Assistant Professor of Astronomy

The Williams College Department of Physics and Astronomy invites applications for a tenure-track Assistant Professor of Astronomy, with teaching duties starting September 2025. We seek an astronomer in any subfield eager to teach at all levels of the undergraduate astronomy curriculum and to involve undergraduates in research.  A Ph.D. in astronomy, astrophysics, or a closely related field is required; candidates must have completed their Ph.D. degree by July 2025. Postdoctoral experience is preferred. Williams College is committed to fostering a diverse and inclusive academic community. We strongly encourage candidates from under-represented identities and others who will contribute to the diversification and enrichment of ideas and perspectives to apply.

Our department has two full-time astronomers (who conduct research in galaxy evolution and protoplanetary disks) along with five experimental physicists and four theoretical/computational physicists.  For more information, see https://astronomy.williams.edu and our FAQ page on being an astronomer at Williams.  Williams College is a member of the Keck Northeast Astronomy Consortium, a group of eight highly selective northeast liberal arts colleges. KNAC offers a summer student research exchange among consortium schools, and hosts an annual student research symposium in the fall. Williams is also a member of the Northeast Astronomy Participation Group of the Astrophysical Research Consortium, through which Williams astronomy faculty have access to the ARC 3.5-meter telescope and the 0.5-meter ARCSAT telescope at Apache Point Observatory in New Mexico.  Our on-campus facilities include a 0.6-meter telescope with an attached CCD and spectrograph, plus several smaller ancillary telescopes, atop the Physics & Astronomy building. 

We are interested in candidates who will contribute to the intellectual vibrancy of our academic community through their teaching, research, and service, and who are committed to working effectively with a diverse student population. The standard teaching load in the Department of Physics and Astronomy is two courses per semester; sometimes that might mean one lecture and two lab sections.  Faculty maintain active research programs with undergraduate participation throughout the year.  In addition to the high priority our department places on supporting incoming faculty, Williams offers faculty participation in the college’s professional development program First3 and in the NCFDD Faculty Success Program, along with support through the recently established Rice Center for Teaching.