Flatiron Research Fellow, Center Computational Astrophysics

Description

Applications are invited for postdoctoral research positions as Flatiron Research Fellows (FRF) at the Center for Computational Astrophysics (CCA). The CCA offers FRFs the opportunity for independent research in areas that have strong synergy with the CCA or other centers at the Flatiron Institute.

The mission of the Flatiron Institute is to advance scientific knowledge through computational methods, including data analysis, theory, modeling, and simulation. It currently houses five centers, focused on computational astrophysics (CCA), biology (CCB), mathematics (CCM), neuroscience (CCN) and quantum physics (CCQ), as well as a scientific computing core (SCC) that maintains state-of-the-art computing facilities for use by Flatiron scientists, and an initiative in computational catalysis (ICC).

CCA staff frequently collaborate with members of these centers and benefit from their expertise, and joint FRF appointments can be considered if applications are submitted to two relevant centers. Within the Flatiron Institute, the CCA’s specific mission is to create, develop, and disseminate computational methods, tools, and frameworks that allow scientists to build or analyze big astronomical datasets, and to use computational and statistical techniques to understand complex, multi-scale physics in astrophysical systems ranging in scales from planets to the Universe.

Flatiron Research Fellows are expected to carry out an active research program that is independently directed and is encouraged to involve substantial collaboration with other members of the CCA or Flatiron Institute. In addition to their own research, Fellows help build the rich scientific community at the CCA and Flatiron Institute by participating in seminars, colloquia, and group meetings; developing their software, mathematical, and computational expertise through internal educational opportunities;

and sharing their knowledge through scientific publications, presentations, and/or software releases. Flatiron Research Fellows may also have the opportunity to organize workshops and to mentor graduate and undergraduate students through the CCA Pre-Doctoral Program, the CUNY Astrophysics Masters Program, the Simons-NSBP Scholars Summer Program, and the Astro Com NYC Program. FRFs are welcome to take advantage of CCA partnerships with the Simons Observatory, the Terra Hunting Experiment, Sloan Digital Sky Survey V, Gaia, HIRAX, LIGO, and the NASA SPHEREx mission, and to participate in CCA-related software projects such as MESA, Astro Py, Entity, Dedalus, and PASTA.

In addition, individual CCA research scientists have significant roles in a variety of collaborations and projects, including Learning the Universe, JWST, PRIMA, Rubin, Euclid, Roman, CAMELS, DREAMS, MESA, Astro Py, Dedalus, LIGO, LISA, and Gaia, and would welcome FRF collaborators. More details can be found on our website under “Projects” and “Software”. CCA members also maintain valuable ties with neighboring academic institutions, with many senior CCA scientists having joint faculty appointments.

The CCA welcomes any applicant who feels that their research program would thrive at the CCA. We have also identified a number of strategic areas where we would particularly welcome applicants’ participation, listed on this webpage under the “Strategic Areas” tab.

FRF positions are generally two-year appointments that can be renewed for a third year, contingent on continued performance. FRFs receive a research budget to support travel and visitors. They also have access to the Flatiron Institute’s powerful scientific computing resources, including 2 HPC clusters with a combined 180,000 cores, 600 GPUs, and 60PB of raw storage. FRFs may be eligible for subsidized…