OPPORTUNITIES
CTA hires across every research-career stage—from staff scientists down to high-school summer researchers. Many CTA staff began their LANL careers as postdocs and grew into permanent positions; the postdoc-to-staff path is one of the most travelled routes into the lab.
CTA postdocs work on theoretical and computational astrophysics across an active portfolio of LANL projects. The center is open to working with any LANL postdoc whose research overlaps with our group—including postdocs hired on a job ad outside CTA. Shared interests and projects can make you a CTA member regardless of which line of funding hired you.
Application and eligibility
Eligibility, salary, benefits, and the formal application process all match the standard LANL postdoc requirements. The LANL postdoc page has the current details and the official application portal.
CTA also runs its own seasonal postdoc call posted to the LANL postdoc portal. When the call is open, the CTA postdoc ad is the most direct way in. See Important dates below for the cycle.
Appointment types
CTA postdocs are hired through four distinct mechanisms. Applicants are encouraged to apply to every appointment type they are eligible for—the four routes are not mutually exclusive. Across all of them, reach out early to a CTA scientist whose work overlaps with yours: a relationship with a potential sponsor or mentor strengthens any application and makes your case more compelling at review. See our Staff and Research pages for who works on what.
Research Associate
The standard LANL postdoc appointment. Research Associate hires are funded by a specific program or by Laboratory Directed Research and Development (LDRD), and the appointment is tied to a project. Many CTA postdocs come in through this route, sometimes via a CTA-issued job ad and sometimes via an existing LANL ad outside CTA. Reaching out to a CTA scientist whose work matches your interests is a good way to learn about openings; you can also browse current postings directly on the LANL job board.
Named Fellowships
Two-year, fully funded fellowships sponsored by individual LANL programs. Several have direct overlap with CTA research. If you are considering one of these, working with a CTA scientist as a sponsor or collaborator is encouraged—they can help align your proposal with the program's emphasis and walk you through the specifics of the application.
Harold Agnew National Security Fellow
Funded by the LANL Weapons Program. Open to research aligned with the lab’s national-security mission across experimental, theoretical, computational, and engineering work. Two-year, fully funded.
Mark Kac Fellow in Applied Mathematics
Up to one fellow per year. Jointly sponsored by DOE ASCR and the LANL Center for Nonlinear Studies. Aimed at DOE-relevant applied math.
Chick Keller Fellow in Space and Earth Science
Hosted by the Center for Space and Earth Science, which spans astrophysics, heliophysics, geophysics, planetary science, earth systems, and bioscience. Provides half-time funding.
Nicholas C. Metropolis Fellow
Funded by the Advanced Simulation Computing (ASC) program. Computational physics and computer science emphasis with access to LANL’s largest supercomputers. Two-year, fully funded.
Distinguished Fellowships
The most competitive postdoc fellowships at LANL, awarded to candidates with extraordinary research records and clear potential to lead future programs. Packages are reviewed at the Fall Quarterly Review. CTA scientists regularly sponsor strong matches; the earlier you reach out, the more time there is to shape the package together.
Richard P. Feynman Fellow
Theory and computing emphasis.
Darlene Christian Hoffman Fellow
Recognizes outstanding contributions to science and engineering by women.
J. Robert Oppenheimer (JRO) Fellow
Research aligned with LANL’s mission.
Frederick Reines (FR) Fellow
Experimental sciences emphasis.
Director’s Fellowships
Director’s Fellows have considerable freedom to pursue independent research while building ties to LANL programs through part-time programmatic work—designed as a long-term pipeline into permanent Lab roles. Packages are reviewed quarterly. If you are interested in this route, reach out to a CTA scientist whose work overlaps with yours well in advance of the quarterly window you are targeting.
Important dates and deadlines
Placeholder. CTA call window and named-fellowship deadlines for the current cycle will appear here in the future.
Postdoc-to-staff track record
Many CTA staff scientists started as CTA postdocs and converted to permanent LANL roles through the standard conversion process. The postdoc-to-staff route remains one of the most travelled path into the lab.
CTA postdocs who do not convert have placed strongly elsewhere—faculty positions at research universities, scientist roles at other US national laboratories, and senior research positions in industry.
CTA hosts graduate students through LANL’s Graduate Research Assistant (GRA) program. Students work closely with a mentor and co-mentor on a defined project—sometimes a self-contained summer effort, sometimes a longer-term appointment tied to their thesis. The program supports both domestic and international students enrolled in an accredited graduate degree.
Application and eligibility
Eligibility, compensation, benefits, and the formal application process are set by the LANL Student Programs Office. See the Graduate Internship Program page for current details, including the separate post-master’s eligibility track.
Appointment types
The GRA program supports a few flavors of appointment, and applicants can target the cadence that fits their degree. Across all of them, reach out early to a CTA scientist whose work overlaps with yours—a mentor relationship shapes the project, helps your application clear the matching step, and is essential for any longer-term arrangement. See our Staff and Research pages for who works on what.
Summer Internship
The most common entry point. Summer GRA appointments are typically 10 weeks and built around a defined project chosen jointly with your CTA mentor. Many CTA staff and postdoc projects line up with summer-scale milestones—code development, simulation production, paper-figure work—that pair well with this format.
Year-round Internship
Longer-term GRA appointments that extend beyond the summer window, well-suited to students working on a project that needs continuity across academic terms or to students who can travel to LANL during semester breaks. Funding and scope are agreed with the mentor in advance.
Post-Master’s
Separate eligibility track for students who have completed a master’s degree but are not yet in a doctoral program (or who are between programs). See the Student Programs Office page for the specific rules.
Thesis-in-Residence
Some CTA mentors are open to hosting students conducting their master’s or doctoral thesis research at the lab. This is arranged case-by-case between your home institution, your LANL mentor, and the Student Programs Office; the relationship usually starts as a summer or year-round appointment that then grows into the thesis arrangement.
Important dates and deadlines
The graduate internship cycle runs roughly from late summer through mid-February; see the Graduate Internship Program page for current opening and closing dates. For a summer appointment, applying in November or December gives your mentor and the Student Programs Office the most time to match you to a project. Current postings are listed on lanl.jobs.
CTA hosts undergraduate researchers through LANL’s Undergraduate Student Internship Program. Most placements are summer projects matched to a specific CTA mentor; longer-term and post-bachelor appointments are also possible. The program is open to domestic and international students.
Application and eligibility
Eligibility, compensation, benefits, and the formal application process are set by the LANL Student Programs Office. See the Undergraduate Student Internship Program page for current details, including the separate post-bachelor track.
Appointment types
CTA undergraduates can apply through a few cadences. Across all of them, reach out early to a CTA scientist whose work overlaps with yours—a mentor relationship shapes the project and helps your application clear the matching step. See our Staff and Research pages for who works on what.
Summer Internship
The most common entry point. Summer undergraduate appointments are typically 10–12 weeks and built around a defined project chosen jointly with your CTA mentor.
Year-round Internship
Longer-term appointments that extend beyond the summer window, well-suited to students at nearby institutions or returning for a second cycle.
LANL Summer Schools
LANL also runs computational physics and astronomy summer schools as additional paths into the lab. These are run separately from the standard internship pipeline; the catalogue and dates change year to year, so check the LANL summer schools page for current openings.
Important dates and deadlines
For a summer appointment, the ideal time to apply is November or December of the preceding year; see the Undergraduate Student Internship Program page for current opening and closing dates. Current postings are listed on lanl.jobs.
CTA does not run a dedicated high-school program; high-school researchers are hosted by individual CTA mentors through LANL’s High School Internship Program and other high-school fellowships and opportunities such as SAGE. The Internship Program is open to juniors and seniors at New Mexico high schools; out-of-state students are not eligible, and CTA does not encourage minors to travel out of state to pursue these opportunities. Placement depends on which CTA members are offering projects in a given cycle; reach out early to a potential mentor on our Staff or Research pages.
Application and eligibility
Eligibility, application materials, and the formal application process are set by the LANL Student Programs Office. See the High School Internship Program page for current details, including the High School Project Description Books listing currently advertised projects. Applications are submitted via Google Forms linked from that page.
Important dates and deadlines
The High School Internship Program runs three cycles per year (Fall, Spring, and Summer), each with its own application window. See the LANL page for the current schedule.
LIFE AT CTA
Photos from CTA events—summer schools, conferences and posters, happy hours, group meetings, and more.