Astronomy/Astrophysics

The Department of Physics and Astronomy at Tufts University invites qualified candidates to apply for a tenure-track position at the Assistant Professor level in the field of Astronomy/Astrophysics starting September 1, 2026. Tufts is an R1 institution located in Medford, MA in the Boston area and the Tufts Physics and Astronomy Department (https://as.tufts.edu/physics) consists of 17 tenured or tenure-track faculty with strong research programs in high energy physics, condensed matter, cosmology, and astrophysics. The Astrophysics group currently consists of three faculty who conduct active and well-funded research programs in observational extragalactic astronomy as well as exoplanetary and stellar astrophysics, and currently includes 9 PhD researchers, 5 Masters students and 12 undergraduate Astrophysics majors. The Tufts Astrophysics group has successful observing programs with ground-based and space-based facilities (e.g., JWST, VLT, TESS, Kepler, Keck, and Subaru). They are members of multiple international collaborations, including the HSC-Joint and the Prime Focus Spectrograph legacy survey collaboration, whose primary goals involve questions in galaxy evolution, galactic archaeology and cosmology, and the BEBOP survey, to study planets in binary star systems. We encourage candidates who demonstrate outstanding research and commitment to teaching, mentoring and community development to apply.

Candidates are required to have a Ph.D. in Astrophysics at the time of application. They should have a strong promise/experience in research and an interest in teaching and involving undergraduate students in research. They are expected to develop a vibrant, funded research program that involves undergraduate and graduate (both doctoral and master) students and postdocs. They will also contribute to departmental teaching at all levels including developing new courses to complement existing offerings in Astrophysics. The Department of Physics and Astronomy places a strong value in educational excellence, so candidates should show promise in teaching undergraduate and graduate astronomy courses and a commitment to evidence-informed development as a teacher. For an appointment at the tenured level, prior experience in teaching is essential, and evidence of innovation in teaching is welcomed. The teaching load is 1/1 indicating one course per semester for research active faculty.

We are interested in candidates with research expertise that will complement or strengthen our existing research in observational extragalactic astronomy and exo-planetary and stellar astrophysics, as well as potentially strengthen inter-disciplinary ties within the department. This includes but is not limited to the following areas: stellar astrophysics, exoplanets, high-energy astrophysics, multi-messenger astrophysics, time-domain astronomy, computational astrophysics, theoretical astrophysics, observational cosmology, and extragalactic astronomy. A competitive startup package is available.

All applications are submitted via Interfolio, at apply.interfolio.com/177029 . Applicants should submit a cover letter, a curriculum vitae with publications, a research plan, a statement of teaching and mentoring philosophy, and must arrange for at least three confidential letters of reference to be directly uploaded to Interfolio. The research plan and the teaching statements should each not exceed 3 pages. For full consideration, applications should be submitted by December 15, 2025; there is no guarantee that applications received after that date will be considered. Please contact the department administrator, Elizabeth Hammonds (email: Elizabeth.Hammonds@tufts.edu), with any questions.

All offers of employment are contingent upon the completion of a background check.

Tufts University is committed to providing competitive and equitable compensation that reflects each candidate's experience, expertise, responsibilities, and performance. The pay offered within the posted range will be determined based on a variety of factors such as (but not limited to) the individual's education and experience, discipline, rank, internal equity, and budgetary considerations. Ranges represent full-time 9- or 12- month base salaries.