Harvard University
Title: Postdoctoral Research Position in the Galileo Project
School: Faculty of Arts and Sciences
Department_Area: Harvard College Observatory/Center for Astrophysics
Position Description: Applications are invited for a one-year Postdoctoral Research Fellow position with Professor Avi Loeb at Harvard University, leading the scientific commissioning and operation of a multi-sensor observatory within The Galileo Project . The successful candidate will be responsible for ensuring the scientific quality and integrity of site-specific data streams and will play a central role in interpreting observations in the context of unidentified aerial phenomena. The position may be renewed, contingent on performance and funding availability.
The Galileo Project's Unidentified Aerial Phenomena ( UAP ) division is currently building and commissioning a network of calibrated multi-sensor observatory-class systems, and developing novel machine learning methods with the aim of collecting science-quality data to determine whether there are, in or near Earth's atmosphere, measurable phenomena which can be confidently classified as scientific anomalies. Each system includes wide field optical sensors in the infrared, visible, and ultraviolet; acoustic; radio spectrum; magnetic field strength; charged particle count; and environmental sensors. The project aims to conduct an exhaustive, long-term, multi-modal aerial census at multiple locations, cataloguing known natural or man-made aerial objects. We will generate testable, data-driven hypotheses to characterize any novel class discovered during this census, or else we can derive upper bounds for the occurrence rate of such anomalies at a given location.
This work requires interdisciplinary integration across astronomy, physics, Earth and atmospheric sciences, engineering, computer science, and machine learning.
The postdoctoral fellow will assume scientific leadership for one observatory site and will:
- Lead site commissioning, including performance verification and validation, sensor calibration across modalities.
- Ensure data integrity, overseeing data transfer and storage on the Harvard computing cluster.
- Contribute to the development, training, and validation of machine learning models for object detection, classification, and outlier detection across multiple sensor modalities.
- Depending on previous experience, provide scientific oversight to volunteers, students and engineering staff on computing architecture, including networking, data pipeline design and storage; data analysis and data collection software; and machine learning research
- Collaborate with other scientists in the Galileo Project to analyze and interpret data, contributing to the long-term, multi-modal aerial census of known natural or man-made aerial objects at the site location
- Participate in publication and dissemination, taking the lead on scientific manuscripts and presentations emerging from the assigned site.
The successful candidate will have access to local computing facilities and will have the opportunity to interact and work with researchers in both the Harvard College Observatory ( HCO ) and the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory ( SAO ). The position is for one year, with the possibility of renewal contingent on performance and funding. The nominal starting date will be September 1, 2025, but an earlier or later start is negotiable.
Candidates must have a Ph.D. in astronomy, physics, or a related discipline (including Earth, atmospheric, or climate science) by the time of appointment.
Applicants should submit a cover letter, CV, list of publications, and a statement describing relevant past research achievements and future research plans, and arrange for three letters of recommendation to be submitted.
Review of applications will begin on July 10, 2025, and applications that are complete by that date will receive full consideration.
Basic Qualifications: Candidates must possess a Ph.D. in astronomy, physics, or a related discipline (including Earth, atmospheric, or climate science) by the time of appointment.
Must have experience with instrumentation and experimental techniques
Must have strong analytical skills and a record of scientific productivity.
Additional Qualifications: - Experience with signal processing, statistical data analysis, or machine learning techniques.
- Proficiency in scientific programming (e.g., Python, MATLAB , or similar).
- Ability to work independently while maintaining coordination with interdisciplinary teams.
Applicants should submit a cover letter, CV, list of publications, and a statement describing relevant past research achievements and future research plans, and arrange for three letters of recommendation to be submitted.
Special Instructions: Letters of reference should be submitted by three "referees" and must be received by the application deadline of August 1, 2025, 18:00 EST . Contact Information: T.J. Martin
Division Administrator
Contact Email: tjmartin@cfa.harvard.edu
Equal Opportunity Employer: We are an equal opportunity employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, gender identity, sexual orientation, pregnancy and pregnancy-related conditions or any other characteristic protected by law.
The CfA hosts a strong research program in astrophysics and provides a stimulating environment. Women and minorities are strongly encouraged to apply. AAE / EOE .
Minimum Number of References Required: 2
Maximum Number of References Allowed: 3
Supplemental Questions: Required fields are indicated with an asterisk (*).
Equal employment opportunity, including veterans and individuals with disabilities.
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