"Postdoctoral Researcher in Extragalactic Astrophysics"

Job Details

Haverford College invites applications for our full-time (37.5 hours per week), fixed-term (2 year appointment), exempt, benefits-eligible Postdoctoral Research in Extragalactic Astrophysics opportunity.

Haverford Offers Great Benefits:

The College offers a comprehensive benefits program that includes possible work-from-home opportunities, automatic 10% retirement contribution to your retirement account upon eligibility (no match required), a 50% tuition benefit for dependent children upon eligibility, 14 paid holidays (including the week before New Year's Day off), Health Savings Account contribution of $700 for individuals and $1400 for families (no match required), affordable medical plans, and a beautiful arboretum campus with walking trail and easy public transportation access. Please visit the Benefits page (https://www.haverford.edu/human-resources/benefits) for more information.

Work Location: On-Site

About Haverford College Physics and Astronomy

Haverford College's Physics & Astronomy department, is a research active physics and astronomy department in a primarily undergraduate institution (PUI). In recent years the department has graduated up to 30 majors (typically 25% in astrophysics), and has seven tenure line faculty, a laboratory instructor/observatory technician and 1-6 visiting or research faculty/staff (depending on year/semester). The person hired will have an office across the hall from the PI in the historic Strawbridge Observatory (which also boasts a 12" and 16" telescope, used for classes and public observing); the rest of the department is based in the Koshland Integrated Natural Sciences Center (KINSC) building complex across campus.

Haverford College, and its Arboretum campus is located in the “Main Line” suburbs of Philadelphia. Philadelphia is an easy 15-20-minute trip by train (20-25 min drive).

About the Position

The Postdoctoral Researcher in Extragalactic Astrophysics will work with Karen Masters, Professor of Physics and Astronomy, and collaborators in Galaxy Zoo, the Zooniverse and the Roman Science team on integrating Roman Space Telescope images into Galaxy Zoo. The Postdoctoral Researcher will also lead research projects of mutual interest from analogous (and currently available data) from Galaxy Zoo: Euclid or JWST (COSMOS-web and CEERS). The successful candidate will become a core member of the Galaxy Zoo science team. The Postdoctoral Researcher is responsible for being an active researcher into extragalactic astrophysics in collaboration with Prof. Karen Masters, and meeting NASA Roman funded project goals for working towards launching a Roman Space Telescope version of Galaxy Zoo.

Primary Responsibilities

• Work with collaborators on the Roman Team, Zooniverse and Galaxy Zoo
  • Integrate image cutout tools with the Roman Pipeline
  • Set up the “Roman Galaxy Zoo” project (e.g., cutout generation, target selection)
  • Develop materials to help support development of other Roman Zooniverse projects
  • Publish and disseminate research via the normal routes (expectation for at least one first author paper each year, and collaborative work on more as well as active attendance at a reasonable number of National or International research conferences, workshops, and collaboration meetings)
• Develop research leadership skills via working with undergraduate student researchers
• Collaborate with the Galaxy Zoo science team on research projects

Line of Report: The Postdoctoral Researcher in Extragalactic Astrophysics reports to Karen Masters, Professor of Physics and Astronomy.

Minimum Qualifications

• PhD in Astronomy/Astrophysics or related field

Professional Competencies

• Ability to work with astronomical imaging data
• Interest in developing software to support astronomical surveys/teams
• Ability to work collaboratively with a distributed team
• Interest in working on research in extragalactic astrophysics
• Interest in working in a citizen science project
• Interest in working with undergraduate student researchers

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience working in a citizen science project
• Experience working with undergraduate student researchers
• Prior experience publishing extragalactic astrophysics research
• Prior experience working on astronomical software/pipeline development

We are aware that some people are less likely to apply for jobs unless they meet qualifications as described in the job advertisement. We are most interested in finding the best candidate for the job, and recognize that a successful candidate may come from a less traditional career trajectory, and have skills and abilities gained outside a classroom context, or an equivalent skill set. We encourage you to apply and share how you meet the position's qualifications.

To Apply: Interested applicants are invited to submit an application, to include a cover letter and resume, through Haverford College's career website via Workday (no other form of application is accepted) by visiting https://haverford.wd1.myworkdayjobs.com/External/job/Haverford-Campus/Postdoctoral-Researcher-in-Extragalactic-Astrophysics_R927. The application deadline is September 28, 2025. Application review will begin after the deadline has passed. Please email recruiting@haverford.edu with questions about submitting your materials. Should the search committee be interested in pursuing your candidacy, you will hear from them directly. Finalists will be asked to provide three professional references.

Haverford College is an Equal Opportunity employer committed to diversity, equity, inclusion, social justice, and providing equal opportunities and access to all individuals regardless of race, ethnicity, religion, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin or ancestry, age, marital status, disability, or veteran status. Women, non-binary and transgender individuals, people of color, Indigenous people, and those with other or multiple historically marginalized and/or underrepresented identities are especially encouraged to apply.

We at Haverford College recognize that we live and work on Lenape land and pay respect and honor to the caretakers of this land, from the time of its first human inhabitants until now, and into the future. We seek to maintain and build upon our current and ever-evolving connections with members of Lenape tribes and communities, in recognition of our intertwined histories and with a goal of moving toward right relationship between the Haverford of today and Lenape peoples.