My nephew graduated recently from the University of Michigan with a Ph.D in astrophysics. He wants to teach.?

Question

Can anyone give him advise on finding a job.

Answer 1

He should already be affiliated with the American Astronomical Society, and perhaps even the American Physical Society, and he should already know about their job listing services.

If he does not, his graduate advisors should get spanked. Hard.

Here's the AAS website for career services and job listings.

http://www.aas.org/career/index.htm

Here's the APS website:

http://positron2.aps.org/jobs/index.cfm

Here are some other resources from which he might benefit:

A New Universe to Explore - Careers in Astronomy
http://www.aas.org/education/publications/careerbrochure.html

Careers in Science and Engineering - A Student Planning Guide
http://www.nap.edu/readingroom/books/careers/contents.html

Occupational Outlook Handbook - Physicists and Astronomers
http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos052.htm

Careers in Astrophysics - Queensland University
http://astrophysics.qut.edu.au/careers_for_physicists.asp

Princeton Astrophysical Sciences Department
http://www.astro.princeton.edu/

Other folks have mentioned the Chronicle of Higher Education, and while it is a valuable publication, it will get the job listings later than the scholarly associations will.

Please, tell him to ask his graduate advisors for their assistance. Their references and contacts will be absolutely ESSENTIAL for him to have any chance of getting a job in academia.

Answer 2

Congrats to your nephew! That's exciting.

I find it a little odd, though, that your nephew's advisor didn't do more to help him on the job market before graduating, at least to suggest places to look and encourage him to start applying while finishing his dissertation.

It is very hard to get a job in academia. Unlike what some of the answerers seem to suggest, being smart and having a Ph.D. is not enough to walk in the door at any university and get a job, as I'm sure your nephew knows. There are many more Ph.D.s than there are professor jobs. Where he graduated, the quality of his dissertation, and any publication he's done will all be deciding factors in whether/where he can get a job. And of course, who's hiring!

If it's anything like most fields, there are probably some associations for physicists that he can join that publish job lists (i.e. what universities are currently hiring what kinds of specialists in physics) and hold conferences (where some departments may recruit). A Google search turned up the American Physical Society: http://www.aps.org/, but he might know of others.

And thanks to Amy too for the suggestion (Chronicle). I bookmarked it!

Best of luck to him!

Answer 3

He probably know this already- he should be checking his professional journals and publications.

One of the best for all academic scholars is the Chronicle of Higher Education.

Another would be the Sunday edition of the New York Times. There is a part of the Times that has positions for academia (at least in the 80s and 90s when I was look, there was).

He should also be looking in his professional journals on physics.

He can check online for openings at various colleges and universities. Many advertise their openings on their own websites.

He would need to update is curriculum vitae and have several faculty from UM to giver him recommendations.

He may also consider attending professional conferences where he could meet potential employers and show them his resume and creditals.

Since he has his PhD in Astrophysics, he should know most of this stuff already!

Answer 4

Tell him congratulations!!!! Somehow I don't think he'll have any problems finding a job with a degree in Astrophysics. Those type classes boggle my mind at the undergraduate level!

If he's willing to relocate he should send his resume to colleges in the states he'd consider moving to at least for starters. I'm sure someone will snap him up before the end of summer.

Answer 5

He probably knows the best places to look (I mean he has a degree in astrophysics)!! However, I like the website www.chronicle.com. It provides higher education job openings as well as offers advice from professors on all kinds of topics from interviews to how to write a CV.

Answer 6

Apply at the University he graduated from and any other. I hope that's what you mean and not high school. That would be such a waste of his life and education.

Answer 7

Isn't he supposed to be smart enough to find a job on his own?