The Department of Physics at Carnegie Mellon University invites applications for the McWilliams Postdoctoral Fellowship. McWilliams Fellows are expected to carry out their own programs of original research, independently or in collaboration with Carnegie Mellon faculty, postdoctoral fellows, and students.  We welcome applications from researchers working in any area of astrophysics and/or cosmology.  

McWilliams Postdoctoral Fellows are part of CMU’s McWilliams Center for Cosmology . The McWilliams Center synergizes research carried out in CMU’s Departments of Physics, Computer Science, Machine Learning, and Statistics, and enjoys close relationships with the University of Pittsburgh’s Department of Physics and Astronomy.  Carnegie Mellon’s physics faculty hold leadership roles in multiple large sky surveys and consortia, including DES, DESI, HSC, LISA, and Rubin LSST.   Theoretical and observational studies within the Center cover a wide range of astrophysical phenomena, including galaxy and structure formation, black holes and gravitational waves, stellar evolution, gravitational lensing,  dynamical  detection of dark matter (see list of center faculty here ).  The McWilliams Center owns the Vera computing cluster at the Pittsburgh Supercomputing Center, which provides high-performance computing resources on a variety of scales and works closely with our scientists.

Fellowship appointments are for 2 years, with renewal for a third year likely, contingent upon satisfactory progress. The position comes with a competitive salary, an annual research budget, health benefits, and relocation expenses.

We seek excellence within a respectful, inclusive University context. Carnegie Mellon University is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer.  We are committed to increasing the diversity of our community on a range of intellectual and cultural dimensions. CMU's Department of Physics welcomes applicants – including women, members of minority groups, protected veterans, individuals with disabilities, and others – who will enhance this diversity through their research, teaching and service.  With an interest in building and enhancing international collaborations, we especially encourage applications from candidates who come from economically disadvantaged countries and/or countries where basic science research funding levels are low.  

Qualifications :

Applicants should hold a Ph.D. in physics, astronomy, or an adjacent field by the time of appointment, which is anticipated to begin September 1, 2024.

Application Instructions :

Applications should be uploaded to the Interfolio website , and must include a curriculum vitae, publication list, a statement of research interests, and a cover letter.  The cover letter should identify the applicant’s scientific background and goals, explain any synergies that make CMU a good fit for the proposed work, and discuss the candidate’s contributions toward diversity, equity, and inclusion.  In addition, candidates should arrange for three letters of recommendation to be uploaded (a prompt will be sent automatically to the applicant’s references when their contact information is entered at the Interfolio site).  For full consideration, all materials should be received by November 10, 2023.

For questions about the position, please contact Prof. Katie Breivik (kbreivik@andrew.cmu.edu ) or Prof. Rupert Croft (rcroft@cmu.edu ).