McGill University Trottier Space Institute Postdoctoral Fellowships

We invite applications for multiple postdoctoral fellowship applications at the Trottier Space Institute at McGill University (TSI). Research topics include (but are not limited to) astrobiology, geophysics, geobiology, astrophysics, cosmology, astroparticle physics, microbial life in extreme environments, and the search for extraterrestrial biosignatures.  

TSI is an interdisciplinary research institute within McGill University consisting of 20 affiliated faculty members from the Departments of Physics, Earth and Planetary Sciences, Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences, and Natural Resource Sciences at McGill (https://tsi.mcgill.ca/index.php?page=faculty)  

Fellowships are supported institutionally for 24 months, with a possible renewal for a third year, dependent on supervisor approval and the availability of funds, and carry an annual salary of at least CAD 50,000 (with adjustments to accommodate the norms of a fellow’s field). TSI Fellowships can be held at any TSI-affiliated department by researchers who specialize in any of the above areas or some interdisciplinary combination thereof.  

Qualifications

Candidates should have recently completed or be nearing completion of their Ph.D.  Preference is given to applicants within 3 years of the PhD.  

Application Instructions

Applicants are strongly recommended to contact potential supervisors ahead of time; while not strictly required, most successful candidates in the past have done so. Applicants should submit a cover letter, a curriculum vitae including a list of publications, and a research statement, and should arrange for three letters of recommendation to be sent through AcademicJobsOnline (https://academicjobsonline.org/ajo/jobs/25913). If extra letters are submitted, a random selection of three will be considered by the committee.  

A successful cover letter will provide a quick summary of your research background, a brief statement of future research directions, and how this fits into the research at McGill. We value an inclusive community, and thus we (optionally) welcome descriptions of any barriers that you may have faced in your research career, descriptions of community-oriented activities that have contributed to a more equitable and diverse work environment, or plans for such work that you may have as a postdoctoral fellow at McGill.  

A successful research statement will describe both your past research as well as your research plans, with the best balance to be determined by the applicant. The research plans should include a description of how they relate to research currently being performed by faculty members at McGill. While we appreciate that the finest nuances of one's research may be understandable only by experts, applicants are advised to make the broadest strokes of their research (and its significance) understandable to an interdisciplinary selection committee consisting of members coming from the entire breadth of TSI's research mission. The total length of the research statement should not exceed two pages (including figures), although an additional page of references is acceptable.  

All application materials, including letters of recommendation, must be received by the deadline of November 29, 2023.  

McGill University is committed to diversity and equity within its community. We welcome applications from: women, Indigenous persons, persons with disabilities, racialized people/visible minorities, ethnic minorities, 2SLGBTQIA* people (sexual orientation and/or gender identity minorities), and others who may contribute to diversification.