Postdoctoral Research Positions at Penn State Center for Exoplanets & Habitable Worlds

POSITION SPECIFICS

The Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics, and the Center for Exoplanets and Habitable Worlds (CEHW) at Penn State invite applications for one or more Postdoctoral Researcher positions. Successful applicants will work with CEHW faculty on theoretical, observational, and/or instrumentation projects. We are particularly interested in applicants interested in contributing to:

• planning, execution, analysis and science for planet surveys such as the near-infrared RV survey being conducted by the Habitable Zone Planet Finder on the 10m Hobby-Eberly telescope to discover planets around M dwarfs and/or the high-precision RV survey of solar-type stars being conducted with the NEID instrument on the WIYN 3.5m telescope;
• improving technology, algorithms, and data analysis to mitigate stellar activity;
• precursor science for the Habitable Worlds Observatory using NEID and/or HPF;
• characterization of the atmospheres and surfaces of exoplanets using JWST;
• the search for extraterrestrial intelligence
• pushing forward instrumentation and techniques for precision spectroscopy and radial velocity to enable detection of terrestrial mass planets using existing instruments, as well as development of new instrumentation and experiments.

Applicants should have a Ph.D. in Astronomy, Physics, Planetary Science, Statistics, or a related field prior to the start date. The position start date is flexible. Applications must be submitted electronically and include a cover letter (clearly stating the primary faculty member or members they would like to work with), statement of research interests, a CV, and a list of publications.

Applicants must also arrange for PDF letters of reference to be uploaded to (Use the "Apply for this Job" box below). Questions regarding the application process can be directed to astro-jobs. Please reference the job number in the email subject line. Review of applications will begin January 4th and continue until all positions are filled. Applications received by January 3, 2026, will receive full consideration.

This is a term position; length of the term will be discussed during the interview process. Continuation past the term length discussed will be based on university need, performance, and/or availability of funding.

Information regarding benefits may be found at -appts

Penn State provides a competitive benefits package for full-time employees designed to support both personal and professional well-being.

For more detailed information, please visit our Benefits Page.

Employment with the University will require successful completion of background check(s) in accordance with University policies.

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