A cover letter. To assist the search committee, all cover letters should address your interest in the joint position and how you envision your teaching and research will contribute to both institutions.
  • A current curriculum vitae.
  • A statement of your teaching philosophy (typically 1-2 pages).
  • A research statement that addresses your current activities and interests, your future plans and goals.  This statement should specifically address how you would make use of the joint appointment and involve undergraduates in your research program (4 pages maximum).
  • One or two representative published research papers in PDF format.

 

Important: in order to be considered for this joint appointment, candidates must submit their application in two places:
 

To CCA:

https://simonsfoundation.wd1.myworkdayjobs.com/simonsfoundationcareers/job/162-Fifth-Avenue/Associate-Research-Scientist--CCA--Joint-with-Cooper-Union-_R0000712

Questions and reference letters should be emailed directly to CCA at [email protected].

 

To The Cooper Union:

Nominations and reference letters should be sent to [email protected] and questions may be sent to Department Chair Philip Yecko at [email protected].

 

Application Materials for both institutions:

The application materials should include a letter describing current and planned research activities, a curriculum vitae, list of publications. Additionally, the candidate should also have three reference letters emailed directly to each institution’s email listed above. At least one reference should be able to specifically address capabilities and interest in teaching undergraduates.


Review of applications is ongoing with a priority deadline of January 1st, 2021 and will continue until the position is filled.

This is a unionized position at Cooper Union. This is a non-union position at Simons Foundation.

The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art is an AA/Equal Opportunity Employer.

 

THE SIMONS FOUNDATION'S DIVERSITY COMMITMENT

Many of the greatest ideas and discoveries come from a diverse mix of minds, backgrounds and experiences, and we are committed to cultivating an inclusive work environment. The Simons Foundation actively seeks a diverse applicant pool and encourages candidates of all backgrounds to apply. We provide equal opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, religion, color, age, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic disposition, neurodiversity, disability, veteran status, or any other protected category under federal, state and local law.

Application Deadline: 
Friday, January 1, 2021
Selection Deadline: 
Friday, January 1, 2021
Current Status of Position: 
Accepting Applicants
Apply to Job
Attention To: 
Center for Computational Astrophysics