Postdoctoral Researcher

Louisiana State University; United States; Remote; USD 60,000 - 75,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

Retirement options

Tuition exemption for qualified posi­t

Training and development opportunities

Employee discounts

Job summary

Louisiana State University invites applications for a Postdoctoral Researcher to work on gravitational microlensing, exoplanet transits, or Galactic structure using data from the Roman Galactic Bulge Time Domain Survey.

The successful candidate will join Professor Matthew Penny’s group and contribute to the RGES PIT/TrEXS collaborations, with focus areas including exoplanet detection in microlensing events, transit searches, and Milky Way modeling using Roman and Euclid data.

Qualifications

• Ph.D. in physics, astronomy, or a related field.
• Experience coding in at least one programming language.
• Experience using high-performance or high-throughput computing.

Responsibilities

• Publish papers and present at conferences and collaboration meetings.
• Assist in the supervision of graduate and undergraduate students.
• Help in the preparation of proposals and grant applications.
• Contribute to the Roman GBTDS project infrastructure and related collaborations.

Skills

Programming

Education

Ph.D. in physics, astronomy, or related field

Job description

Job Posting Title:

Postdoctoral Researcher

Position Type:

Other Academic

Department:

LSUAM Science - PA - Astronomy - General (Matthew Penny (00061277))

Work Location:

0261 J.W. Nicholson Hall

Pay Grade:

Other Academic

Job Description:

Title: Postdoctoral Researcher to work on Gravitational Microlensing, Exoplanet Transits, or Galactic Structure using data from the Roman Galactic Bulge Time Domain Survey

Applicants are sought for a postdoctoral researcher position at Louisiana State University to work on data from the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope’s Galactic Bulge Time Domain Survey (GBTDS). Roman launched in August 2026 and the GBTDS will begin taking data in February 2027.

The researcher will work within Professor Matthew Penny’s group and as part of the Roman GBTDS Project Infrastructure Team (RGES PIT) and/or the Transiting Exoplanets in the Roman Galactic Exoplanet Survey (TrEXS) collaboration. The topics of most interest to the group are:

• Detection and modeling of exoplanets in Roman microlensing events
• Transiting planet detection and false positive rejection in the Roman GBTDS and ground-based searches of globular clusters
• Exoplanet demographics with microlensing and/or transits
• Measurement of microlensing parallax for free-floating and bound exoplanets with Roman and other ground- and space-based observatories
• Modeling the Milky Way’s bulge and disk using Roman & Euclid data and Population Synthesis Galactic models such as SynthPop
• Detection of black holes through high-resolution imaging and point spread function characterization with HST, JWST, Euclid & Roman or ground-based adaptive optics instruments

Prior experience in gravitational microlensing is not required.

LSU hosts 7 actively funded Roman grants in various scientific areas tied to the GBTDS, spread across 4 Principal Investigators. The researcher would join a vigorous and collaborative community of researchers all exploring the massive Roman data set for the first time.

The researcher is expected to regularly publish papers, present at conferences and collaboration meetings, and assist the preparation of proposals. Additional duties include assisting in the supervision of graduate and undergraduate students. And ongoing training and professional development, supporting rigor, reproducibility, and advancement of research and scholarship.

Appointments for remote work in the United States are possible, but preference will be given to applicants to work on site at LSU. The researcher may be required to travel nationally and internationally.

Minimum Qualifications: Ph.D. in physics, astronomy, or a related field. Experience coding in at least one programming language.

Preferred Qualifications: Experience using high-performance or high-throughput computing.

Posting Date:

October 23, 2026

Closing Date (Open Until Filled if No Date Specified):

April 12, 2027

Additional Position Information:

Background Check - An offer of employment is contingent on a satisfactory pre-employment background check.

Benefits - LSU offers outstanding benefits to eligible employees and their dependents including health, life, dental, and vision insurance; flexible spending accounts; retirement options; various leave options; paid holidays; wellness benefits; tuition exemption for qualified positions; training and development opportunities; employee discounts; and more!

• health
• life
• dental
• vision insurance
• flexible spending accounts
• retirement options
• various leave options
• paid holidays
• wellness benefits
• tuition exemption for qualified positions
• training and development opportunities
• employee discounts

Positions approved to work outside the State of Louisiana shall be employed through Louisiana State University’s partner, nextSource Workforce Solutions, for Employer of Record Services including but not limited to employment, benefits, payroll, and tax compliance. Positions employed through Employer of Record Services will be offered benefits and retirement as applicable through their provider and will not be eligible for State of Louisiana benefits and retirement.

Essential Position (Y/N):

N

LSU is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

All candidates must have valid U.S. work authorization at the time of hire and maintain that valid work authorization throughout employment. Changes in laws, regulations, or government policies may impact the university’s ability to employ individuals in certain positions.

HCM Contact Information:

For questions or concerns related to updating your application with attachments (e.g., resumes, RS:17 documents), date of birth, or reactivating applications, please contact the LSU Human Resources Management Office at 225-578-8200 or email [e-mail]. For questions or concerns regarding the status of your application or salary ranges, please contact the department using the information provided in the Special Instructions section of this job posting.