Position overview
Position title: Assistant Project Scientist
Salary range: A reasonable estimate that the University expects to pay for this position at 100% time is $78,500 - $90,000.
Percent time: Varies
Anticipated start: Varies
Position duration: The initial appointment is generally one year. However, in some cases, the initial appointment could be more than one year.
Application Window
Open date: May 1, 2026
Next review date: Monday, May 18, 2026 at 11:59pm (Pacific Time)
Apply by this date to ensure full consideration by the committee.
Final date: Wednesday, Sep 30, 2026 at 11:59pm (Pacific Time)
Applications will continue to be accepted until this date, but those received after the review date will only be considered if the position has not yet been filled.
Position description
The Department of Physics at the University of California, Santa Barbara invites applications for a pool of qualified Assistant Project Scientists to conduct research and collaborate with faculty and other researchers in all our disciplines including Physics, Astrophysics and Cosmology, Biophysics, Condensed Matter Experimental Physics, Condensed Matter Theory, High Energy Experimental Physics, High Energy Theory, Gravity and Relativity and Mathematical Physics.
The position will remain open until September 30, 2026 to accommodate department needs. If you would like to continue to be considered after that time, and the pool position is advertised again, you will need to submit a new application.
Please note: The use of a pooled recruitment does not guarantee that an open position exists at the time you are applying. Positions may range from part-time to 100% time. See the "Next Review Date" specified in UC Recruit to learn whether the department is currently reviewing applications for an upcoming opening. If there is no future review date specified, your application may not be considered at this time.
The Assistant Project Scientist title is given only to those who make significant and creative contributions to a research or creative project. Appointees may be ongoing members of a research team or may contribute high-level skills to a specific project for a limited time. Demonstrated capacity for fully independent research or research leadership as required in the Researcher series are not required in this series. However, a broad range of knowledge and competency and a higher level of independence than appointees in the Specialist series are expected. Assistant Project Scientists may participate in university and/or public service depending upon funding source and duties of the position.
Salary is dependent on experience, qualifications, and hiring level.
Department: http://www.physics.ucsb.edu/
Qualifications
Basic qualifications (required at time of application)
Qualified applicants must possess, at minimum, a PhD (or equivalent) degree in a relevant field at the time of application.
Additional qualifications (required at time of start)
Educational background in the relevant areas of research.
Application Requirements
Document requirements
Curriculum Vitae - Your most recently updated C.V.
Cover Letter
Reference requirements
Provide the names, email addresses, and phone numbers of the references. References will be contacted via email or phone for those who make the short list after the interview.
Apply link: https://recruit.ap.ucsb.edu/JPF02928
Help contact: erickajames@ucsb.edu
About UC Santa Barbara
As a condition of employment, the finalist will be required to disclose if they are subject to any final administrative or judicial decisions within the last seven years determining that they committed any misconduct.
Additionally, you will be required to comply with the University of California Policy on Vaccination Programs, as may be amended or revised from time to time. Federal, state, or local public health directives may impose additional requirements.
The University of California is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, age, protected veteran status, or other protected status under state or federal law.
Job location
Santa Barbara, CA
Palm-framed vistas of the blue Pacific and the golden Santa Ynez Mountains. The scent of eucalyptus mixed with the saltwater breeze. Breathtaking natural beauty combined with enormous intellectual vitality. This is the University of California, Santa Barbara, and there is no other campus quite like it.
Here on the edge of the Pacific, in a setting removed from urban pressures and distractions but vibrant with cultural and academic activity, many of the country’s most promising students join a community of scholars whose accomplishments are internationally recognized and whose skills as teachers are evident each day in classrooms and laboratories.
In the humanities and the arts as well as in engineering and the sciences, UC Santa Barbara introduces students to novel ways of thinking, learning, and conducting research.