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Faculty Application Guidance 

In the 2025-2026 academic year, the Department of Astrophysical and Planetary Sciences is conducting two searches for new faculty: one for a tenure-track position in any area of astrophysical and planetary sciences, and one for two non-tenure-track teaching positions. This page provides guidance for applicants to the tenure-track assistant professor position beyond the information in , and the departmental Tenure-Track Faculty Job Description and Duties page provides information about the successful applicant should expect as a new APS faculty member.

Applicants to this tenure-track faculty search should submit a cover letter, a curriculum vitae, a list of publications, a statement of research philosophy, and a statement of teaching philosophy. Guidance on these items follows:

Cover Letter

The cover letter should be a brief (1- to 2-page) expression of interest and may provide any background information that does not appear elsewhere in the application package. It is an opportunity to introduce yourself to the selection committee. This letter should frame your application, highlight what you are most proud of, why you are excited about CU, and why you think you are a good fit for this position. 

Curriculum Vitae

The CV should include information relevant to an application for scientific research, teaching, and service position. Commonly, these items may include educational history; research, teaching, and mentoring experience; positions held; grants, awards, fellowships, and successful observing proposals; service work; open-source codes you work on; important presentations; or other content relevant to your professional career.

List of Publications

The list of publications can include peer-reviewed publications and non-refereed articles, book chapters, white papers, and abstracts (with clear demarcation between categories). Please consider including a summary at the start of this publication list��indicating the total number of published papers, number of citations, h-index, number of 1st and/or 2nd author papers, and the source from which these statistics are calculated.��If you have changed names during your professional career, please include all your publications (to help, NASA ADS/SciX can link publication lists via ORCID). Please also consider indicating any student-led publications where you played a significant advisory role. Please note: an early version of the job ad appeared to request a merged PDF of all your research publications; that was a mistake and is not necessary.

Statement of Research Philosophy

The description of your intended research program and interests should be about 3 pages and include discussion of previous and current work, key scientific questions you hope to address as a professor, and future research directions. Be aware your research statement will be read by a panel of current faculty with broad areas of expertise; please provide sufficient context to explain your work to scientists outside your immediate research subtopic. Since faculty are hired with their long-term success and tenure in mind, it pays to include concrete descriptions of long-term (5-10 year) research plans and goals in the research statement, as well as what you envision for the scientific research group you will lead.

Statement of Teaching Philosophy

This statement should be up to 3 pages describing your goals and any previous experience in teaching including pedagogical philosophy, innovative educational ideas, and classes you want to teach within or beyond our department’s existing offerings (see “ASTR” classes at ). Please also include in this statement your plans, thoughts, or experience on student mentoring��(advising graduate and/or undergraduate students in research), outreach (for example, activities promoting science to the public), and/or service (work to support the scholarly community at the departmental, university, or national/global level). We also invite applicants to please include discussion on their plans or previous work that promotes a more equitable scientific community, incorporates inclusive educational practices into teaching and mentoring, or brings new perspectives toward promoting a more diverse scientific workforce.����

Evaluation Criteria

Your submitted application will be carefully reviewed by a panel of tenure-track faculty in the Department of Astrophysical and Planetary Sciences. If invited for an interview visit, you will present a colloquium on your research program and your future plans as a faculty member, meet with members of the department, and participate in interviews with separate faculty and graduate student panels. We will evaluate applications with the following criteria:

• Research: We are looking for candidates with innovative research programs centered around creative ideas, techniques, and/or use of facilities. Evidence of past and ongoing scientific productivity is essential, as well as a plan of what you expect for your group’s research over approximately the next 5 years. Demonstrations of scientific leadership or community recognition are helpful too.��This��2025-2026 search is open to all areas of astrophysics and planetary science; we encourage applicants to connect their research areas to existing strengths or gaps in the department’s existing research profile.
• Teaching, Mentoring, Outreach, Service: We are looking for candidates with experience, potential, and/or enthusiasm for mentoring and teaching students at both the graduate and undergraduate levels. Be sure to articulate your vision for your role as a classroom instructor and as a research mentor. We are looking for candidates who can serve as effective educators for diverse groups of junior scientists, who will contribute to a more inclusive academic community, and who will take their responsibilities seriously as stewards of future generations of scientists. Both past experience and future plans are relevant to the evaluation, recognizing that some candidates may have had limited opportunities to teach or mentor students in their previous positions.����

Other Resources

�鶹��Ѱ�����Human Resources provides information on employee benefits, support, resources, perks, and programs. International Student and Scholar Services offers support and consultation about visas and other issues for international faculty. The Office of Faculty Affairs provides information for dual-career academic couples. Additional questions about the department or university can be directed to the APS Business Manager Adele Labrador Ronen (adele.ronen@colorado.edu). Ms. Ronen is not involved in the evaluation or selection of candidates.��