Opportunities

Research at KIPAC

Below is a list of the current opportunities available at KIPAC. Deadlines and details of the application processes are given on the linked sites. Please check these sites regularly for updated deadlines and details.

Faculty Positions

The Stanford Physics Department will be doing a broad search in theoretical physics or astrophysics in 2023-24.  Please see the posting here. Candidates in all areas of theoretical astrophysics and cosmology are strongly encouraged to apply!

Further information about 2023-24 searches in the Department of Particle Physics and Astrophysics at SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory will be available soon. We do not expect astrophysics-specific faculty searches in 2023-24, but these are possible in the coming years.

Research Scientist Position

KIPAC is seeking applicants for a Research Scientist position working at the intersection of data science/artificial intelligence (AI) and astrophysics. Ideal candidates are expected to have a track record of research in fundamental AI and/or data science and an interest in tackling problems in astrophysical research, or have an astrophysics background and an understanding of modern methods in AI and data science. Please see the posting here.  

Postdoctoral Fellowships and Positions

KIPAC has a number of opportunities for postdoctoral fellowships each year, including the Kavli and Porat prize fellowships, in addition to postdoctoral positions working on specific projects.  Applications are due each November for positions that begin in the summer or fall of the following year. Research interests at KIPAC cover a range of areas in astrophysics and cosmology, including a broad range of experimental, computational, observational, and theoretical topics, and we encourage applications for postdoctoral fellows in all of these areas. In addition to our own fellowships, we proudly host applicants for nationally competitive prize fellowship programs, including the NASA Hubble Fellowship Program, the NSF Astronomy and Astrophysics Fellowship Program, the Jansky Fellowships, the Brinson Prize Fellowship, the LSSTC Catalyst Fellowship, the NSERC Fellowships and others.

If you are on the job market, or intend to be in the near future, you may be interested in applying to give a Tea Talk at KIPAC.

Panofsky Fellowship at SLAC

The Panofsky Fellowship is a five-year fellowship, intended to recognize exceptional and promising young scientists who would most benefit from the unique opportunity to conduct their research at SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, including research in all of the leading Cosmic Frontier surveys (DES, DESI, LSST, and CMB-S4), dark matter experiments, and theoretical and computational cosmology.  The Panofsky Fellowship provides a pathway to a continuing staff appointment at SLAC, and provides generous research support, including funding for a postdoctoral researcher.

Scientist and Technical Positions

From time to time, the KIPAC's projects advertize specific scientist or technical positions. In particular, Operations Scientist positions are currently being advertised for the Vera Rubin Observatory.

General staff scientist openings at SLAC are rarer but do come up, and are advertized similar to KIPAC faculty positions.

To search for open positions across projects at SLAC, see the SLAC Careers webpage.

Visiting Scientists

We have an active program of visitors to KIPAC and encourage visits from scientists interested in any of the areas in which we do research. If you would like to visit KIPAC, please contact any of our members. Local and Travel information for visitors is available here.

Graduate Students

KIPAC provides excellent opportunities for graduate students to do cutting-edge research in a wide range of topics in astrophysics and cosmology. Prospective graduate students should apply to the Physics Department at Stanford. Both prospective and current students are encouraged to contact any of the KIPAC faculty members to discuss possible research opportunities. More information for prospective students, including a partial list of research opportunities can be found here.

Undergraduate Students

Several KIPAC members have research opportunities for Stanford undergraduate students.

Stanford undergraduates have opportunities to work on research projects either for summer internships, or for course credit (Physics 190) during the fall, winter, and spring quarters. Students should look at KIPAC Faculty Research Interests, and contact the faculty members directly.

In addition, we support a number of external students each year through various summer research programs, including: 

  • the SULI program (Science Undergraduate Laboratory Internships, sponsored by the US DOE) -- deadline for summer 2023: January 10, 2023
  • the Cal-Bridge Summer program (for students at California State Colleges and Community Colleges) -- deadline for summer 2023: February 1, 2023
  • the SR-EIP program (run by the Leadership Alliance, for students that are underrepresented in science) -- deadline for summer 2023: February 1, 2023

High School Students

The RISE (Raising Interest in Science and Engineering) Summer Internship Program for High School Students is sponsored by the Stanford Office of Science Outreach, and there are occasional opportunities to participate in this program hosted by a group at KIPAC. 

Other Opportunities at Stanford & SLAC