Graduate Student Research Assistant

Graduate Student Research Assistant

Part-Time Temporary

June 22 2026 to August 21 2026

About the Adler Planetarium

The Adler Planetarium connects people to the universe and each other. Whether introducing a guest to the Ring Nebula a neighborhood school to a community partner a research team to a network of citizen scientists or one staff member to another the Adlers focus on meaningful connections dates back nearly a century.

Today the museum typically hosts more than half a million visitors annually and reaches millions more through youth STEAM programs neighborhood skywatching events online citizen science and other outreach efforts. With Adlers support people of all ages backgrounds and abilities gain the confidence to explore their universe together and return to their communities ready to think critically and creatively about any challenge that comes their way.

The Position

The Adler Planetarium is seeking a Graduate Student Research Assistant to join our dynamic team on Chicagos Museum Campus.

The Graduate Student Research Assistant will conduct astrophysics research under the supervision of the Senior Director of Astronomy. They will participate in the design and evaluation of the ASOM (Asteroid Surface Observation Mission) NEO flyby mission.

This individual will also be responsible for:

• Participating in the design and evaluation of the ASOM (Asteroid Surface Observation Mission) NEO flyby mission.

• Building an asteroid detection model loosely based on LSST parameters.

• Constructing a pipeline for inversion of lightcurve measurements into a 3-D asteroid shape model for use in modeling the Yarkovsky effect.

The Work Schedule

The typical work schedule for this position is 20 hours per week from 10 AM to 3 PM with a flextime and telecommuting option4 days a week telecommuting and 0 days onsite at the museum. There will be occasional face-to-face meetings at the Adler. The position will start from June 22 to August 21 2026.

The Compensation & Benefits (Part-Time)

Base Pay Range: $19.02/hr

Work-Life Balance

• 7 to 25-hour workweek

• Eligible to accrue up to 6 vacation days per year

• 3 sick days as of date of hire (can accrue up to 6.5 days per year)

• Eligible to earn time and a half for working on any of the 7 Adler observed holidays

• Flexible work arrangements

• Paid Family Bereavement Leave & Jury Duty

• Paid Parental Leave

Commuter flexible spending account

Retirement Savings Plan

• 403B plan with Adler match

• Adler match is 100% vested immediately

• Eligible to enroll as of the date of hire

Network of Support through our EAP programs

• Resources to help address emotional legal and financial issues

• Face-to-face telephonic and web-based services

• Free subscription to the Calm Premium app

Employee Loan Program

Discounted Onsite Parking Program

Free Entrance to Chicago area museums and cultural institutions

The Person

The person must have a demonstrated interest in space-based asteroid observations and have strong communication skills. Attention to detail and commitment to working as a team are a plus.

Required Qualifications:

• Must be enrolled in a course of study leading to a Masters degree in Physics Astronomy or other related field

• At least 1 year of experience with research projects.

• Knowledge of asteroid properties photometric performance of telescopes and the Yarkovsky effect

• Demonstrated ability to code in Python

The Adler Planetarium is dedicated to complying with its Equal Opportunity Employer obligations. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to any characteristic protected by federal state or local law.

If you need a reasonable accommodation for any part of the employment process please email the Human Resources Department atwith the nature of your request and your contact information. Accommodation requests will be considered on a case-by-case basis.