Postdoctoral Fellowships at the McGill Space Institute

Submission Information
Publish Date: 
Tuesday, October 4, 2022
Archive Date: 
Tuesday, November 29, 2022
Job Summary
Job Category: 
Post-doctoral Positions and Fellowships
Institution Classification/Type: 
Large Academic
Institution/Company: 
McGill University
Department Name: 
McGill Space Institute
City: 
Montreal
State/Province: 
Quebec
Country: 
Canada
Announcement
Job Announcement Text: 

We invite applications for multiple postdoctoral fellowship applications at the McGill Space Institute (MSI).

MSI is an interdisciplinary research centre within McGill University consisting of 20 affiliated faculty members from the Departments of Physics, Earth and Planetary Sciences, Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences, and Natural Resource Sciences at McGill (http://msi.mcgill.ca/index.php?page=faculty-staff). Research topics include (but are not limited to) astrophysics, cosmology, astrobiology, geophysics, life in extreme environments, and the search for extraterrestrial biosignatures.

We anticipate offering multiple positions tailored to the successful applicants' research interests. MSI Fellowships can be held at any MSI-affiliated department by researchers who specialize in any of the above areas or some interdisciplinary combination thereof.

The successful applicant will have a background in either theoretical, observational, experimental, or computational research in any of the MSI’s research areas. Postdoctoral fellows will work within the research group(s) of one or more faculty members at McGill. Applicants are strongly recommended to contact potential supervisors ahead of time; while not strictly required, most successful candidates in the past have done so.

Applicants should submit a cover letter, a curriculum vitae including a list of publications, and a research statement, and should arrange for three letters of recommendation to be sent through AcademicJobsOnline (https://academicjobsonline.org/ajo/fellowship/23089). Extra letters will be disregarded.

A successful cover letter will provide a quick summary of your research background, a brief statement of future research directions, and how this fits into the research at McGill. We value an inclusive community, and thus we (optionally) welcome descriptions of any barriers that you may have faced in your research career, descriptions of community-oriented activities that have contributed to a more equitable and diverse work environment, or plans for such work that you may have as a postdoctoral fellow at McGill.

A successful research statement will describe both your past research as well as your research plans, with the best balance to be determined by the applicant. The research plans should include a description of how they relate to research currently being performed by faculty members at McGill. While we appreciate that the finest nuances of one's research may be understandable only by experts, applicants are advised to make the broadest strokes of their research (and its significance) understandable to  an interdisciplinary selection committee consisting of members coming from the entire breadth of MSI's research mission. The total length of the research statement should not exceed two pages (including figures), although an additional page of references is acceptable.

This position offers a competitive salary and benefits, and will be for two years with a possible renewal for a third year, dependent on supervisor approval and the availability of funds. Preference is given to applicants within 3 years of the PhD. All application materials, including letters of recommendation, must be received by the deadline of December 1, 2022. 

We expect to make first-round offers and to notify the waitlist by late December. Later-round offers will be made after the new year through mid-February.

We also encourage applicants to consider applying for a CITA National Fellowship to be held at McGill. A separation application must be submitted directly to CITA. See https://jobregister.aas.org/ad/b6b7a598 for details (deadline: Nov.7).

McGill University is committed to diversity and equity within its community. We welcome applications from: women, Indigenous persons, persons with disabilities, racialized people/visible minorities, ethnic minorities, 2SLGBTQIA* people (sexual orientation and/or gender identity minorities), and others who may contribute to diversification.

Included Benefits: 

Postdoctoral researchers at McGill enjoy a comprehensive benefits package, see:

https://www.mcgill.ca/gps/postdocs/fellows/healthcare

Application Deadline: 
Thursday, December 1, 2022
Selection Deadline: 
Friday, December 23, 2022
Current Status of Position: 
Accepting Applicants
Apply to Job
Attention To: 
Fellowships Committee
Inquiries About Job
Attention To: 
MSI Coordinator
Subject: 
MSI Postdoctoral Fellowship