Adjunct Appointments

The NRAO allows for Adjunct Scientist appointments to the scientific staff for individuals who may hold full time salaried positions at other institutions. The goals of Adjunct appointments are to encourage collaboration of the scientific community with the NRAO and to augment the effectiveness of the NRAO in fulfilling its mission.

Terms: Adjunct appointments are generally made for an initial term of three years, with renewal subject to a review three to six months before the term ends. Appointments can be made at Assistant Scientist, Associate Scientist, Scientist, or Astronomer level, consistent with the NRAO scientific staff policy manual.  When visiting an NRAO site, an adjunct scientist will be treated as a member of the NRAO scientific staff, eligible for the normal local scientific support to which an NRAO scientific staff member is entitled.  This can include computing support, office space, internet access, and phone service.

Criteria: Candidates for adjunct appointments may be full time employees at an academic institution, federally funded research and development center, or foreign equivalents. They should hold a PhD in astronomy and astrophysics, research engineering, computational science, or a related field. Most importantly, candidates should have a clear vision of what they intend to achieve through an adjunct appointment with the Observatory through collaboration with NRAO staff and the use of NRAO telescopes and facilities. 

Appointment Process: An adjunct appointment may be made by invitation. Alternatively, a candidate interested in being considered for an adjunct appointment may contact NRAO Science Support and Research (SSR). The application process entails submitting a CV, list of publications, names of professional references, and a short justification for becoming an Adjunct at NRAO.  Appointments shall be approved and made by the NRAO Director, upon the recommendation of Assistant Director of SSR. Appointment renewal is contingent on active involvement in the scientific environment at the NRAO.

Observatory visits: Extended periods working at an NRAO site are encouraged. An Adjunct can propose to NRAO for up to two months’ salary each year and/or supplemental funding for local housing for such visits to undertake work that is broadly related to the activities of the NRAO. NRAO salary and housing support is also dependent upon availability of funds. Specific arrangements should be worked out with the Assistant Director of SSR, Assistant Director of New Mexico, or equivalent. All such arrangements are subject to approval by the NRAO Director.

Students: NRAO also welcomes students (undergraduate and graduate) working with an adjunct staff who are involved in research and development involving NRAO facilities and staff members.  To help partially support such student involvement, we encourage applying for NRAO funding such as the student support programs.

Affiliation: Adjunct staff are expected to acknowledge their NRAO affiliation in publications and presentations, if the work was in anyway supported by NRAO.

Inquiries: Please contact jburns@nrao.edu.

Adjunct Appointments at the NRAO (January 2021)

Individual (Institution; Term date)

1. M. Creech-Eakman (NMT; 12/2023)
2. D. Westpfahl (NMT; 12/2023)
3. P. Hofner (NMT; 12/2023)
4. K. Johnson (UVa; 12/2023)
5. Y. Pihlstrom (UNM; 12/2023)
6. L. Young (NMT; 12/2023)
7. F. Walter (MPIA; 12/2023)
8. E. Schinnerer (MPIA; 12/2023)
9. D. Meier (NMT; 12/2023)
10. A. Moullet (USRA; 4/2021)
11. I. Cleeves (UVa; 7/2022)
12. B. McGuire (MIT; 7/2023)
13. V. Impellizzeri (Leiden; 9/2023)
14. A. Navarrini (INAF; 3/2024)
15. A. Zensus (MPIfR; Indefinite)