Beus Prize Fellowship

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Beus Prize Postdoctoral Fellowship

The Beus Prize Fellowship program seeks to foster and support an inclusive community of early-career scientists who will lead the next great discoveries to better understand our place in the universe.  The Fellowship is offered annually to early-career researchers within four years of earning their Ph.D.  It is up to three years in duration and comes with a competitive salary, discretionary research budget, and allocation for moving expenses.   The Fellowship is open to observational and theoretical astrophysicists, discipline-based educational researchers, instrument builders, and engineers whose research aims to advance our knowledge of the formation and evolution of stars and galaxies, develop new instruments and techniques to study the cosmos, and/or enhance the societal impacts of this research.

2024 Beus Prize Fellowship Applications

Update (2/9/2024): Offer accepted.  Applications for the 2025 Beus Prize Fellowship will be accepted beginning in September, 2024.

Below is the posted job description for the previous search.

The Beus Center for Cosmic Foundations at Arizona State University invites applications for the Postdoctoral Research Scholar position of Beus Prize Fellow. The Center brings together observational and theoretical astrophysicists, educators, instrument builders, and engineers to advance our knowledge of the formation and evolution of stars and galaxies.  Beginning with the first stars and galaxies, the explosive deaths of successive generations of stars seeded galaxies with elements, creating cosmic ecosystems of stellar birth, death, and gas recycling, leading to a global peak and decline of star formation in the Universe. The Center aims to accelerate research into these complex processes throughout cosmic time.  We seek to foster and support an inclusive community of early-career scientists who will lead the next great discoveries to better understand our place in the cosmos and enhance the societal impacts of this research.

This position is a full-time, benefits-eligible position with an anticipated start date of approximately July 2024. The initial appointment is for one year with subsequent annual renewal for up to two additional years contingent upon satisfactory performance, the needs of the university, and availability of resources. This position comes with an annual fiscal-year salary of $79,567.00, an annual discretionary research budget of $15,900.00, and an allocation for moving expenses.

Essential duties of the position

The successful applicant will conduct original research addressing important questions in their field, document findings and publish high-impact results, present at scientific meetings, engage in research collaborations, and help enhance the societal impacts of science and engineering through community outreach or other activities. 

Qualifications

Minimum Qualifications:

  • Ph.D. in a relevant subject by time of the appointment, including but not limited to astrophysics, physics, engineering, education, or another related field.
  • Candidates must be within four years from receipt of their doctoral degree.
  • Demonstrated commitment to working with faculty, staff, students and communities to advance the principles of the ASU Charter.

Desired Qualifications:

  1. A research proposal that demonstrates the potential for high impact on important questions related broadly to understanding our cosmic origins, including (but not limited to):
    • Observations or theoretical modeling of the formation and evolution of stars, galaxies, and their cosmic ecosystems; large-scale structure and the conditions that seeded galactic systems; and nucleosynthesis and element generation
    • Related techniques for statistical analysis, data analysis, numerical simulation, or software
    • Instrumental and engineering advances in signal processing, detectors, interferometers, space-based instruments, or other relevant technology. 
    • Upcoming measurement approaches including intensity mapping, time domain, and multi-messenger probes.
    • Discipline-based educational research in the context of our cosmic origins.
  2. A record of prior achievement and experience demonstrating the potential to accomplish proposed research objectives.
  3. A record of prior publication and/or documentation of research achievements or activities
  4. A record of prior teamwork demonstrating the potential to build new collaborations with Center affiliates and other researchers.
  5. Evidence of strong verbal and written communication skills.

Arizona State University is one of the most dynamic and fastest-growing institutions of higher learning in the United States. As articulated in the ASU Charter, ASU is a comprehensive public research university, measured not by whom it excludes, but by whom it includes and how they succeed; advancing research and discovery of public value; and assuming fundamental responsibility for the economic, social, cultural and overall health of the communities it serves. To that end, an essential part of the university’s mission is promoting interdisciplinary science by integrating science and engineering. Center faculty and their research groups benefit from a variety of state-of-the-art facilities including high-performance computing, access to the 2x8.4m Large Binocular Telescope, 6.5m MMT telescope, 6.5m Magellan telescopes and a host of 2m-class telescopes owned and operated by the State of Arizona. ASU is a partner in the Giant Magellan Telescope, Hydrogen Epoch of Reionization Array, and Owens Valley Radio Observatory Long Wavelength Array.  It is participating in the CMB-S4 consortium and is a member of the Simons Observatory, Toltec project, as well as multiple balloon and small-satellite programs.

Application Instructions

To apply, please submit to http://apply.interfolio.com/133494 and include the following:

  • Cover letter
  • Current curriculum vitae
  • Contact information for three references
  • Research overview not longer than eight pages (including figures and references) consisting of:
    • A summary of your current and previous work
    • A research proposal addressing key questions of our cosmic origins that align with the Center and highlights potential collaborations with Center affiliates. 

The deadline for initial review of complete applications will be November 13, 2023.  Applications will continue to be accepted on a rolling basis for a reserve pool. Applications in the reserve pool may then be reviewed in the order in which they were received until the position is closed.

Postdoctoral benefits can be found at: https://cfo.asu.edu/new-employee-orientation

More information about the Beus Center for Cosmic Foundations Fellowship can be found at: http://sese.asu.edu/beus-center-for-cosmic-foundations

More information about the department can be found here: https://sese.asu.edu/

Equal Employment Opportunity Statement

A background check is required for employment. Arizona State University is a VEVRAA Federal Contractor and an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, protected veteran status, or any other basis protected by law.

(See https://www.asu.edu/aad/manuals/acd/acd401.html and https://www.asu.edu/titleIX/)

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Current Fellows

Christopher Cain (Ph.D. 2023, UC Riverside) -- As the inaugural Beus Prize Fellow, Dr. Cain's research addresses improvements in theoretical modeling of the epoch of reionization with a focus on small-scale processes in the intergalactic medium.