Postdoctoral Program
Explore Fellowships
Year after year, our scientific divisions recruit a remarkable cadre of young researchers because of our unique research ecosystem, which encourages independent investigation and the pursuit of bold paths of inquiry. Learn more about specific fellowship programs at the Earth & Planets Laboratory and Observatories.
Join a multidisciplinary cohort of postdocs researching a broad array of topics in the Earth, planetary sciences, and materials sciences.
Join one of several postdoctoral fellowship programs in observational and theoretical astronomy and instrumentation.
In their own words
Exceptional Alumni
We recognize that well-trained, well-supported postdoctoral fellows are not only more satisfied and productive—they also leave Carnegie Science with greater professional skills and broader professional networks. Our postdocs achieve remarkable success in academia, government, and industry. As alumni, they burnish our reputation as an organization that provides unparalleled opportunities for early career researchers to pursue their paths to discovery.
Nobel Laureate
Tasuku Honjo, who was a postdoctoral fellow at Carnegie's Department of Embryology in the early 1970s shared the 2018 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for his discovery a protein on immune cells called PD-1. Honjo revealed that this protein operates as a brake, preventing the immune system from perceiving its own body as a threat— which is called an autoimmune response. But it also holds the body back from fighting cancer as hard as it can. This breakthrough has revolutionized cancer therapy.
JWST Leadership
Jane Rigby, the Operations Project Scientist for JWST, spent four years at the Observatories as both a Carnegie fellow and Spitzer fellow. She is also an astrophysicist in the Observational Cosmology Lab at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center. Her own research focuses on the evolution of star-forming galaxies and their central supermassive black holes
