POSTDOCTORAL FELLOW

Summary

This is a Non-Tenure Track position .

Serve as a Postdoctoral Researcher to substantially increase faculty productivity and improve AFIT educational and research products. Postdoctoral researchers provide a unique opportunity to educate civilian human capital for the Air Force workforce thereby meeting AF STEM human capital needs.

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Duties

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Performs the following postdoctoral fellow duties in the Department of Engineering Physics, Graduate School of Engineering and Management, Air Force Institute of Technology:

• Technical problem solving. The incumbent solves research problems to gain additional skills and experience within their area of academic discipline. Technical problem-solving activities include but are not limited to: identifying potential solutions to novel research problems; designing and executing studies to answer research questions; analyzing and interpreting research findings; configuring and designing relevant hardware and/or software; building relevant and useful research models; evaluating existing research techniques, analyzing systems, and recommending improvements to ensure quality and productivity.
• Mentorship and Collaboration .The incumbent develops mentorship and collaboration skills by partnering with their research mentor to organize, plan, and execute group research projects. Postdoctoral fellows expand their mentorship skills by partnering with AFIT students in informal settings to guide student investigations, offer research support, and share technical knowledge. The incumbent will collaborate with faculty inside and outside their discipline to identify relevant research questions, develop methods to answer research questions, and to work cooperatively to solve research problems of mutual interest.
• Communication. A Postdoctoral researcher prepares manuscripts for publication; documents research activities to ensure reproducibility; and assists in the preparation of proposals and funding reports. The incumbent is responsible for presenting research outputs at relevant conferences, program reviews, sponsor meetings and similar events. Postdoctoral researchers are responsible for reading, understanding, applying technical articles and maintaining a working knowledge of the state of the art in research. The Postdoctoral researcher effectively engages with the broader academic and defense communities by communicating as an active participant in internal and external scientific committees, conferences, including reviewing and critiquing student thesis papers, dissertations, and student thesis/doctoral committee activities.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

• U.S. Citizenship is required
• Males must be registered for Selective Service, see
• Employee may be required to work other than normal duty hours, to include evenings, weekends and/or holidays. Shift work and emergency overtime may be required.
• Employee must maintain current certifications.
• Selectee may be subject to serve a one-year trial period.
• Candidates are not required to have active-duty service or veterans' preference to be referred and considered. All qualified candidates who meet the recruitment assessment criteria will be referred to the selecting official.
• The selected candidate will be subject to a security investigation leading to successful completion of a background investigation with a favorable adjudication. The selectee's failure to meet this requirement will be grounds for termination.
• Essential qualities expected of every Postdoctoral Fellow include the personal attributes of integrity, industry, cooperation, initiative, and breadth of intellectual interests.
• Travel by military or commercial transportation to gather ideas for improving the curriculum, establish research contacts and agreements, conduct research, and present results of research may be required.
• Initial appointment is under Schedule A appointing authority, Excepted Appointment Not-to-Exceed 366 days.
• At the time of the expiration of the initial appointment an employee who adequately demonstrates professional competence can be extended in increments up to 3 years.
• An initial appointment can be allowed to expire for an employee who does not adequately demonstrate professional competence.
• Current Federal employees on a permanent or indefinite appointment will be required to have a minimum of 3-day break in service if selected.
• This job is being filled by an alternative hiring process and is not in the competitive civil service. This is an Administratively Determined position in the excepted service.
• Recruitment and/or retention incentives may or may not be used.
• Permanent Change in Station (PCS) cost is not authorized.
• This position may require drug testing and the candidate may be subject to passing a drug test upon selection.
• Incumbent may be required to travel by commercial or military conveyance (or other means of travel) to perform temporary duty.
• Additional duties supporting the academic and administrative aspects of a military school can be assigned by school and/or university leaders.

Qualifications

This is an open continuous announcement and will be used to fill vacancies as openings occur. To receive consideration for the vacancies, applicants must submit complete applications prior to the established cut-ff date(s). The initial application cut-off is date is 30 Aug 2026 and every 30 days thereafter . You are encouraged to apply as early as possible. This announcement will remain open until the closing date indicated; however, those who apply after the cut-off date will be considered for referral to the hiring manager only if no selection is made from the initial group or if additional vacancies occur and the initial referral list yielded an insufficient number of candidates. If you make corrections and resubmit your application, the date the application is last submitted will be used to determine those who are considered to have met the cut-off date. This announcement is open until 31 July 2027 and may be used to fill like vacancies for 90 days after the closing date.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS:

• An earned doctoral degree in a wide variety of fields that includes: physics, applied physics; atmospheric science; materials science; nuclear engineering; applied mathematics; electrical engineering; computer science; operational science; logistics; supply chain management; systems engineering; aeronautical engineering; astronautical engineering; or related fields.

• The applicant's record of scholarship must show the ability or potential to (1) conduct and disseminate scholarly research (2) mentor graduate students in conducting research in the school of engineering and management and (3) collaborate with other researchers.

• Possess the ability to communicate clearly and expertly in both verbal and written forms concerning academic, administrative, and technical subject matters.

DESIRED QUALIFICATIONS:

Demonstrated professional knowledge of defense-related research projects that can support nuclear modernization, battlespace intelligence, directed energy, hypersonics, applied artificial intelligence, contested logistics, or quantum battlefield information dominance.

Applicants will be assessed based on education, evidence of teaching effectiveness, quality of scholarship, and demonstrated service to educational institutions and the discipline commensurate with years in the discipline.

PART-TIME OR UNPAID EXPERIENCE: Credit will be given for appropriate unpaid and or part-time work. You must clearly identify the duties and responsibilities in each position held and the total number of hours per week.

VOLUNTEER WORK EXPERIENCE: Refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service Programs (i.e., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religious; spiritual; community; student and social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge and skills that can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.

Education

• This position has a positive degree requirement or education forms the basis for qualifications therefore, you MUST submit ALL transcripts (Bachelors/Masters/PhD) with the application. Official transcripts are not required at the time of application; however, if position has a positive degree requirement, qualifying based on education alone or in combination with experience, transcripts must be verified prior to appointment. An accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education must accredit education. Click here to check accreditation.
• Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order for it to be credited towards qualifications. Therefore, provide only the attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.

FOREIGN EDUCATION: Education completed in foreign colleges or universities may be used to meet the requirements. You must show proof the education credentials have been deemed to be at least equivalent to that gained in conventional U.S. education program. It is your responsibility to provide such evidence when applying.

Additional information

This job is being filled by an alternative hiring process and is not in the competitive civil service. Late applications from veterans will not be accepted for faculty positions. Late applications for veterans only apply when filling positions in the competitive service.

As a condition of employment, male applicants born after December 31, 1959 must be registered or exempt from Selective Service. For additional information click here.

Direct Deposit: All federal employees are required by PL 104-134 to have federal payments made by Direct Deposit.

Employed Annuitants (Reemployed Annuitants): Applicants in receipt of an annuity based on civilian employment in the Federal Service are subject to the DoD Policy on The Employment of Annuitants. Click here for more information.

Current Federal Civilian employees may apply for temporary and term positions and if selected, a break in service of at least three (3) calendar days may be required prior to appointment to the position.

AFIT is an Equal Opportunity Employer and provides reasonable accommodation to qualified applicants with disabilities.

Application materials become the property of AFIT and WILL NOT be returned.

Applications submitted under this announcement will be considered ONLY for this vacancy.

If you have questions regarding this announcement and have hearing or speech difficulties click here .

Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution.

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A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.

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Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.