Two Faculty Positions in Astronomy at Texas Tech University (one in observational astronomy and one in gravitational wave astronomy)

The Department of Physics and Astronomy at Texas Tech University, as part of a continuing strategic expansion, has two open positions in the area of observational astronomy with an expected start date of September 2018.  The positions are expected to be at the rank of assistant professor, but exceptional experienced candidates will be considered at higher ranks.  We anticipate that one of these positions will be for gravitational waves (including data analysis, interpretation or experiment) and the other will be for electromagnetic astronomy.  We particularly encourage candidates whose research areas expand upon and complement existing efforts, but outstanding candidates from any area of astrophysics will be considered.  The department is concurrently conducting a search in experimental particle physics.
 
The astrophysics group presently consists of three tenured/tenure-track faculty (Corsi, Maccarone and Owen), one research assistant professor, one long-term instructor, six postdoctoral fellows and a visiting Fulbright scholar.  Research facilities at Texas Tech include a High Performance Computing Center with a 250 Teraflop cluster, and Texas Tech is among the closest universities to Ft. Sumner and NRAO. Texas Tech is a member of the LIGO Scientific Collaboration and recently has been ranked in the Highest Research Activity category by the Carnegie Foundation.
 
The successful candidate will have a PhD in physics, astronomy or a related field, at least two years of postdoctoral experience, a strong research track record, and strong potential for excellence in teaching at both undergraduate and graduate levels.  Candidate is expected to garner extramural funding to support his/her research.  Service to the department, college, and university is also expected. Applicants should submit a curriculum vita, including a publication record, a statement of research interests with a plan for future research, and a statement of teaching philosophy.  Candidates should also arrange for three letters of reference to be sent to [email protected] by the application deadline.  Candidates who are primarily interested in the electromagnetic astronomy position should apply at jobs.texastech.edu position 11823BR and candidates who are primarily interested in the gravitational waves position should apply to position 11816BR.  Inquiries should be directed to Tom Maccarone ([email protected]), the search committee chair, or Ben Owen ([email protected]), the co-chair for gravitational waves.  Review of applications will begin on December 1, 2017 and continue until the positions are filled.
 
As an Equal Employment Opportunity/Affirmative Action employer, Texas Tech University is dedicated to the goal of building a culturally diverse faculty committed to teaching and working in a multicultural environment. We actively encourage applications from all those who can contribute, through their research, teaching, and/or service, to the diversity and excellence of the academic community at Texas Tech University. The university does not discriminate on the basis of an applicant’s race, ethnicity, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, genetic information or status as a protected veteran. Texas Tech welcomes consideration of dual career and professional couple accommodations.