Postdoctoral Scholarship in Time Domain Astronomy
Full Time/Postdoctoral
Education
15 Sep 2025
Pasadena
Verified by Turrior
Content + Source + Freshness • 13 Dec 2025 • 95% confidence
88 / 100
Offer value
Strong value due to the cutting-edge research in time domain astronomy and the opportunity for interdisciplinary collaboration.
- Cutting-edge research in time domain astronomy
- Opportunities for long-term career growth in a prestigious institution
- Collaboration with renowned faculty in various fields
- Competitive environment for ambitious postdoctoral researchers
Pros
- Access to leading-edge research projects and technologies
- Collaboration with top faculty and researchers
- Potential for significant contributions to emerging fields
Cons
- Highly competitive application process for top candidates
- Shorter initial appointment with a third year contingent on performance
- Might require relocation for those outside the region
Who it's for
Early to Mid-career • Onsite (Caltech)
Good fit
- Aspiring astrophysicists looking for vigorous research roles
- Individuals eager to collaborate on significant astronomical discoveries
- Researchers wanting to utilize advanced data science techniques
Not recommended for
- Candidates not focused on astronomy or astrophysics
- Those preferring roles with limited research demands
- Individuals from unrelated fields without relevant experience
Motivation fit
Desire to work with cutting-edge astronomical instrumentsInterest in collaborative and interdisciplinary researchWillingness to engage deeply in niche scientific fields
Key skills
Astrophysical research techniquesData analysis and interpretationCollaboration in interdisciplinary teams
Score: 88/100 AI verified analysis
About the job
The Division of Physics, Mathematics and Astronomy at Caltech will offer one or more postdoctoral scholarships in time domain astronomy. Active research projects include:
- Transient and stellar astronomy studies with the Zwicky Transient Facility (ZTF; Caltech is the PI institution) and Sloan Digital Sky Survey-V (Caltech is a member of SDSS-V)
- Infrared transient searches with the ongoing PGIR and WINTER surveys at Palomar Observatory; the upcoming Cryoscope pathfinder in Antarctica; the upcoming Roman Space Telescope (the RAPID PIT and RISE WFS teams are led by Caltech)
- Stellar astrometry and spectroscopy with Gaia and Euclid
- Machine learning and astroinformatics, including work connected with jointly querying ZTF and Rubin data streams and developing software infrastructure enabling multi-messenger discovery
- Systematic studies of AGN variability focusing on extreme transient phenomena in accretion disks and supermassive black hole binaries
- Data mining of extensive light curve archives, including the ZTF Variability Archive (ZVAR), for populations studies of variable phenomena with two decades of data
Associated faculty are Professors Mansi Kasliwal, Matthew Graham, Kareem El-Badry, and Shri Kulkarni. Technical and observational investigations are underway in several areas of optical and infrared time domain astronomy including supernovae, fast radio bursts, gravitational wave counterparts, magnetars, quasars/AGN, exoplanets and compact Galactic binary systems. Postdoctoral scholars will also have the opportunity to interact frequently with Caltech, KITP, and Berkeley faculty through the ZTF Theory Network. Postdocs interested in theory should apply for the Burke Fellowship. Where relevant, this position may be combined with opportunities at other institutional members of the ZTF partnership and SDSS-V partnership.
We encourage applications from candidates interested in developing and/or applying state-of-the-art data science techniques to time domain astronomy problems and large data sets.
The postdoctoral scholarship position will start September 1, 2026 or earlier. The duration of the scholarships is up to three years: an initial two-year appointment with a third year contingent upon satisfactory performance and availability of funds. Scholarship recipients will have the opportunity to propose for time on all of Caltech's astronomical facilities, including those at Palomar Observatory and at the W. M. Keck Observatory.
Electronic copies of the curriculum vitae, publications list (indicate articles which appeared in refereed journals), and statement of research interests are required. The applicant is requested to ensure that at least three letters of recommendation are provided.
Salary range: $72,723 - $75,268
The salary of the finalist(s) selected for this role will be set based on a variety of factors, including but not limited to, experience, qualifications, skills, education, specialty, training, and internal equity.
