Job Description

Panofsky Fellowships are awarded to early career doctoral scientists with potential for innovation and growth.

The intent of the Panofsky Fellowship is to foster the values of creativity and high achievement that W.K.H. Panofsky demonstrated as a researcher and a visionary leader who enabled fundamental science research. 

The appointment carries a five-year term at SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, with salary and benefits commensurate with the candidate’s experience and generous research support, including a postdoctoral researcher’s funding.

The fellowship is intended for early-career researchers in a diverse range of fields related to the SLAC scientific mission. Panofsky Fellows push the frontiers of existing research programs at SLAC and develop their research group and program to expand into new directions building on this foundation. Applicants for the Fellowship should provide a research plan that makes use of the facilities and resources that their potential research area has available. We are especially interested in candidates who propose innovative research programs that utilize and potentially extend the Laboratory’s capabilities. Their plan should also demonstrate alignment with the SLAC mission and values (https://careers.slac.stanford.edu/#values). We therefore strongly encourage candidates to explore the current programs at SLAC described on our web site and reach out to SLAC staff members (see FAQ on the website) in their field to discuss more about how their ideas could be implemented to be a fit at SLAC. Candidates are encouraged to email PF-Search@slac.stanford.edu for assistance to connect with a staff member.

Candidates should be early in their career and while postdoctoral experience is not strictly required, the applicant pool is highly competitive. Candidates will be evaluated based on their scientific potential to lead an exceptional research program and demonstrate community leadership in their field; on their proposed research to leverage the scientific opportunities enabled by SLAC’s unique facilities and capabilities; and on their ability to work collaboratively at SLAC as a mentor to students and postdocs and forge connections across the lab. The appointment is at the Associate Staff Scientist Level and carries a five-year term at SLAC, with salary commensurate with the experience of the candidate. The appointment comes with full benefits and generous research support. Review for promotion to a continuing staff scientist position at SLAC will be conducted at, or before, the completion of the Fellowship. The deadline for the 2026 applications is November 14, 2025.

Applicants should provide a CV, cover letter, publication list, research statement for their proposed research at SLAC, and arrange for three supporting reference letters. Please submit application materials through https://academicJobsOnline.org/ajo/jobs/30621

For further information, please consult https://cro.slac.stanford.edu/career-pathways/panofsky-fellowship or contact PF-Search@slac.stanford.edu.

The expected pay range for this position is $118,000 – $175,000 per annum. SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory/Stanford University provides pay ranges representing its good faith estimate of what the university reasonably expects to pay for a position. The pay offered to a selected candidate will be determined based on factors such as (but not limited to) the scope and responsibilities of the position, the qualifications of the selected candidate, departmental budget availability, internal equity, geographic location and external market pay for comparable jobs.