"Postdoctoral Scholar - Space Sciences Laboratory - UC Berkeley"

Position overview

Salary range: The UC postdoc salary scales set the minimum pay determined by experience level at appointment. See the following table(s) for the current salary scale(s) for this position: UC postdoc salary scales A reasonable estimate for this position is $70,902-$79,014.

Percent time: 100

Anticipated start: Spring 2026

Position duration: 2 years with the possibility of renewal depending on performance and availability of funding.

Application Window

Open date: September 12, 2025

Next review date: Monday, Jan 12, 2026 at 11:59pm (Pacific Time) Apply by this date to ensure full consideration by the committee.

Final date: Saturday, Jan 31, 2026 at 11:59pm (Pacific Time) Applications will continue to be accepted until this date, but those received after the review date will only be considered if the position has not yet been filled.

Position description

We are seeking a postdoctoral scholar for the NSF ATI-funded project, 'Advancing Adaptive Optics into the Visible for Black Hole Science.' The scholar will be supervised and mentored by Prof. Jessica Lu at UC Berkeley and will also collaborate with Dr. Antonin Bouchez at the W.M. Keck Observatory.

The postdoc will perform an in-depth study of the adaptive optics (AO) wavefront error budget both for the current laser-guide star AO systems at Keck and for a future visible-light AO system on the Keck I telescope. This study includes use of analytic error budgets and high-fidelity wave-optics simulation of the telescope, AO system, and instrument. This 'digital twin' of the Keck I AO system will be used to evaluate the impact of optical and calibration errors of the current system and compared, in detail, to on-bench and on-sky telemetry for a deeper understanding of residual wavefront errors and delivered AO performance. Responsibilities include designing experiments, data collection, data analysis and interpretation, running simulations, drafting and disseminating results, and designing publicly available web tools based on the techniques and results from the research project.

The postdoc will conduct work both at UC Berkeley and at Keck Observatory for extended periods of time. The exact duration of work at each location is negotiable.

The postdoc will work with both the Keck Observatory AO team and with the UC Berkeley Moving Universe Lab team. These teams include experts in adaptive optics, opto-mechanics, high-speed detectors, real-time control computing, hardware and software, high-performance computing, and data science. The postdoc will have access to lab space at UC Berkeley and Keck Observatory headquarters and will actively work with the Keck AO systems.

Department: Space Sciences Laboratory

Lab: Keck Observatory

Qualifications

Basic qualifications (required at time of application) PhD (or equivalent international degree) or enrolled in a PhD (or equivalent international degree) program

Additional qualifications (required at time of start) - PhD or equivalent international degree - No more than 3-years post PhD research experience

Preferred qualifications - Ph.D. degree, or equivalent degree, PhD Physics, Astronomy/Astrophysics, Optical Engineering, Electrical Engineering.

Application Requirements

Document requirements

• Curriculum Vitae - Your most recently updated C.V.
• Cover Letter
• Research Statement - Please discuss research accomplishments and proposed plans. This can include, for example, your publication record, awards, presentations, inclusive research practices that promote the excellence of your research, and areas for future research.

Reference requirements 3 required (contact information only)

Apply link: https://aprecruit.berkeley.edu/JPF05060

Help contact: kimking@berkeley.edu

Job location Berkeley, CA