"Assistant Professor, Astronomy"

Assistant Professor of Astronomy

College of Liberal Arts & Sciences

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

The Astronomy Department in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign invites applications for a full-time, tenure-track Assistant Professor to start August 16, 2026. Candidates in all areas of observational and theoretical astronomy and astrophysics will be considered, although we particularly encourage applicants who will contribute new expertise in the areas of exoplanets, and/or astrophysical applications of artificial intelligence/machine learning. Successful candidates are expected to teach effectively at both the undergraduate and graduate levels, establish and maintain an active and independent research program, and provide service to the department, the university and the profession.

The department hosts vibrant research programs that span cosmology, compact objects, galaxies, stars, and planets. Astrophysical surveys, data-intensive astronomy, and computational astrophysics are departmental and campus strengths. U. Illinois faculty are actively engaged in such projects and collaborations as: Event Horizon Telescope (EHT); Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS-V); South Pole Telescope (SPT); Subaru Prime Focus Spectrograph (PFS); Vera C. Rubin Observatory and the Legacy Survey of Space and Time (LSST); Young Supernova Experiment (YSE). The Astronomy Department has strong ties to the highly ranked Department of Physics, the Grainger College of Engineering, and the National Center for Supercomputing Application (NCSA). Our campus supports crosscutting astrophysics research through the Center for AstroPhysical Surveys (CAPS) that advances astrophysical survey science efforts across campus, and the Illinois Center for Advanced Studies of the Universe (ICASU) that supports interdisciplinary inquiry in fundamental physics.

Candidates must have a Ph.D. in Astronomy, Astrophysics, Physics, or a closely related field. We seek applicants who show evidence of research productivity and demonstrate teaching and mentorship effectiveness, the potential for an externally funded research program, and the ability to lead collaborative efforts to utilize, or interpret data from, major current and upcoming astronomical facilities.

Candidates whose PhD may be delayed but will complete all the Ph.D. requirements within the first appointment year may be appointed at the rank of Instructor. After the Ph.D. requirement is met, the appointment will be changed to Assistant Professor.

The budgeted salary range for the position is $95,000-$105,000 for a 9-month service basis. The pay offered to the selected candidate will be determined based on factors including (but not limited to) the experience and qualifications of the selected candidate including equivalent years in rank, training, and field or discipline; internal equity; and external market pay for comparable jobs. It is not typical for a beginning Assistant Professor to be offered a salary at or near the top of the full range for the position.

We have an active and successful dual-career partner placement program and a strong commitment to work-life balance and family-friendly programs for faculty and staff (http://provost.illinois.edu/faculty-affairs/work-life-balance/).

To find out more about the resources available at the university and Urbana-Champaign community please visit these sites:

• Dual Career Program
• Benefits
• Living in Champaign-Urbana

Please create your candidate profile through https://go.illinois.edu/AstroFacultySearch and upload the following application materials: (1) one-page cover letter, (2) curriculum vitae with publication list, (3) statement of research plans (up to 3 pages), (4) teaching and mentoring statement (up to 2 pages), and (5) email addresses for three professional references who can provide letters of recommendation.

We ask that all documents be uploaded in a single .pdf file as an upload in the "Resume/CV" section. Only applications submitted through the University of Illinois Job Board will be considered.

Requests for recommendation letters will be sent no more than 2 business days after submission of the online application, and thus candidates should apply early to allow timely notification of references.

To ensure full consideration, all materials must be submitted by the closing date of November 3, 2025; letters of reference should be received no later than November 7, 2025. Although early applications are appreciated and some interviews may be conducted before the closing date, all applications submitted by the closing date will receive full consideration. For more information about the Department or the search, please email search@astro.illinois.edu or go to www.astro.illinois.edu. Questions regarding application materials should be sent to lascollegehiring@illinois.edu. For questions regarding the application portal, please contact 217-333-2137 or jobs@illinois.edu.