Carnegie Postdoctoral Fellowships Earth and Planets Laboratory Job Washington area,District of Columbia USA,Research/Development

The Earth and Planets Laboratory (EPL), a division of the Carnegie Institution for Science, invites applications for postdoctoral fellowships at its campus in Washington, DC. Multiple independent research fellowships are available in our interdisciplinary basic research laboratory covering a wide range of fields.

EPL scientists engage in observational, experimental and theoretical research on topics including astrobiology, astronomy, cosmochemistry, experimental petrology, geobiology, geochemistry, geodynamics, geophysics, informatics, mineral physics, planetary science, physics and chemistry of materials (including materials at extreme conditions, superconductors and ferroelectrics at the atomic scale), seismology, and volcano logy. Applicants' primary field of research should overlap with one or more of these areas. Fellows should have an original research plan but should also share research interests with our scientists who can serve as mentors.

Interdisciplinary research and collaboration with multiple research areas on campus is encouraged.

New fellows will join a supportive community of about 25 postdoctoral scientists and 28 staff and research scientists engaged in understanding the origin and evolution of Earth and planets and materials under extreme conditions. More information about our research and facilities can be viewed at https://carnegiescience.edu/epl and about our postdoctoral fellowships and experience at https://carnegiescience.edu/about/working/postdocs/epl.

Our postdoctoral fellows have access to world-class laboratory facilities in analytical geochemistry and cosmochemistry, high-pressure research, materials structure and properties characterization, and astrobiology; computational facilities to support theoretical and data-analytic investigations; and Carnegie's Las Campanas Observatory. Funding is available for travel to scientific conferences, user facilities, and observation sites, as well as publications. At EPL, we foster an exceptionally collegial research environment and emphasize mentoring, including professional development opportunities specifically for postdocs.

Qualifications

Applicants should have a Ph.D. in a relevant field by the start of the fellowship. EPL Postdoctoral Fellowships are awarded once a year, with allowed start dates between July 1 and December 31, 2027. The principal selection criteria will be research accomplishment, promise of future achievement, originality and achievability of the research proposal, independence, and relevance to ongoing scientific pursuits ice for crafting a compelling application and sample applications are available on our postdoctoral website.

Only complete applications submitted here will be considered and must include:

a cover letter (1 page max)

curriculum vitae

list of publications

research plan / proposal (4 pages max, inclusive of figures and references)

a brief description of previous research (3 pages max, all inclusive)

three reference letters from scientists familiar with your work

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 research atmosphere but should not use it to repeat what is in the other documents.

Submission triggers Interfolio to send instructions to your references so that they can submit their letters. You can edit your application up until the deadline, so please submit well in advance to give your references time to respond.

The deadline for all application materials including reference letters, is November 1, 2026. Address any questions to eplfellowship.

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