The Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics (CfA) invites applications for the CfA Postdoctoral Fellowship 2012, which will be awarded to an outstanding researcher displaying significant promise in theory, observation, instrumentation, and/or laboratory experiments. Online applications are due by October 31, 2011 at 17:00 GMT. Offers will be made by December 19, 2011. For application instructions and a login to the application, please see the Application page.

The CfA combines the resources and research facilities of the Harvard College Observatory and the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory under a single director. Now organized in six research divisions-Atomic and Molecular Physics; High Energy Astrophysics; Optical and Infrared Astronomy; Radio and Geoastronomy; Solar, Stellar, and Planetary Sciences; and Theoretical Astrophysics-nearly 350 Smithsonian and Harvard scientists work cooperatively in an environment that welcomes the ideas and contributions of young scientists

The facilities include the MMT (Fred Lawrence Whipple Observatory, Arizona), Magellan (Las Campanas Observatory, Chile), and other optical and infrared telescopes; radio telescopes, especially the Submillimeter Array on Mauna Kea, Hawaii; a large Beowulf cluster and network of workstations; a number of specialized laboratories; an outstanding library system; and access to data from a wide range of space missions, especially the Chandra X-ray Observatory and the Spitzer Space Telescope.

A list of previous CfA Fellows is available.

Appointments for 2 years, with renewal for a third year likely , contingent upon satisfactory progress. The stipend for 2012-2013 will be approximately $64,500 with a research budget of $16,000. Funds are also provided for health benefits and relocation expenses. Applicants must have at least one first-author refereed journal paper (submitted papers are acceptable) at the time of application. Only applicants who receive their Ph.D. between July 1, 2011, and September 1, 2012, will be considered for a CfA Fellowship.