OBS Postdoctoral Fellowships
Carnegie Science offers postdoctoral fellowships supporting independent research in observational/theoretical astronomy and instrumentation, with access to world-class telescopes and computing resources.
Funder: Carnegie Science
Due Dates (Anticipated): October 2026: CTAC/Carnegie-Caltech/Carnegie-USC theoretical fellowships full application deadline (projected) | November 2026: Carnegie Postdoctoral Research Fellowship application materials deadline via Interfolio (projected) | November 2026: Reference letters due for Carnegie Postdoctoral Research Fellowship (projected)
Funding Amounts: Annual salary typically $84,500–$85,750; research budget ~$12,000/year; appointments are 2–3 years (observational/theoretical) or up to 3–5 years (instrumentation).
Summary: Supports independent postdoctoral research in observational/theoretical astronomy and instrumentation, offering access to premier telescopes and computing resources.
Description
The Carnegie Science Observatories offer several prestigious postdoctoral fellowship programs in astronomy, astrophysics, and astronomical instrumentation. Fellows can pursue independent research in observational or theoretical astrophysics, as well as instrumentation development, and benefit from access to world-class facilities such as the Magellan, du Pont, and Swope telescopes at Las Campanas Observatory in Chile, as well as high-performance computing resources at Caltech and Carnegie.
Programs include the Carnegie Postdoctoral Research Fellowship (observational/instrumentation focus), the Brinson Prize Fellowship in Instrumentation, and three theoretical fellowships: Carnegie Theoretical Astrophysics Center (CTAC), Carnegie-Caltech, and Carnegie-USC. Each program encourages collaboration, innovation, and offers a supportive environment for scientific advancement. Fellows are expected to conduct research of their choice and may also participate in ongoing instrumentation projects.
