Impacted Members/Scientists: Request a membership waiver, seek meeting support, and other resources. Learn more. For the latest public policy updates, please visit this page.
Academic Career Advice
For Undergraduate Students
- Astrobites has a number of helpful articles for students interested in an academic career, including:
Getting Started in Undergraduate Research
So You Want to Apply for an REU... Here’s How
Applying to Grad School in the US: A Timeline
Applying for the NSF Graduate Research Fellowship - From student to Professional Astronomer: An example timeline
- AIP's Society of Physics Students Careers Toolbox
- AIP's Grad School Shopper
- Landing Your First Job: A Guide for Physics Students by John S. Rigden. June 2003, Springer-Verlag New York, LLC
For Graduate Students and Postdocs
- AIP Statistical Research Center Data on faculty employment
- AIP Statistical Research Center Data on astronomy and employment
- Navigating the Faculty Job Search – AstroBetter wiki page
- A Career in Undergraduate Education – 2013 AAS post about jobs at non-PhD-granting institutions
- Career Profile: Astronomer to Tenure-Track Faculty – 2013 AAS CSWA interview
- APS Physicists Profile: Careers in Academia & Research Universities
- AAS Career Development Webinars and Workshops
- Physics Today Careers and Education articles
- CSWA Advice for Postdocs Applying for Tenure-Track Positions (scroll down to find)
- Science magazine article "Learn to read between the lines of a job ad" by David Jensen
- Ph.D. Resources for Re-envisioning the Ph.D.
- A PhD is Not Enough!: A Guide to Survival in Science, by Peter J. Feibelman. June, 1993, Basic Books.
- Tomorrow's Professor: Preparing for Academic Careers in Science and Engineering, by Richard M. Reis. 1997, Wiley-IEEE Press.
- Networking for Nerds, by Alaina G. Levine. 2015, Wiley-Blackwell.
- Jennifer Hodgdon on Leaving Academic Physics - An article covering many aspects of career change.
- The Professor is In: The Essential Guide to Turning Your PhD into a Job, by Karen Kelsky. Sugust, 2015, Three Rivers Press.
- Science magazine article "Employment Crisis' for new PhDs an illusion" by Jeffrey Mervis
- AAS member Robin Corbet has provided the AAS with a result from his 2004 survey of academic astronomy and physics programs in the US. It shows the number of assistant, associate, and full professors as a function of years from PhD.
- The Right Startup Package for Beginning Scientists - reprinted from the Chronicle of Higher Education
For Current Faculty
- APS's Tools for Career Advisors
- APS and AAPT Joint Report on Preparing Physics Students for 21st Century Careers
- CSWA Advice on How to Be A Good Mentor
- Making the Right Moves: A Practical Guide to Scientific Management for Postdocs and New Faculty
- Science.org Careers articles
- SabbaticalHomes.com – A website dedicated to helping academic communities around the world find or list houses for rent, exchange, or house-sit when on sabbatical leave.
- Enhancing the Postdoctoral Experience for Scientists and Engineers – A Guide for Postdoctoral Scholars, Advisers, Institutions, Funding Organizations, and Disciplinary Societies
- Recommendation Letter Writing Round Up – blog post from AstroBetter
- Best Practices for Reading and Writing Letters of Recommendation – handout from Lehigh University ADVANCE