Postdoctoral Researcher

Louisiana State University

5d

About The Position

Louisiana State University seeks a postdoctoral researcher to work with data from the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope’s Galactic Bulge Time Domain Survey (GBTDS). The researcher will work in Professor Matthew Penny’s group and as part of the Roman GBTDS Project Infrastructure Team and/or the Transiting Exoplanets in the Roman Galactic Exoplanet Survey collaboration. Research topics include exoplanets in Roman microlensing events and transits, exoplanet demographics, microlensing parallax, modeling the Milky Way’s bulge and disk, and detecting black holes through high-resolution imaging. Prior experience in gravitational microlensing is not required.

The researcher will join LSU’s collaborative community working with the Roman data set. Duties include publishing papers, presenting at conferences and collaboration meetings, assisting with proposal preparation, and helping supervise graduate and undergraduate students. Ongoing training and professional development will support rigor, reproducibility, and advancement of research and scholarship. Remote work within the United States is possible, though on-site work at LSU is preferred. National and international travel may be required. An immediate start is available; the application deadline is December 1, 2026, or until a candidate is selected.

Requirements

• Ph.D. in physics, astronomy, or a related field.
• Experience coding in at least one programming language.
• Valid U.S. work authorization at the time of hire and throughout employment.

Nice To Haves

• Experience using high-performance or high-throughput computing.
• Prior experience in gravitational microlensing is not required.

Responsibilities

• Conduct research using data from the Roman Galactic Bulge Time Domain Survey in one or more of the listed research areas.
• Regularly publish research papers.
• Present at conferences and collaboration meetings.
• Assist with the preparation of proposals.
• Assist in supervising graduate and undergraduate students.
• Participate in ongoing training and professional development supporting rigorous, reproducible research and scholarship.
• Travel nationally and internationally when required.

Benefits

• Health, life, dental, and vision insurance for eligible employees and dependents.
• Flexible spending accounts.
• Retirement options.
• Various leave options.
• Paid holidays.
• Wellness benefits.
• Tuition exemption for qualified positions.
• Training and development opportunities.
• Employee discounts.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Entry Level
• Education Level: Ph.D. or professional degree