Research Opportunities/Jobs

If you are interested in joining the TAPIR group, and are already at Caltech, come see us. If you are not employed by Caltech, here is how to apply for positions at various levels:

• Graduate Students: (typically 3/yr join). About 50% of TAPIR students enter the Physics graduate program. About 30% of TAPIR students enter the Astronomy graduate program (which has separate admissions and requirements from Physics). About 20% enter from outside the division: Applied Mathematics, Applied Physics, etc. All graduate students receive full financial support, as explained here.


• Undergraduate Students: See also financial aid. In Theoretical Astrophysics, we often have SURF summer research opportunities (particularly for upper-level students who have learned more theoretical physics), and work-study opportunities.


• Postdoctoral Fellowships: A number of Prize Postdoctoral Fellowship positions in Theoretical Physics and Astrophysics at Caltech are available, through the Walter Burke Institute for Theoretical Physics. Interested candidates should apply here. The positions are fully independent, and in addition to competitive compensation, travel, and research budgets, fellows working with our group will have access to state-of-the-art computing facilities (both at Caltech and nationally). All applicants for these will automatically be considered for any available grant supported positions. Every year, one or two exceptional candidates who apply for both the Caltech Burke Prize Theory Fellowships (above) and the Carnegie Observatories prize fellowships will be considered for a prestigious joint Caltech-Carnegie Prize Fellowship in Theoretical Astrophysics, which awards a joint position at both institutions and privileges of working with the theory faculty across Pasadena. Candidates are also encouraged to propose Caltech as the host institution for their application to external fellowships -- such as the Hubble or NSF -- and fellows who attract external funding may be offered an extended term.


• Faculty Positions: Teaching and Research Faculty Positions. See our current Physics, Math, and Astronomy advertisements for an up-to-date listing of positions in which we are hiring either tenure-track teaching faculty, or permanent research faculty. Most TAPIR faculty are hired through Astronomy or Theoretical Physics, interested applications should consider applying to either or both if available.