Postdoctoral Fellow at Carnegie Institution for Science

Carnegie Science Earth and Planets Laboratory (EPL) invites applications for up to three postdoctoral fellowships at its campus in Washington, DC. The postdoctoral fellowships will be funded by a Sloan Foundation grant, AEThER, aimed at understanding the interaction between planetary atmospheres and interiors.

We invite applications from theorists, observers, and experimentalists working in the fields of planetary interiors, cosmochemistry, and atmospheric characterization of small exoplanets via theory and/or observation. One of the fellowships will be focused on diamond anvil cell research, while the other two are more flexible. EPL emphasizes interdisciplinary theoretical, observational, and experimental research; collaboration with multiple research areas on campus is encouraged. Applicants are encouraged to review information about EPL at https://carnegiescience.edu/epl and about our postdoctoral fellowships and experience at https://carnegiescience.edu/about/working/postdocs/epl.

Fellows are eligible to apply for time at Carnegie’s Las Campanas Observatory in Chile (http://www.lco.cl/), including the twin 6.5-meter Magellan telescopes. Carnegie is a full member of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey V. Theoretical calculations can be performed on high performance computing clusters on-campus and at Caltech. Funding is available for travel to scientific conferences and observation sites, as well as publications. At EPL, we foster an exceptional research environment and culture of mentoring, including professional development opportunities specifically for postdocs. Carnegie Science strives to enable a scientifically excellent, equitable, and inclusive community.

Fellowships have allowed start dates between July 1 and December 31, 2026. Fellowships are initially for one year but are typically renewed for up to a total of 2 years. Applicants should have a Ph.D. in a relevant field by the start of the fellowship. The principal selection criteria will be research accomplishment, originality and achievability of the research proposal, independence, and relevance to the AEThER project.

Only complete applications submitted through Interfolio will be considered and must include:

1) a cover letter (1 page max).

2) curriculum vitae.

3) list of publications.

4) research interests (2 pages max, inclusive of figures and references).

5) a brief description of previous research (2 pages max, all inclusive).

6) contact information for three references familiar with the applicant’s work who can submit confidential letters of support. 

Applicants may use the cover letter to describe why EPL is a great fit for their research including how they will contribute to a positive and collaborative research environment. The review of applications will begin on November 3rd.

Address any questions to ashahar@carnegiescience.edu.

Other postdoctoral opportunities will be posted as they arise at https://jobs.carnegiescience.edu/jobs/epl/.