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The Department of Astronomy at Columbia University invites applicants for an Assistant Professor position, to start July 1, 2024. This tenure-track position is open to all branches of Astronomy and Astrophysics. It will begin with a three-year joint appointment with the Center for Computational Astrophysics at the Simons Foundation's Flatiron Institute. The successful candidate will be expected to lead an active, independent research group, teach undergraduate and graduate courses, participate in committee and service work at the departmental and university levels, and exemplify academic and professional leadership. Their research program should also align with the mission statement of the CCA and the goals of the Flatiron Institute.

The new faculty member will be joining a collegial department at Columbia with a vibrant research enterprise, lively undergraduate and graduate teaching programs, and a strong record in public outreach. As a department located in the heart of New York City, in the heart of New York City, and as part of a university whose student body is growing ever more diverse, we encourage applications from women and minorities. We also seek applications from those with a record of success advising and mentoring students from groups underrepresented in astronomy.

Department faculty, research scientists, postdocs, and students have access to, and use, a broad range of ground and space-based astronomical facilities. Columbia Astronomy is a member of the MDM Observatory and of the LSST Discovery Alliance, with individual faculty membership of PFS and SDSSV. Columbia University supports shared high-performance cluster computers and a cross-disciplinary Data Science Institute.

At the CCA the new faculty member will find a world-leading center for computational astronomy and the development of computational tools needed for calculations, simulations and data analysis. During their joint-appointment they will enjoy the support of the Flatiron Institute's Scientific Computing Core, which includes access to High-Performance Computing resources and the expertise of scientific software engineers.

Columbia University is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer, and the department is committed to diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEIA).

Applications received by December 3rd, 2023 will receive full consideration. Review of applications will begin on December 4, 2023, and will continue until the position is filled.

Applicants must have a PhD at the time of appointment.

To support an equitable search and reduce bias, the initial long list of candidates will be decided through the anonymized application process described below.

Applicant Materials should include:

1. Anonymized Research Statement: up to 3 pages, not including references. Use this to summarize previous research achievements and future interests. The merits of the applicant's work should be emphasized, but we ask that the applicant name, institution names, and group names be removed. Citations within the text should be numbered. (See statement example text below.)

2. Anonymized Statement of Teaching: up to 1 page, not including references. Use this to discuss teaching (including research mentoring) experiences and future pedagogical goals. The applicant name, institution names, and group names should be removed.

3. Anonymized Statement of Community Contributions: up to 1 page, not including references. Use this to outline contributions and future plans beyond research and teaching, such as work that fosters diversity, equity, and inclusivity, efforts to build communities, or projects that create open and accessible tools. The merits of the applicant's work and personal experiences can be emphasized, but we ask that the applicant name and group names be removed.

4. Non-anonymized Curriculum Vitae. All names can be included, and full references should be listed.

5. The names, positions and contact information for three individuals who can provide (non-anonymized) letters of reference. The most useful letters will specifically address the applicant's accomplishments in several of the following categories: achievement in research, teaching, mentorship, community contributions, leadership, independence and individuality in thought, proposal and grant writing, and/or public communication. These will be automatically requested once the applicant completes their application.

6. Non-anonymized Cover Letter (optional).

All applications must be made through Columbia University's Academic Search and Recruiting (ASR) system at: http://apply.interfolio.com/134405

Applications received by December 3 will receive full consideration. Review will begin on December 4^th, 2023 and will continue until the position is filled.

We provide, below, an example of non-anonymized vs. anonymized text. The anonymized components will be isolated by a non-committee member and used in the initial selection round before the other components are consulted. By anonymizing, the goal is not to make it impossible to deduce the identity of the applicant, but rather to keep the focus on the applicant's work, experiences, and ideas. At the anonymized stage, items 1-3 will be read separately from each other. References to material across the statements should therefore be avoided.

Statement Example Text:

Traditional, non-anonymized:
Text: "As a Superstar Fellow at Columbia University, I worked with the GIGA simulation data from the Flatiron Center for Computational Astrophysics with Prof. C. Leopard to show that the Universe is expanding (Unicorn et al., 2019)."

Reference: A. Unicorn et al., ApJ, 2019

Anonymized:

Text: "I worked with the GIGA simulation data to show that the Universe is expanding (12)."

Reference: 12: Applicant #3 out of 9 authors, 'Article title,' 2019

Anonymized Citations and Reference List:

Citations within the text should be numbered. Additionally, for papers authored by the applicant, indicate authorship position, e.g. Applicant: #3 out of 9 authors, followed by the complete article title and year of publication. For all other references, include the article title and year only.

Example Reference List:

1: 'Article title,' 2001

2: 'Article title,' 2010

3: Applicant #1 out of 2 authors, 'Article title,' 2020