About this position
- The Kavli Institute for Particle Astrophysics and Cosmology (KIPAC) at
- Stanford University and SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory invites
- applications from recent or soon-to-be Ph.D. graduates for
- postdoctoral fellowships in astrophysics and cosmology. The positions
- offer opportunities to develop innovative and independent research
- programs in these areas using computational, experimental,
- observational, and theoretical approaches. Existing research programs
- at KIPAC span many areas of astrophysics and cosmology and include
- studies of dark energy and cosmic dynamics, structure and galaxy
- formation, the physics of inflation, dark matter searches and
- astrophysical signatures, interstellar medium physics, multi-messenger
- astrophysics, and investigations of black holes, compact objects,
- galaxies, clusters, the Milky Way, stars, and other astrophysical
- sources.
KIPAC members are involved in several experiments and survey projects.
These include:
- the Vera C. Rubin Observatory Legacy Survey of Space and Time
- (LSST), including the now-completed construction and integration
- of the LSST camera, leadership of the LSST Dark Energy Science
- Collaboration, management of the Rubin US Data Facility, and
- operation of the Rubin Observatory system;
cosmic surveys including DESI, the Nancy Grace Roman Space
Telescope mission, Euclid, and the Via project;
- CMB experiments including BICEP/Keck Array, the South Pole
- Telescope, the Atacama Cosmology Telescope, and the Simons
- Observatory;
- dark matter studies and experiments including WIMP searches with
- LZ and SuperCDMS, axion searches with ADMX and DMRadio, and
- astrophysical studies of dark matter;
- gamma-ray and X-ray observatories including the Fermi Gamma-ray
- Space Telescope, NuSTAR, and IXPE (X-ray polarization), as well as
- the future Athena mission and new X-ray and gamma-ray mission
- concepts;
- simulations, planning, and R&D for several future projects
- including millimeter-wave line intensity mapping and the XLZD dark
- matter experiment;
high energy density laboratory astrophysics; and
studies of our Sun with the Solar Dynamics Observatory.
- KIPAC offers excellent laboratory facilities for instrument
- development and significant computational resources for theoretical
- astrophysics research and large-scale data analysis. Postdoctoral
- fellows can apply for time on the Magellan telescopes through KIPAC.
- KIPAC is a partner in the Center for Decoding the Universe @ Stanford
- and provides opportunities to participate in cross-disciplinary
- activities in AI/ML and data science with the Stanford Institute for
- Human-Centered Artificial Intelligence and the SLAC Machine Learning
- Program. KIPAC also has strong ties and active collaborations with
- theorists at LITP @ Stanford and SLAC.
- The positions offer a competitive salary of $89,000 – $94,000 per
- year, depending on role and experience, along with excellent benefits
- (see https://postdocbenefits.stanford.edu). The Kavli, Porat, and
- Bunyan Fellowships include additional funds to support research and
- travel expenses.
- Candidates should hold a recent Ph.D. in astronomy or physics, or
- expect to receive the degree before beginning their appointment
- (generally, candidates for fellowships that start in Fall 2027 will
- have Ph.D.s awarded between June 2024 and September 2027; other
- candidates may be considered at the discretion of the committee or the
- hiring PI).
- KIPAC typically appoints approximately ten postdoctoral scholars per
- year. Applicants to this ad may choose to be considered for all
- available postdoctoral positions at KIPAC, including the Kavli, Porat,
- Bunyan, and KIPAC Rubin Fellowships, available positions associated
- with KIPAC activities at SLAC, positions with the Center for Decoding
- the Universe @ Stanford, and several positions with individual faculty
- and research groups. These opportunities are listed on our webpage
- here:
- https://kipac.stanford.edu/opportunities/postdoctoral-opportunities-kipac
- (details may change subject to funding availability). When you submit
- your application, you’ll be asked to indicate your interest in each of
- the available KIPAC positions; you may expand on your interest in
- specific positions in your research statement or a cover letter.
Application materials should be submitted through Academic Jobs Online
(AJO) at https://academicjobsonline.org/ajo/Stanford/KIPAC/FELLOWS.
- The deadline for applications and letters of recommendation is Monday,
- November 2, 2026 (by 11:59 PM Eastern Time). Late applications may be
- considered at the discretion of the search committee.
- Application materials should include a CV with publication list, a
- three-page statement of research interests and plans, and at least
- three letters of recommendation (these will be requested by AJO). We
- encourage applicants to follow the structure of the AAS advice on the
- contents of CVs and research statements given here:
- https://aas.org/jobregister/postdoc-application-guidelines.
- Applicants are encouraged to strengthen their application with an
- additional statement, up to one page, appended after the 3-page
- research statement, discussing their experience with and planned
- contributions to any of the following: mentoring, teaching, public
- engagement, science policy, fostering scientifically vibrant
- environments, or activities that broaden participation in the field.
- We view these forms of community engagement as essential to a thriving
- research environment, and postdocs will find many opportunities to
- contribute in these areas.
At KIPAC, we strive to foster a welcoming and supportive research
environment that attracts talented candidates from all backgrounds.
- Learn more about KIPAC at https://kipac.stanford.edu, including our
- values and code-of-conduct at
- https://kipac.stanford.edu/overview/values-and-code-conduct and
- Stanford’s broader commitment to create and sustain a community in
- which we all thrive in an equitable, safe, caring, and just
- environment that embraces diversity, advances equity and cultivates
- inclusion, at https://equity.stanford.edu/.
How to apply
- Read the full advert on the source site — it carries the authoritative terms.
- Prepare your SOP, CV, transcripts and referees before the deadline.
- Apply through the university's own portal. Never pay a fee to a third party.