Support for Pre-Doctoral Research at the Arecibo Observatory

The National Astronomy and Ionosphere Center (NAIC) provides support for students from any U.S. institution pursuing Ph.D. degrees in the fields of astronomy, planetary science, and space and atmospheric science. This program enables students to pursue their thesis research in residence at the Arecibo Observatory. It is a joint effort of NAIC and universities who seek to broaden their academic research program by providing thesis students with a concentrated exposure to research in the above fields and/or the associated instrumentation, and computational techniques.

Under this program, and with the consent of their academic departments, the students carry out thesis research in residence at the Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico, under the joint supervision of the student's advisor and an NAIC staff scientist. While in residence at the Arecibo Observatory, students are paid a stipend of $2100 per month and are eligible for Cornell University health and life insurance programs available to NAIC staff in Puerto Rico. The facilities of NAIC are available to students in this program. Housing accommodation for their stay is the responsibility of the students, and is available within the surrounding communities.

To be eligible for the NAIC Pre-Doctoral Research Program, students must meet the following requirements:

Be enrolled in a Ph.D. granting, U.S. institution;
Have completed all university course requirements so that only thesis research is needed as an academic requirement for the degree;
Have obtained the consent of their thesis advisor and the chairman of their academic department to participate in the NAIC pre-doctoral research program;
Have contacted, or asked the thesis advisor to contact, an NAIC staff scientist who would be willing to serve as a thesis co-advisor and local supervisor of the student's research program.

Once all these requirements have been met, interested students or their advisors should apply to the NAIC program by contacting the program administrator (listed below), and provide a CV and a detailed account of the proposed research program.

There is no application deadline for the NAIC Pre-Doctoral Research Program, applications being accepted throughout the year. On selection, a student may start at his/her convenience, and the duration of the appointment may be from six to twenty-four months, according to the student's needs. Research students in astronomy, planetary science, and space and atmospheric science are encouraged to apply.

       Program Administrator:

          Dr. Murray Lewis
          Arecibo Observatory
          HC3 Box 53995
          Arecibo, PR 00612

          Tel: (787) 878-2612, ext. 285
          Fax: (787) 878-1861
          Email: blewis@naic.edu

The Arecibo Observatory is part of the National Astronomy and Ionosphere Center, which is operated by Cornell University under a cooperative agreement with the National Science Foundation. Cornell University is an affirmative action, equal opportunity employer.