The Fellowship

The LSST Corporation works towards making Rubin LSST science globally and equitably accessible to fulfill Rubin’s twin promises of breaking scientific barriers and furthering human knowledge. Within this context, the LSSTC Catalyst Fellowship Program seeks early-career researchers who aspire not only to conduct their own cutting-edge scientific research, but also to contribute to the program’s lasting legacy by building networks, learning and sharing skills, and cultivating practices that enable science with big data. All these aspects are deliberately supported in the program structure:

  • Two fellows will be social scientists studying social aspects of this new scientific initiative.  
  • Another astrophysics fellow will sit at an expansion site—an institution that is not yet an LSSTC member nor has hosted competitive astronomy postdoc positions in the past but whose faculty and students would benefit from closer ties to the LSST community. 
  • Each fellow will be mentored by a committee of engaged senior astronomers from large and small institutions as well as senior social scientists. 
  • Fellows will participate in regular cohort-building and career development activities to learn to work across diverse fields and with diverse people and institutions.
  • Astronomy and social science fellows and their mentors will share knowledge and perspectives on the sociotechnical arrangements that produce astronomy research and the broader social implications of astronomical science.

We are looking for the next generation to lead the astrophysics community in making the most of LSST data and to realize the transformative potential of this initiative. We invite applicants who are keen to engage with these unique program elements and take advantage of the opportunities they present.