ALMA2040 Project Director

NRAO Headquarters, 520 Edgemont Rd, CHARLOTTESVILLE, Virginia, United States of America

Posted Friday, July 31, 2026 at 4:00 AM

The National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO) is a prestigious research and development organization that plays a vital role in the study of the universe. Associated Universities, Inc. (AUI) is a nonprofit organization that manages and operates the NRAO under a cooperative agreement with the National Science Foundation. The Observatory is a hub for technological and scientific collaboration, operating state-of-the-art radio telescope facilities for use by the international scientific community, and allowing astronomers to explore the universe in unprecedented detail.

The Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) is currently undergoing upgrades expected to provide a factor of two-to-four improvements over current capabilities, the Wide-band Sensitivity Upgrade (WSU). In order to maintain its position as a premier astrophysical facility well into the future, the NRAO and ALMA partners are beginning to make plans beyond WSU for future improvement of the highly successful ALMA observatory.

Envisaged is a factor of 10 increase in spectral line sensitivity, and a 2-3x increase in angular resolution, the ALMA
2040 project. Community involvement is beginning, as is the development of the concept that will eventually be presented in upcoming Decadal Surveys, and transition to a design/development project early next decade.

The NRAO is seeking to appoint an ALMA
2040 Project Director to lead all phases of the North American ALMA 2040 project. The ALMA
2040 Project Director is expected to provide scientific leadership for the NA ALMA
2040 project, assuring that the scientific, technical, and programmatic activities are of the highest quality. The ALMA
2040 Project Director will work closely with NRAO, AUI, and NSF management in the development of overall policy and strategic and annual planning to ensure the success of the project. The ALMA
2040 Project Director will interact with key project stakeholders, including the scientific community, NRAO oversight and user’s committees, and international partners.

The successful candidate may be appointed as a tenured astronomer or tenure-track astronomer (astronomer or associate astronomer); the rank of the appointment will depend on the candidate’s experience. The appointee will be expected to spend 50% of their time on ALMA
2040-focused functional responsibilities and may use the remaining 50% time on independent research. The appointee will be a member of the NA ALMA team under the direction of the NRAO North American ALMA Director.

The position will be based at the NRAO Headquarters located on the University of Virginia Grounds in Charlottesville, Virginia.

• Providing leadership to the ALMA
  2040 project, under the direction of the NA ALMA Director
• Developing, organizing, and leading NRAO/NA activities related to ALMA
  2040
• Developing, organizing, and leading community activities related to ALMA
  2040
• Leading the Decadal process (community support, white paper development, and related activities)
• Engaging with international partners to pursue a unified ALMA
  2040 vision
• Working with funding agencies to support the ALMA
  2040 project
• Working closely with the NA ALMA Director and NA ALMA Program Scientist on ALMA
  2040 issues
• Providing regular information and status reports to internal and external stakeholders

Work is mission driven, team oriented, and typically performed in an office setting within a research or development environment. Some domestic and international travel will be required for this position.

The ideal candidate will have a strong track record of excellence in research and research leadership, and demonstrated ability to provide vision and leadership for development of new, innovative science and technical concepts and directions relevant to NRAO’s strategic mission and the ALMA
2040 project specifically.

• You have a Ph.D. in astronomy, astrophysics, physical science, or a closely related field.

• Minimum of 8 years (15+…