Astrophysicist

Overview:

An astrophysicist is a scientist who studies the universe and its contents.

What is Astrophysics?

Astrophysics is an area in space science that uses the laws of physics and chemistry to explain the life, death, and birth of stars, planets, planets, galaxies, nebulae, and other objects of the universe.

According to NASA, the goal of astrophysics are "to discover how the universe works, explore how it began and evolve, and search for life on planet around other stars."

Stats:

• Total employment worldwide (2018): 14,036 (includes self-employed workers)

• Total employment in the U.S (2018): 3,049

• US states with the most astrophysicists (with wages)

  • California: 280 (Wage: $113,130)

  • Arizona: 230 (104,100)

  • Texas: 210 (107,350)

  • Hawaii: 90 (126,170)

  • District of Columbia: 70 (123,640)

• Lacks African and Hispanic representation (~2.5% of Phd holders in Astronomy)

  • Slightly more representation in physics, however most jobs resides in Historical Black Colleges/Universities (HBCUs)

• Women:

  • In Astronomy in the US: 17% (2008)

  • In Physics: 12% (2008)

• 91% of people in Astrophysics have a PhD

• Life after Graduate School:

  • 10-15% of Phd leave the U.S after graduation

  • 60-70% go straight into postdocs

Work schedule:

• Does not have to be a traditional 9-5 job

• Flexible hours, as long as you get the job done within the deadline

• Once you earn your Phd, you become a postdoctoral researcher- which is someone who has obtained their degree but spends their job researching (no teaching) and gaining new skills

  • Postdoc jobs last for 2-3 years

  • The average astrophysicist completes 1-2 postdoc jobs to make connects and to start off their career with a permanent job

Salary:

• Postdoc: 50-70K

• Senior scientist: 70-105K

• Top 10%: $165,770

Pathway of education:

• High school

• Bachelors degree in astrophysics or related major

• PhD in (usually physics or astronomy) (5-6 yrs)

• Gain experience from temporary Postdoc positions

• Get a permanent job: full-time researcher at an observatory, data scientist, university professor, etc.

Tops schools for Astrophysics:

• Boston University (Majors: astronomy, astronomy and physics, Geo physics and planetary sciences)

• California Institute of Technology (Major: Astronomy)

• Columbia University (Major: Astrophysics, astronomy)

• Cornell University (Major: Astronomy with a astrophysics concentration)

• Harvard University (Major: Physics or earth and planetary sciences with an Astrophysics concentration)

• Massachusetts Institute of Technology (Major: physics with taking elective Astrophysics courses)

• Northwestern University (Major: Physics, astronomy)

• Penn State University (Major: Astronomy and Astrophysics (ASTRO))

• And others*

*For more schools with links to their astrophysics/ astronomy department, click here

Common Tasks Completed:

• Observation of space is only a small fraction of the job (About twice in a two week period)

• Astrophysicist spent a majority of the time programming/analyzing data

Classes to take in High school / college:

• Take advanced math and science (physics and chemistry) in high school. Take an astronomy class or join an astronomy club if available 

• Pursue a math / science bachelor’s degree: if your school does not offer a Astrophysics/ astronomy major, you can take related math or science courses/ degrees as a major/minor:

  • Physics

  • Math

  • Computer science- to analyze data

  • Chemistry 

  • Take Astronomy electives

• Tip: major in a broader major like physics to explore more options besides astrophysics 

• Look for astrophysics internships while in high school and college 

• Get good grades and final research opportunities in undergrad and PhD program

Career outlook:

• Overall employment of physicists and astronomers is expected to grow 9% from 2018 to 2028 (faster on average)

• Jobs are competitive and getting more competitive

• Most available jobs are in academia (in colleges/universities) teaching and researching

• Some jobs are available in the government:

  • NASA

  • FERMILAB

  • CERN

  • Lawrence Berkeley national lab

  • JPL etc.
    

Competition:

• A majority of astrophysics jobs are in universities and private companies, so the job market is limited and requires lots of moving to find a job

• Moving (nationally and internationally) is common for Postdocs to find a permanent  position

Other Career Paths

• Software development (since astrophysicists have programming experience)

• Finance (Ex. Wall Street)- for their problem solving skills/math experience 

• Other earth sciences / bioinformatics

How to know you’re interested in becoming an Astrophysicist

Ask yourself these questions:

• Do I really enjoy math and physics? Am I good at Physics or see potential for improvement?

• How does the universe work?

• How did we get here?

• Are we alone?

Sources and More Resources

Interviews

https://lifehacker.com/career-spotlight-what-i-do-as-an-astrophysicist-1749461729

https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=298&v=FknYiWct43A&feature=emb_logo

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n8cEZM1lN5g

Other

“19-2011 Astronomers.” U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 29 Mar. 2019, www.bls.gov/oes/2018/may/oes192011.htm.

“What Is Astrophysics?” Space.com, www.space.com/26218-astrophysics.html.

“Best Colleges for Astronomy and Astrophysics.”, 7 May 2020, www.collegetransitions.com/dataverse/top-colleges-astronomy.

“International Astronomical Union.” IAU, www.iau.org/administration/membership/individual/distribution/.

“NASA Astrophysics.” NASA, science.nasa.gov/astrophysics/.