Center for Astrophysics (CfA) Prize Postdoctoral Fellowship

About this program

The Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory and the Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian offer the CfA Prize Postdoctoral Fellowships to support innovative astrophysics research, providing fellows full access to CfA/SAO facilities, staff, and resources. Three distinct prize fellowships (Clay, CfA, and JC Ryan) are awarded as three-year appointments, with stipends updated annually to align with the federal pay scale and the third year contingent on satisfactory progress. Eligible applicants are early-career postdoctoral or developing independent researchers who apply to one of the three fellowships. Applications open annually in late August and close in late October; consult the CfA fellowship pages for current stipend information, full eligibility criteria, and application instructions.