The School of Earth and Space Exploration at Arizona State University (ASU) is pleased to announce its eligibility to host planetary astronomy postdoctoral fellows through the Heising-Simons Foundation 51 Pegasi b Postdoctoral Fellowship. This prestigious fellowship offers a four-year tenure, with applications due by October 4th of this year. There are 20+ eligible institutions and 8 fellowships are offered each year. Here is the website for more details. Prospective applicants cannot be more than 2 years (no earlier than Jan 1 2023) post-PhD (a change from last year). The fellowship welcomes research in the mineral physics study of exoplanets, among other areas of interest.

The Shim group at ASU offers a range of experimental research projects utilizing a range of high-pressure techniques to understand various exoplanet types (e.g., super-Earths and sub-Neptunes) in combination with synchrotron (APS-U and ALS), XFEL (LCLS), and Omega EP laser facilities. Four unique large-volume presses are also available at ASU’s Facility for Open Research in a Compressed Environment (FORCE). Currently, the Shim group, funded by NSF and NASA, is engaged in several exoplanet-related research projects, including:

1. 1. Hydrogen partitioning between the core and mantle of rocky planets using multi-anvil press.
   2. Hydrogen-silicate reactions between the atmosphere and interior of sub-Neptune exoplanets using laser-heated diamond-anvil cells.
   3. Crystallization of light-element containing metallic cores of rocky exoplanets using dynamic compression.
   4. Electronic and atomic-scale structures of silicate melts using dynamic compression combined with XFEL.

The School of Earth and Space Exploration (SESE) focuses on a broad range of planetary astronomy related topics spanning exoplanet characterization to planetary geology and cosmochemistry. SESE faculty and researchers are heavily involved in both the development of, and in the analysis of, data from numerous exoplanet characterization and solar system missions. Astronomers in SESE have access to a wide array of Arizona telescope facilities, including the MMT Observatory, Large Binocular Telescope (LBT), and the Magellan telescopes. SESE also includes over 40 laboratories providing access to numerous advanced analytical instruments and equipment including mass spectrometers, apparatus for high pressure and temperature experiments, and space hardware fabrication and testing facilities; a world-class collection of meteorites housed in SESE’s Buseck Center for Meteorite Studies is extensively utilized for research and education purposes within and beyond ASU. SESE is committed to reaching a wide and diverse audience through several programs ranging from the Sundial Mentorship Program and numerous community engagement programs experienced by upwards of 30,000 community members each year. ASU is deeply committed to inclusive excellence through several initiatives including the ASU Advance, LIFT, and the recent designation as a Hispanic Serving Institution.

If you are interested in applying for this exceptional opportunity for mineral physics research of exoplanets, please contact Dr. Dan Shim ([email protected]).