Astronomy
The following possibilities are listed because of resources within the department/institution. Collaborating with these groups while a postdoc at that institution will depend on your potential postdoctoral advisor's stance/support.
- Career Profiles: Astronomer To University Administrator In A Center For Teaching & Learning
The AAS Committee on the Status of Women in Astronomy and the AAS Employment Committee have compiled dozens of interviews highlighting the diversity of career trajectories available to astronomers. The interviews share advice and lessons...
- Evaluating A Diversity Research Program
Guest Post by Sarah Schmidt, astronomy postdoctoral fellow at The Ohio State University The Pre-Major in Astronomy Program (Pre-MAP) at the University of Washington (UW) was designed to increase the number of under-represented students...
- Inspiring New Policies From Spain For Gender Parity In Stem
Last week I attended an International Astronomical Union conference on Active Galactic Nuclei, hosted by the Armenian Academy of Sciences. Over dinner, Pepa Masegosa Gallegoa, woman astronomer from Spain, described some of the initiatives her...
- Guest Post: Lauren Tompkins On Expanding Your Horizons
Guest Post from Lauren Tompkins a postdoc in the University of Chicago ATLAS group. Last February, as my first winter as a University of Chicago postdoc wore on, I became restless with my everyday routine. I was doing interesting work on...
- New Blogger -- Hello! & One Example Of The Mutual Benefits Of Outreach
As a new member of the CSWA and first-time blogger, I thought I'd take this moment to introduce myself: I recently began my first (only?!) postdoc as a CIERA (Center for Interdisciplinary Exploration and Research in Astrophysics) fellow at Northwestern...
Astronomy
Astronomy Postdoctoral Positions where EPO is Explicitly Included & Valued
Each year postdoc applicants ask -- besides the NSF Postdoctoral Fellowship, are there other astronomy postdoctoral opportunities in which education/outreach efforts are explicitly included and valued as part of your effort?
Below is the list I've compiled so far. If you know of other opportunities, please post a comment or send me an email. I'll then post the final list to the AstroBetter Wiki, astrobites, and aas.org (if they're interested), and/or anywhere else people suggest.
- The Adler Planetarium Brinson Postdoctoral Fellowship
- Columbia's Science Fellows
- John Bahcall Public Policy Fellowship
- Northwestern University's Center for Interdisciplinary Exploration and Research in Astrophysics (CIERA) Postdoctoral Fellowship
- Compiled list of Science Policy Postdoctoral Fellowships for Scientists and Engineers
- American Museum of Natural History Postdoctoral Fellowships - note: the effort is nominally 100% on your astronomy research, though they do offer some possibility for involvement in other Museum efforts.
The following possibilities are listed because of resources within the department/institution. Collaborating with these groups while a postdoc at that institution will depend on your potential postdoctoral advisor's stance/support.
- University of Arizona's Center for Astronomy Education
- University of Wyoming's Center for Astronomy and Physics Education Research
- CU-Boulder's Center for Physics Education Research
- University of Rutger's Physics and Astronomy Education Research Group
- Cal Poly Pomona Physics and Astronomy Education Research Group
- UW-Madison's Space Place Science Museum
- Penn State Astronomy Departments' Public Outreach Programs
- University of Chicago's Kavli Institute of Cosmological Physics (KICP) Saturdays at the Adler Planetarium
- NRAO Outreach
- NOAO Outreach
- NASA Education
There are also a few astronomy departments which provide bridge programs for students from under-represented groups. There are often opportunities as a postdoc within these departments to get involved in supporting these efforts.
- Fiske-Vanderbilt Masters-to-PhD Bridge Program
- University of Washington Pre-MAP Program: Increasing Undergraduate Diversity in Astronomy
- Columbia University's Bridge to Ph.D. Program in the Natural Sciences
A final important piece of advice is -- if you don't see the position you want, see if you can create it for yourself.
My own experience is an illustrative case. The CIERA Postdoctoral Fellowship at Northwestern caught my eye because of its interdisciplinary component. The solicitation at the time, however, only included STEM interdisciplinary possibilities (i.e., no Education/Outreach interdisciplinary connections). Before submitting my application, I spoke with the CIERA Director about my interests and background and presented my case for working across disciplines between Astronomy and The School of Education for 20% of my time. Through this conversation I learned that the CIERA Director is extremely supportive of EPO efforts. And as a result of that conversation, I was able to write a strong application that included 20% of my effort on Education/Outreach projects relevant to CIERA and the University. Three years later, my CIERA Postdoctoral Fellowship turned into a joint appointment with the Adler Planetarium... and the rest is history.
- Career Profiles: Astronomer To University Administrator In A Center For Teaching & Learning
The AAS Committee on the Status of Women in Astronomy and the AAS Employment Committee have compiled dozens of interviews highlighting the diversity of career trajectories available to astronomers. The interviews share advice and lessons...
- Evaluating A Diversity Research Program
Guest Post by Sarah Schmidt, astronomy postdoctoral fellow at The Ohio State University The Pre-Major in Astronomy Program (Pre-MAP) at the University of Washington (UW) was designed to increase the number of under-represented students...
- Inspiring New Policies From Spain For Gender Parity In Stem
Last week I attended an International Astronomical Union conference on Active Galactic Nuclei, hosted by the Armenian Academy of Sciences. Over dinner, Pepa Masegosa Gallegoa, woman astronomer from Spain, described some of the initiatives her...
- Guest Post: Lauren Tompkins On Expanding Your Horizons
Guest Post from Lauren Tompkins a postdoc in the University of Chicago ATLAS group. Last February, as my first winter as a University of Chicago postdoc wore on, I became restless with my everyday routine. I was doing interesting work on...
- New Blogger -- Hello! & One Example Of The Mutual Benefits Of Outreach
As a new member of the CSWA and first-time blogger, I thought I'd take this moment to introduce myself: I recently began my first (only?!) postdoc as a CIERA (Center for Interdisciplinary Exploration and Research in Astrophysics) fellow at Northwestern...