Student Research Assistant

(This is a new position.)

Working Job Title: Student Research Assistant (EXC)

Payroll Title: STDT 3

Payrate: $21.15/hr. to start

# of Openings: 1

Hours Per Week: 20

Desired Start Date: 06/15/2026

Job Description:

Summer research assistant for a project on NSF grant AST-2509561 (Collaborative Research: Reconstructing Primordial Density Fluctuations using Near-Field Cosmology). The student will analyze cosmological simulations of Milky Way analogs in various dark matter models and measure how the central densities and concentrations of low-mass subhalos depend on dark matter properties. All work will be under the direct supervision of PI Nadler.

Qualifications: 

• Familiarity with basic concepts in astrophysics and cosmology related to dark matter and structure formation, and with Python programming.
• Must pay UCSD Student Services fees each quarter working.
• Please note a pre-employment background check is required for all student employment positions.  

Competencies:

1. Critical Thinking & Problem Solving - Identifies important problems and questions and gathers, analyzes, evaluates information from a variety of sources before forming a strategy, decision, or opinion.
    
2. Research Ability - Accesses and evaluates multiple sources of information, including text and images, and synthesizes information to solve problems and create new insights.
    
3. Oral, Written, & Digital Communication - Conveys meaning and responds to needs of diverse audiences through writing and speaking coherently and effectively, and develops the expression of ideas through written, oral and digital mediums.

Notices:  

• If you have relatives employed at UCSD, you must include the name, relationship and department where employed in your resume or cover letter. This information is used only for the purpose of complying with the University’s nepotism policy.  
   
• The University of California is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, age, protected veteran status, gender identity or sexual orientation. 
   
• As a condition of employment, the final candidate who accepts a conditional offer of employment will be required to disclose if they have been subject to any final administrative or judicial decisions within the last seven years determining that they committed any misconduct; received notice of any allegations or are currently the subject of any administrative or disciplinary proceedings involving misconduct; have left a position after receiving notice of allegations or while under investigation in an administrative or disciplinary proceeding involving misconduct; or have filed an appeal of a finding of misconduct with a previous employer.