The Department is undergoing a significant expansion, with six tenure/tenure-track appointments in the past five years. Penn State is a major partner (approximately 30% of the observing time) in the Hobby-Eberly Telescope, an 8-meter-class facility for spectroscopic studies in the optical and near-infrared. The Department is also the PI institution for the ACIS x-ray CCD camera on Chandra, the principal detector on this NASA Great Observatory, with guaranteed access time and data rights. The department is the main University partner in the multi-wavelength gamma-ray burst afterglow satellite Swift, scheduled to launch in 2003. The Department possesses active groups in observational cosmology, theoretical astrophysics, searches for extrasolar planets, gamma ray bursts, X-ray, optical, near/IR, and radio instrumentation, observations of AGNs, star formation and stellar evolution, gravitational physics, pulsar astronomy, Doppler tomography, computational astrophysics, and the application of advanced statistical techniques to astronomical data. The Department is also involved in the Center for Gravitational Physics and Geometry and the NSF Physics Frontier Center for Gravitational Wave Physics, both located at Penn State, and are participants in the Auger cosmic ray array and the AMANDA/ICECUBE ultra-high energy neutrino experiments. Further information about the department can be found at http://www.astro.psu.edu/.
The faculty position will most likely be filled at the Assistant Professor level, but a senior appointment will be considered for an exceptionally qualified candidate. Consideration of applications will begin 1 November 2002, and will continue until the position is filled. Applications should include a curriculum vitae, a statement of planned research, a list of publications, and three reference letters mailed directly to the Chair of the Search Committee, Dr. Donald Schneider. Applications and questions should be directed to the above address, telephone 814-865-0418, c/o Ms. Cathy Lutz (lutz@astro.psu.edu). Women and minorities are encouraged to apply. AA/EOE