Is Astroparticle Physics right for you?
Astroparticle physics is a field where communities (and particles) collide. Expertise is an asset, but not a requirement for the abundant opportunities across engineering, physics, chemistry, astronomy, geology, and more.
Our network supports students, faculty, and researchers in all stages of their careers. One of the strengths of the Canadian Astroparticle Physics community is that every person in the network has a different background, and brings their unique experiences to solving the mysteries of dark matter and the fundamental natures of our universe.
If you have…
A passion for innovation and challenging the unknown
A need to push boundaries and break barriers in our understanding of the universe
An interest in science, or the pursuit of scientific knowledge
A desire to work collaboratively, and the potential to work independently
…then we need you in our community!
Where do you fit in Canadian Astroparticle Physics?
Undergraduate
Undergraduate students are typically junior researchers supervised by Postdoctoral Fellows or Faculty. As an Undergraduate researcher, you will be learning from the best in your field while being challenged to push past what you have learned in your courses.
Research opportunities are available across experiment, theory, and computational fields. The most common type of undergraduate research position is a full-time, 16 or 20 week position during the summer semester. Some supervisors and research groups may also have part-time undergraduate research positions available, that are often continuations of summer research projects.
Undergraduate students interested in working in astroparticle physics either at their home institution or a partner institution are best prepared for research roles by taking courses or pursuing degrees in physics, math, geology and earth science, chemistry, astronomy, engineering, or computer science. Communicating with potential supervisors early and expressing your interest in astroparticle physics will help you discover specific requirements for your intended project, while also giving those potential supervisors the opportunity to get to know you better.
Examples of courses you should consider taking as an undergraduate student include Astrophysics, Vibrations and Waves, Electromagnetism, Computational Methods in Physics, Quantum Physics, Nuclear Physics, and Particle Physics.
In addition to courses, attending summer schools, workshops, seminars, and colloquia on astroparticle physics topics will expose you to your potential research group and field before the start of your position. You can learn about these kinds of events and opportunities on our main website.
The Canadian Astroparticle Physics community is comprised of multiple institutes and research centres. There are opportunities available across our network, and we encourage those applying for undergraduate studies to compare institutes to find their best fit. You will likely need to be enrolled in an undergraduate program before applying to our undergraduate opportunities and positions, and we encourage you to apply to positions at institutions other than your home institution.
Graduate
Graduate students, both at the MSc and PhD level, are critical components of every research team within Astroparticle Physics. Graduate students tend to be supervised by faculty members, and can collaborate on a project or take the lead on a niche idea.
Graduate students may start working in Astroparticle Physics right away or take on projects later, depending on their program. You can expect to work on more than one project at once within the same field in addition to coursework, teaching assignments, attending conferences, and participating in summer schools. We encourage you to find opportunities to work in different projects to diversify your experiences, identify your main interests, and set yourself up for success when requiring reference letters in the future.
Graduate students interested in working in astroparticle physics are best prepared by taking courses that suit fields within astroparticle physics. This will be courses where astroparticle physics experiment, theory, and computation fields intersect with your graduate program. For example, a physics graduate student should consider taking courses that discuss astronomy detection techniques and particle physics, whereas a geology graduate student should consider taking courses on deep excavation and mining.
Examples of courses you should consider taking as a graduate student include Quantum Theory, Electrodynamics, Multimessenger Astrophysics, Nuclear Physics, Particle Physics, and Quantum Field Theory.
In addition to courses, prospective graduate students should connect with potential supervisors and current graduate students to get first-hand accounts and recommendations specific to their projects of interest. You can start with reading the general overview of the day-to-day life of graduate students like you.
The Canadian Astroparticle Physics community is comprised of multiple institutes and research centres. There are opportunities available across our network, and we encourage those applying for graduate studies to compare institutes to find their best fit. Graduate opportunities and positions in our community are often intertwined with graduate degree programs.
Postdoctoral Fellow
Postdoctoral Fellows are senior researchers, often taking on supervisory roles and leading projects either within a research team or independently. They are often supported and affiliated with a faculty member, but there are institutions that support postdoctoral fellows without an associated faculty member. Postdoctoral Fellows interested in a faculty position often take one to three fellowships before successfully receiving a faculty or senior research staff position.
Postdoctoral Fellows will often present at conferences and may be expected or offered the opportunity to teach courses, depending on their interest and field. Postdoctoral Fellowships help you hone your expertise, improve and broaden your independent researching skills, and enable you to transition to a faculty or other long-term research position.
Many potential Postdoctoral Fellows leave academia after completing their graduate studies due alternative opportunities that provide better career stability and financial support. However, in Canadian Astroparticle Physics, we are exponentially increasing faculty and long-term senior research positions in our affiliated institutions. Additionally, we secure above-average funding and support for our postdoctoral fellows to ensure you are supported in your current position as well as in your academic career path.
If you are interested in working with us but would like more information, read our overview of the day-to-day life in each position type and connect with personnel currently in these positions.
Engineer & Technician
Engineers and Technicians cover a wide variety of needs within astroparticle physics. Engineers and technicians are often associated with experiments and/or experiment facilities as opposed to research groups, but each opportunity is unique.
The Canadian astroparticle physics community is poised to be a hub of engineering and technical expertise, and the opportunities in these areas are rapidly growing. Expertise in mechanical, computational, and electrical engineering as well as software-hardware interfacing is an asset, but we welcome expertise in other areas to bring in fresh perspectives and ideas.
Engineers and technicians are vital to Canadian Astroparticle Physics as they work with researchers at all levels to design, build, maintain, and improve on experiments to detect dark matter, neutrinos, and unravel the mysteries of the universe. Working with state-of-the art equipment and designing next generation detectors is often the main focus of engineering and technical opportunities in our community, and are frequently coupled with environmental and structural challenges such as needing to transport, install, and run the experiments deep underground and in remote areas.
If you are interested in working with us but would like more information, consider reading our overview of the day-to-day life in this field and connecting with personnel currently in these positions.
Research Support & Administrative Staff
Research support staff may be science communicators, information technology specialists, administrative assistants, and more. Maintaining channels of communication throughout our national network, organizing and translating information, communicating incredible scientific and technical achievements, and ensuring the projects and collaborations within the Canadian Astroparticle Physics community run smoothly is all accomplished by research support and administrative staff.
Depending on the opportunity, you may not need experience or a background in science. The needs and requirements for each position are unique, and we encourage everyone interested in specific positions to apply.
In a field as closely interwoven as astroparticle physics, it is not uncommon to see researchers transition to staff positions and for staff to collaborate on research projects. If you are trained as a researcher and looking to change things up, consider applying to one of our staff positions.
If you are interested in working with us but would like more information, consider reading our overview of the day-to-day life in this field and connecting with personnel currently in these positions.
