Postdoctoral Fellow

Postdoctoral Fellow

Department: Department of the Air Force

Location(s): Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio

Salary Range: $62439 - $123291 Per Year

Job Summary: This is a Non-Tenure Track position. Serves as 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 Air Force STEM human capital needs.

Major Duties:

• 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.

Qualifications: 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, scaled directed energy, scaled hypersonics, applied artificial intelligence, contested logistics, or quantum battlefield information dominance. 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.

How to Apply: The complete Application Package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (ET) on 05/05/2026. To preview the Application Questionnaire, please click the following link: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12940579 To begin the process, click the Apply Online button to create an account or log in to your existing USAJOBS account. Follow the prompts to complete the application questionnaire. Please ensure you click the Submit My Application button at the end of the process. To apply for this position, you must provide a complete Application Package which includes: a letter of application (cover letter), resume, curriculum vitae, legible copies of ALL transcripts, statement of teaching, and statement of research interest. PLEASE NOTE: A PhD degree is required before employment begins, but ALL transcripts must be provided for ALL degrees being pursued or obtained as stated in your curriculum vitae are required. Questions on the position opening or the Department should be directed to the Judy Turner at email: judy.turner.1.ctr@us.af.mil. You can also notify her of your intention to apply. An incomplete package will result in non-consideration of your application. 1. Your Resume: Resumes may not exceed two pages. The two-page resume ensures the most relevant experience is reviewed and considered, which is a common practice in both the public and private sectors. Resumes exceeding two pages will be removed from consideration. Additional information on how to complete or update your resume may be located here. If you submit more than one Resume, only the most recent (latest) will be reviewed to determine your qualifications. The "most recent" is considered the resume with the latest timestamp. For qualification determination your Resume must contain hours worked per week and dates of employment (i.e., month/year to month/year or month/year to present). If your Resume does not contain this information, your application may be marked as insufficient, and you will not receive consideration for this position. If you are a current Federal employee or previous Federal employee, provide your pay plan, series, and grade, i.e., GS-0301-09. Current Federal Civilian Employees may list any relevant performance related rating (given within the last three years) and/or incentive awards in your Resume/Curriculum Vitae. Do NOT include photographs, inappropriate material, inappropriate content, nor personal information such as age, gender, religion, social security number, etc., on your resume. If the resume you submit contains such information you will not be considered for this vacancy. Your name, first and last, MUST be included on your resume. 2. Your Curriculum Vitae: Teaching accomplishments: Include teaching experience and teaching awards Professional Accomplishments: Include research, consultations, publications, and awards Service Accomplishments: Include membership, leadership roles, nature of service and contribution in collegial and/or professional organizations, societies, etc. Do NOT include photographs, inappropriate material, inappropriate content, nor personal information such as age, gender, religion, social security number, etc., on your resume. If the curriculum vitae you submit contains such information you will not be considered for this vacancy. 3. Additional Required Documents (see Required Documents section). Ensure all submitted documents contain your full name. If you are claiming veterans' preference, please provide basic eligibility information in your cover letter. Also include in your application a copy of your DD-214 (Member Copy 4) and, if disabled, a completed SF-15 (Application for 10-Point Veterans' Preference), along with a letter for federal employment from the Department of Veterans Affairs indicating your service-connected disability rating. IF APPLICABLE: An active-duty military member's statement of service/certification letter will be accepted in lieu of a DD-214. The statement/certification letter can be obtained from your servicing military personnel office and must be signed by, or by direction of, the adjutant, personnel officer, or commander of your unit or higher headquarters and must indicate your rank, dates of active-duty service, and type of discharge/character of service (i.e. honorable). Your preference and/or appointment eligibility will be verified prior to appointment. Military members may be appointed before the effective date of their military separation, if member is on terminal leave, and if applicable, with the appropriate 180-day approved waiver. PLEASE NOTE: It is the applicant's responsibility to verify that information entered and/or uploaded, (i.e., resume) is received, accurate, and submitted by the closing date. You may verify your documents have been processed with your application package successfully. You can access your USAJOBS account to do so by clicking here. Uploaded documents may take up to one hour to clear the virus scan.

Application Deadline: 2026-05-05