Postdoctoral Researcher – Protoplanetary Disks and Planet Formation
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Job Location:
University Park, IL - USA
Monthly Salary:
Not Disclosed
Posted on:
06-11-2025
Vacancies:
1 Vacancy
Job Summary
APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS:
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This is a term position; length of the term will be discussed during the interview process. Continuation past the termlengthdiscussed willbebasedonuniversityneedperformanceand/oravailabilityoffunding.POSITION SPECIFICS
Position Specifics
The Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics at Penn State invites applications for a postdoctoral researcher to work with Professor J. J. Zanazzi and collaborators. We are looking for a postdoctoral researcher to study planet formation during the protoplanetary disk phase. These investigations will entail hydrodynamic simulations and first-principles calculations of how embedded planets binary companions and/or streamers affect protoplanetary disks to make theoretical predictions that can be tested by addition the postdoc will be encouraged to develop their own research program in collaboration with and in parallel to Prof. Zanazzi.
Penn State hosts a vibrant community of scientists working on many aspects of exoplanetary astrophysics including the Center for Exoplanets and Habitable Worlds the Consortium for Planetary and Exoplanetary Science and Technology the Astrobiology Research Center the Extraterrestrial Intelligence Center and the Planetary Science Center. Penn State is heavily involved with the development and implementation of the Habitable Zone Planet Finder and the NEID Spectrograph with institutional access to the Hobby Eberly Telescope and WIYN telescope. Computing access is supplied by the Penn State Institute for Computational and Data Sciences.
Education and Experience
A PhD in Physics Astronomy or a closely related field is required. Experience with hydrodynamical simulations of protoplanetary disks and/or post-processing to generate mock observations from continuum line and/or scattered light emission would be a plus.
Additional Information
Applications must be submitted electronically and include a cover letter statement of research interests a CV and a list of addition please arrange for three professional reference letters to be sent to .
Applications received by January 15 2026 will receive full consideration but will be accepted until the position is filled. The search is expected to end by March 15 2026. The expected start date is August 15 2026 but is negotiable. Questions regarding the application process can be directed to J. J. Zanazzi at .
BACKGROUND CHECKS/CLEARANCES
Employment with the University will require successful completion of background check(s) in accordance with University policies.BENEFITS
Penn State provides a competitive benefits package for full-time employees designed to support both personal and professional well-being.For more detailed information please visit ourBenefits Page.
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Key Skills
- Intelligence Community Experience
- Python
- Spss
- Microsoft Word
- R
- Regression Analysis
- Windows
- Stata
- Microsoft Powerpoint
- Research Experience
- Data Modeling
- Writing Skills
About Company
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