Below is an overview/compilation of useful resources for applying to jobs in Astronomy/Astrophysics
Please email fsbroekgaarden[@]gmail.com (remove “[]”) if you have suggestions for things to add. We hope this will soon become an independent GitHub page (or a page somewhere else)
Note that all advice is coming from the writer’s perspective, and often works for some but not everyone – take what works for you!
Applying to Internships/post-bacc
Applying to Summer schools/internships resources
- astrobetter website with opportunities: https://www.astrobetter.com/wiki/Summer+Internships
- ESO internships: http://www.eso.org/…/FeSt-overview/ESOstudentship.html
- Document with tips on how to find research opportunities post BSc / Baccalaureate: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1yQFGidu6PL_Oif5jYfK4p1Xx7jXq96QYSccjdI8zGV8/edit?usp=sharing
- twitter list of summer internships: https://twitter.com/astrocaits/status/1483271895961190403
- Masters and Bridge programs overview https://www.astrobetter.com/wiki/Masters+Bridge+Programs
Applying to PhD
Websites that provide overviews/resources.
- Melinda Soares-Furtado, has created a Discord for undergraduate students who are applying the coming year(s) to PhD programs and who would benefit from connecting with a digital network of grad school applicants (including current PhD students, postdocs and professor who can answer questions.). You can email her if you want to get an invite to this Discord: mmsoares[@]wisc.edu.
Additionally:
- A document on “applying for PhD positions in Astronomy & Astrophysics”. This document is written by (former) PhD students and gives tips and tricks on how to find, and apply to PhD positions. It also shares some experiences and advices from former students. [EU focused] See: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1mHZFVskJ8uEF5xdMnsq1LRMDaQtUVggPLWg5uUNSxD4/edit?usp=sharing
- A guide on Applying to STEM PhD programs by George Iskander https://github.com/gwisk/gradguide
- Applying to (STEM) PhD programs from undergrad by Eric Gagliano https://docs.google.com/document/d/1edbNoCX0frs4gl2jCYWNsBhVEcC049xTE-4f-bouJzw/edit#heading=h.gb8sasm9ubee [USA focused]
USA focused:
- Really helpful Workshop/Video series on applying to grad school in the USA by Women+ of Color Project: https://thewocproject.org/resources
- Really helpful USA PhD application timeline, expectations & resources, by Mia de los Reyes: PhD application timeline! (and see for more https://mdlreyes.github.io/)
- Really helpful website with overview of resources by Pearce Logan: http://www.loganpearcescience.com/index.html, incl info about reference letters, fellowships, writing, etc.
- NSF GRFP: website with examples of applications to the NSF graduate research fellowship grant https://www.alexhunterlang.com/nsf-fellowship
- More NSF GRFP advice: https://www.loganpearcescience.com/resources/GRFP_common_feedback.pdf
- Really helpful resources/overview of applying for PhDs for USA students by DJ Strouse, including info about Ford, NSF, NDSEG, DOE CSGF, and Hertz: https://djstrouse.com/guide-to-applying-to-us-science-phd-programs-and-fellowships
- GRE requirement for grad schools: Here’s a rough list with universities and whether they dropped the general/physics requirement https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/19UhYToXOPZkZ3CM469ru3Uwk4584CmzZyAVVwQJJcyc/edit?usp=drive_web&ouid=105945932062731719388 – this is also a nice spreadsheet that lists astronomy departments in the USA
- Applying to graduate school, [general/USA focused], by Women+ of Color project application workshop 2019, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-N-M8MR0WPY&ab_channel=TheW%2BOCProject
The purpose of this panel is to give participants a basic overview of the graduate school application process. This panel will cover the general application format, what admissions committees are looking for, and how to approach organizing your applications. - Statement of Purpose, [general/USA focused], by Women+ of Color project Application workshop 2019, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5oQxATL08SM&ab_channel=TheW%2BOCProject
- Demystifying the graduate admission process , [general/USA focused], by Women+ of Color project Application workshop 2019, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5oQxATL08SM&ab_channel=TheW%2BOCProject
- Recommendation letters [general/USA focused], by Osase Omoruyi and the Women+ of Color project Application workshop 2019 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AstUVUGKf7E&ab_channel=TheW%2BOCProject
- List of Fellowships you can apply to: https://astrobites.org/2018/04/27/list-of-major-us-fellowships-for-astronomy-students/
Europe focused:
- “How to apply for grad school in Europe” by Yvette Cendes / Astrobites https://astrobites.org/2014/06/13/how-to-apply-for-grad-school-in-europe/
- A document on “applying for PhD positions in Astronomy & Astrophysics”. This document is written by (former) PhD students and gives tips and tricks on how to find, and apply to PhD positions. It also shares some experiences and advices from former students. See: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1mHZFVskJ8uEF5xdMnsq1LRMDaQtUVggPLWg5uUNSxD4/edit?usp=sharing – the departments information is European focused, but many of the advices are more general
How to find PhD Places:
- Jennifer Burt compiled a list of PhD programs at places with exoplanet-focused faculty. https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1Nbuc9yzjK9KooiFb73b6KH5UwWFcSd-A8soz2pq0Ffg/edit?usp=sharing
- There’s a list of places for postdocs/Phds for Gravitational Waves through GWECS:
GW host institutes list
GW Fellowships & Grants list - Find astronomy jobs through: https://jobregister.aas.org/ (usually peaks around September/October in announcements).
- Look at department websites that you are interested in.
- Ask your mentors and collaborators for suggestions!
Writing Research Statements /Application
- Useful Common feedback for research statements by Logan Pearce: http://www.loganpearcescience.com/resources/common-feedback-workshop.pdf
- Logan Peace advice about writing personal statements https://loganpearce.wordpress.com/2023/06/22/doing-good-academia-writing-personal-statements/
Interviews:
- Here are some interview tips for US-based astro grad programs from Mia de los Reyes: https://twitter.com/MiaDoesAstro/status/1482947935562350599?fbclid=IwAR0UjHYBV1XUyQbs2zPOvV4gG42-EsrQ-k3YhhmjDGcUHaUkuVh7rMmPwtw
- List of potential grad school/PhD interview questions from Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/gradadmissions/comments/a4vpc4/master_list_of_interview_questions/
Funding
- Resources of funding for STEAM students https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1V_pvhqWliwqLhAVcXikxAEuJPD4mwwgl9LEgOnzN-zM/edit?gid=1417047090#gid=1417047090
- Fellowships & Funding [general/USA focused], by the Women+ of Color project Application workshop 2019 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UynK5ZarDR8&ab_channel=TheW%2BOCProject
Questions You should ask!
It is important that during this process you also find out whether a place is the right fit for *you*. Community and mentor support have a significant impact on your happiness and success in academia, so it is important to identify whether a place has the right support for you. Here are some resources to help
- List of questions about what to ask when applying: “Questions for Graduate Programs” https://t.co/LSNW09sQvh, Original contributions by Dra Nicole Cabrera Salazar, and further contributions by Nadirah Farah Foley, Leah Fulmer, Michelle Lin and others.
- See also the list of questions on https://ubadahsabbagh.com/guide-to-postdoc.php
Reference letters
- Really helpful recommendations for how to get good reference letters by Arianna Long: https://twitter.com/astroarianna/status/1582039372282486786
Applying to Postdocs
General overviews demystifying the application process:
- “Guide to postdocs Applications part 1” https://astrobites.org/2022/08/02/guide-to-postdoc-apps-part1/ ,
“Guide to postdoc Applications part 2” https://astrobites.org/2022/08/03/guide-to-postdoc-apps-part2/
These are great guides that walk you through the main things to think about when applying for postdocs, and provide links to resources for each stage of the postdoc application.
Astrobites: The series written by Mia de los Reyes and Luna Zagorac and edited by Pratik Gandhi, Lina Kimmig, Ishan Misra, and Jenny Calahan. - Workshop presentation on “How to apply for PostDocs (in the USA)” by David Charbonneau: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hTc8_5B6zzU&ab_channel=HarvardAstronomyVideo, & slides: Charbonneau_how_to_apply_to_a_postdoc
- Really helpful page with resources and timeline on how to apply for postdocs (and many examples with spreadsheets, draft emails, reference letter emails etc.) by Taylor Hitchison
https://aibhleog.github.io/job-cycle.html - Hot to find, apply for, and choose a postdoc by Ubadah Sabbagh
https://ubadahsabbagh.com/guide-to-postdoc.php [general STEM]
More Postdoc application ppt slides and guides:
- Great PDF of presentation slides on “how to apply for PhD/PostDocs by Sera Markoff”, with many advices: how2apply_bhi_slides https://www.dropbox.com/s/bxqtqislktyaif9/how2apply_bhi_slides.pdf?dl=0
- Great PDF slides of “how to apply for postdocs” by Richard Alexander (U. of Leicester) https://www.astro.le.ac.uk/~rda5/rda_jobs_talk_2019.pdf and more resources on Richard’s website: https://www.astro.le.ac.uk/~rda5/jobs_2019.html
- Great slides on “How to apply for postdoc positions in Astronomy” by Mary Loli Martinez Aldama (CFT/Poland) and Dhanya Nair (JIVE/NL) astro.udec.cl/titans/postdoc
- Guide by Bryan Gaensler & Sarah Maddison on “how to apply for postdocs” https://www.dunlap.utoronto.ca/~bgaensler/papers/gaensler_maddison_jobs_2012.pdf
- the many many helpful career resources by Astrobetter astrobetter.com/wiki/Possible+ Which includes many blogs and resources for careers outside of academia!! (which is so important!)
Some Astrobetter blogs that I found helpful:
- Bridge, 2019, Honing your Hubble Fellowship Application.
- Jacobson-Galan, 2021, So You Want to be a Professor of Astronomy?
- Very useful thread on postdoc application advice on twitter by Malena Rice!!:
https://twitter.com/malena_rice/status/1545417198692352000 - slides for “PostDoc job applications “don’t panic” guide” by Chris Blake astronomy.swin.edu.au/~cblake/JobApp
How to find jobs
- AAS job register
- Look at the astrophysics job rumor mill from last year and ALSO two and three years ago — as some jobs are only offered every 2-3 years
- look at websites of depts you’re really interested in
- talk to people (profs, current postdocs) at places you’re interested in
- talk to people at your institute who have been postdocs in the past
- talk to your advisor
- ask the graduate/PhD students who graduated 1-2 years ahead of you
- some fields maintain their own lists, so ask around!
Writing
- guide with do’s and don’t on resumes & cover letters (source: OCS Harvard): cdn-careerservices.fas.harvard.edu/wp-content/upl
- Samples of Application letters for research-focused institutions, research & teaching institutions and teaching only institutions https://career.ucsf.edu/phds/academic-careers/academic-samples#Samples
- blog on how to write a postdoc cover letter https://academicpositions.com/career-advice/how-to-write-an-outstanding-postdoc-cover-letter
Interviewing:
- See “the interview” section in dunlap.utoronto.ca/~bgaensler/pap
- a twitter thread with examples: https://twitter.com/astro_catherine/status/1445185385525514243?s=20&t=glTuqzoipo3ttXvLgkqUdw
- Useful twitter thread by Gourav Khuller with advices for what to do when you are 6 months away from PostDoc applications: https://twitter.com/isskywalker/status/1367150122543570944
Job Tour Talks:
- List with institutions having talk seminars for people on the job market & how to apply/sign up: https://www.astrobetter.com/wiki/Talk%2bSeries%2bfor%2bEarly%2bCareer%2bResearchers
Writing your CV:
- guide with do’s and don’t on resumes & cover letters (source: OCS Harvard): https://cdn-careerservices.fas.harvard.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/161/2022/04/undergrad_resumes_and_cover_letters-1.pdf
### country specific resources [incomplete list] ###
USA:
- Very useful website with resources for applying for the NHFP (“Hubble”): https://www.nhfp-equity.org/resources-for-applicants
- Very useful thread on postdoc application advice on twitter by Malena Rice: https://twitter.com/malena_rice/status/1545418738274631681
- Joshua Pepper, Oliqia Krupinska, Keivan Stassun and Dawn Gelino (2018) paper on “What Does a Successful Postdoctoral Fellowship Publication Record Look Like?” (analyzing publication record of successfull applicants) https://arxiv.org/abs/1810.09505
- Really useful resources for Postdoc applications for Carnegie Science. Including successful application materials from previous postdocs, metrics that are used for the application, tips for writing etc.
https://carnegiescience.edu/news/crafting-competitive-postdoctoral-application-insider-tips-epl-experts - Really helpful page with resources and timeline on how to apply for postdocs (and many examples with spreadsheets, draft emails, reference letter emails etc.) by Taylor Hitchison
https://aibhleog.github.io/job-cycle.html
CANADA:
- Banting fellowships: https://banting.fellowships-bourses.gc.ca/en/home-accueil.html
- CITA national fellowship: https://www.cita.utoronto.ca/opportunities/national-fellows-programs/
Netherlands:
- GRAPPA postdoctoral fellowship for an independent research position for three years in the areas of astroparticle physics, cosmology and gravitation.
- Veni fellowship competitive Dutch national fellowship for early career PDs.
- Vidi fellowship competitive Dutch national fellowship towards leadership position.
- Marie Sklodowska-Curie actions , European fellowship towards leadership position.
Spain:
- For Spain, there are the Juan de la Cierva-formacion for early career post-doc (you need to have already your PhD degree at the moment of the application) and
- Juan de la Cierva-Incorporacion (senior post-doc).
- For institutes in Catalunya, there is the Beatriu de Pinos
Applying to Faculty jobs
Overview of application process:
- Presentation by Lisa Kewley “How to apply for Faculty jobs“: https://youtu.be/QEYqqyONGOU; Slides here [USA focused, but also general]
- Really useful overview/advice for faculty applications by Katja Poppenhaeger, including advice on the Europe vs USA experience [EU focused, but also general]
Part I: application materials/applying, where to find jobs
Part II: interviewing for jobs/dealing with offers/rejections - Astrobetter Post: “Navigating the Faculty Job Search” [with advice about all aspects of the job from finding to negotiations]
- Astrobites post: so you want to be a Professor of Astronomy?
- Bryan Gaensler & Sarah Maddison: Applying for jobs in Astronomy presentation slides: https://www.uvic.ca/research/centres/arc/assets/docs/BryanGaenslerJobsinAstronomy.pdf
- Astrobites: “demystyfying the faculty hiring process” [very general advice]
Writing DEI (Diversity/Equity/Inclusion) statements:
- see DEI sections in the resources in the previous paragraph.
- Super useful list of resources for writing your DEI statement by Carnegie Observatories: https://epl.carnegiescience.edu/diversity-statements-academic-job-applications, including example of metrics, examples of DEI statements. Based on workshop by Johanna Teske and Sally June Tracy. From the workshop:
DEI statement Workshop slides: Diversity Statement Slides-2 (1)
DEI statement Workshop resources list: Diversity Statement Resource List (1) - UC Berkeley Guidelines for applicants writing DEI statements: https://ofew.berkeley.edu/guidelines-applicants-writing-statements – often used as metric for UC based hires.
- 6 examples of DEI statement from UC: https://physicalsciences.ucsd.edu/_files/examples-submitted-diversity-statements.pdf
Interview Resources:
See also the advice in the resources listed under “overview of application process”
- Astrobetter interview advice https://www.astrobetter.com/wiki/tiki-index.php?page=Interview+Advice
Negotiation Resources:
See also the advice in the resources listed under “overview of application process”
- Astrobetter negotiation resources: https://www.astrobetter.com/wiki/tiki-index.php?page=Negotiation
- Advice by Women in Astronomy: https://womeninastronomy.blogspot.com/2012/11/negotiation-is-dialogue-compiled-advice.html as well as https://womeninastronomy.blogspot.com/2013/07/advice-negotiating-for-tenure-track.html
Applying to Industry with an Astro PhD
Coming soon !
Extra Postdoc resources/MISC
Demystifying the Simons Society of Fellows application & my 2cents for applying:
My main advice for junior fellow to make it broad enough of an introduction: the people who review it are neuroscientists, mathematics, physics, math etc — not just (and most likely not at all) astronomers. It is important to write a statement at a high level, but also really hone the message of why your research is important and the bigger picture of your research.
Note that any faculty member worldwide can ask SF to become a nominator
It might be useful to see a “successful application” for the Simons Society of Fellows that I include in the following folder: Here’s a link to my “postdoc application folder” that I have shared before with people, it includes application materials for postdoc fellowships that I got offers for https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1fxW9aGZGIH9Abmq7Wr_51bj4TO128w9K?usp=sharing (of course I could also make a folder with rejections, but I made this in case people want to see “successful” applications 🙂 Good luck!
