ngVLA - Postdoctoral Fellow

Position Description:

Position Summary

The National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO) is a prestigious research and development organization that plays a vital role in the study of the universe. Associated Universities, Inc. (AUI) is a nonprofit organization that manages and operates the NRAO under a cooperative agreement with the National Science Foundation. The Observatory is a hub for technological and scientific collaboration, operating state-of-the-art radio telescope facilities for use by the international scientific community. The Observatory has been instrumental in the study of black holes, galaxies, and the early universe. We are currently designing the Next-Generation VLA (ngVLA), a new facility which will offer an order-of-magnitude advance over the current VLA and VLBA with first light expected in the 2030s.

At NRAO we are seeking two Postdoctoral Fellows to join a rapidly growing team to support the ngVLA design and development effort. The primary function of all ngVLA Postdoctoral Fellow positions is to provide a rich opportunity for postdoctoral professional career advancement. The Postdoctoral Fellows will be appointed for a period of between two and three years and will be expected to spend up to 50% of their time on functional work as part of the ngVLA Science Support Integrated Product Team (IPT), with the remaining fraction of their time available for independent research. The ngVLA Science Support teams spans a broad range of areas each contributing to the ngVLA design effort that include: Configuration Design and Analysis, Calibration Requirements and Strategies, Commissioning and Scientific Validation, Science Communications, and Operations Processes.  The primary responsibilities for these research positions will focus on supporting Operations Processes Planning, however, successful candidates will be expected to support additional Science Support tasks based on the flexible combination of interest, expertise, and needs.  As part of these efforts, active research is additionally being carried out to identify how AI tools and methods may be used to help improve Observatory operations; NRAO is foundational partner of the NSF-Simons CosmicAI Institute.

The preferred duty station for this position is at the NRAO Headquarters located on the University of Virginia Grounds in Charlottesville, VA.  Charlottesville is a charming mid-sized city nestled in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains, offering a rare blend of natural beauty, rich history, and vibrant culture, consistently ranking among the most livable small cities in the US.  Charlottesville offers an unusually high quality of life for its size, providing a blend of academic energy and outdoor recreation.  Other U.S. NRAO sites for the primary duty station will also be considered and occasional travel to other NRAO sites is expected.

What You Will be Doing:

Supporting the development and prototyping of operations processes and workflows.

Curating existing (and new) ngVLA use cases to be used as part of a broad range of operations simulations. 

Researching how new tools and methods can help improve Operations Processes.

Contributing to calibration strategies under development for ngVLA.

Supporting scientific meetings and science communications with the international astronomical community. 

Carrying out a program of independent astronomical research.

Work Environment

Work is mission driven, team oriented and typically performed in an office setting within a research or development environment.

Who You Are:

You have a PhD in Astronomy, Astrophysics, Physics, Data Science, or a related field.

Previous experience in radio astronomy, data science, data reduction and analysis, radio and/or software development.

Established record of independent research.

Research expertise in interferometric radio/millimeter/submillimeter astronomy.

Proficiency working with a geographically distributed, multi-disciplinary team.

While not required, you may have:

Experience with standard radio astronomy data reduction software (e.g., CASA)

Experience with observatory capability development and/or observatory operations.

Experience with modern machine learning / deep learning techniques and software packages

Experience with high performance or high throughput computing (HPC/HTC)

Competency Summary

Fluency in the English language.

Excellent communication skills including both presentations and writing technical reports.

Additional Requirement

Observatory employees must be authorized to work in the United States. The Observatory presently cannot sponsor new H-1B Visas for this position.

Total Rewards:

Compensation

The typical salary for an NRAO Postdoctoral Fellow at NRAO is $67,500. Factors which may affect starting pay may include; education, experience, skills, competencies, other qualifications of the successful candidate, as well as internal equity and labor market conditions.

Benefits:

Associated Universities, Inc (AUI) offers a comprehensive benefits package addressing the needs of employees and their families with most benefits beginning on the first day of employment, subject to eligibility requirements. AUI provides:

Excellent paid time off (13 holidays, annual accrual of up to 24 vacation days)

Medical, dental and vision plans are effective on the first day of employment.

AUI’s retirement benefit contributes an amount equal to 10 percent of a qualified participant’s base pay with no required employee contribution.

Click Total Rewards for more information.

Application Instructions:

For consideration, select the “Apply” button above. Please prepare a single PDF document consisting of the following items:

Cover letter stating why you are interested in this position. The letter should describe how you match the position and qualifications summarized above (no more than 2 pages)

Curriculum vitae including publications list

Summary of past research and technical experience (maximum of 3 pages), including any data processing or commissioning work relevant to this position.

The names and contact information for three individuals familiar with your technical and scientific abilities.

Candidates selected for an interview must be prepared to submit three letters of recommendation. Instructions for letter submission will be provided at the time of request.

The PDF file is to be uploaded with the “Additional Documents” feature at the applicant portal; the file name format should follow this convention: LastName,FirstInitial_ngVLA.pdf. The deadline for receipt of complete applications is December 1, 2026. Please direct inquiries to [email protected].

Equal Opportunity Employer Statement:

AUI is an equal opportunity employer. To view our complete statement, please visit https://public.nrao.edu/careers/. If you require reasonable accommodation for any part of the application or hiring process, you may submit your request by sending an email to [email protected].  PM20