Opportunities
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
In 2025-26, we are doing an open-rank search in the Department of Particle Physics & Astrophysics at SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory. The search covers any area of KIPAC-related science relevant to the DOE-funded SLAC program (Cosmic Frontier experiment, observations, and related theory). The successful candidate would be an active member of the KIPAC community. Candidates at the assistant professor level and whose research engages with the Rubin Observatory are particularly encouraged to apply.
AI-Astro Research Scientist
The Center for Decoding the Universe at Stanford (C4DU), a joint initiative of Stanford Data Science and KIPAC, is seeking applicants for a Research Scientist position. We seek candidates with a track record of research in fundamental AI and/or data science and an interest in tackling problems in modern astrophysical research, or candidates whose primary training is in astrophysics but have a facility with modern methods in AI and data science. The successful candidate will collaborate on problems at the intersection of data science / artificial intelligence (AI) and astrophysics, working with interdisciplinary teams as part of C4DU.
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 (including SCDMS, LZ, and DM Radio), 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.
Postdoctoral Fellowships and Positions
KIPAC has a number of opportunities for postdoctoral fellowships each year, including the Kavli, Porat, and Bunyan Fellowships, and several 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.
Find out more about postdoctoral opportunities at KIPAC
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.
Scientist and Technical Positions
From time to time, KIPAC's projects have specific scientist or technical positions available.
General staff scientist openings at SLAC are rarer but do come up, and are advertised broadly, 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 KIPAC faculty members to discuss possible research opportunities. More information for prospective students, including a partial list of research opportunities.
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 Research Interests of KIPAC Senior Members, and contact the faculty members directly.
In addition, we support a number of external students each year through various summer research programs, including:
- SULI program (Science Undergraduate Laboratory Internships, sponsored by the US DOE) -- deadline for summer 2026 is expected to be January 2026.
- Cal-Bridge Summer program (for students at California State Colleges and Community Colleges) -- TBD.
- SR-EIP program (run by the Leadership Alliance, for students that are underrepresented in science) -- TBD
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.