Some of you may know that I’ve been on the job market. The good news is that I’ve officially accepted a position at Caltech, starting in September. It’s a fantastic research environment, and they are building up in cosmology at the moment. Also I understand the weather is pretty nice, so I’m excited about the move.
The job itself requires a little explication: I’ll be a Senior Research Associate in Physics. According to Caltech’s classification system, this is a faculty job (“Caltech’s equivalent of a research full professor,” as they put it to me) but not actually a “professor” job. Basically I get to concentrate on doing research — no teaching required, although I’m allowed to volunteer — and can apply for grants and hire postdocs (and even serve on committees!) just like any other faculty member. The downside is that there is no tenure, although it’s not a term-limited job; I can in principle stay forever if the money holds out and they don’t want to fire me. In the meantime, I’ll have the freedom to work on some of the more ambitious cosmology ideas that have been percolating in the back of my mind for a while.
I have to express my gratitude to everyone who has been incredibly supportive during the entire process, from my close friends to strangers on the internet to famous scientists around the world to Marc Kamionkowski and the others who did such a good job recruiting me to Caltech. I’m sure I will miss Chicago at times, but the future looks really bright, and I can’t wait to get it started.
Comments
68 responses to “Going to California”
Congratulations! I have had the pleasure of working at JPL in Pasadena for two years, and I’m sure you’ll like it there. (I certainly did; I met my wife there…)
Congratulation Sean, and welcome to the better coast.
Excellent! So now you’ve signed on the dotted line I can drop the fascade I’ve been maintaining about life in LA as a means of attracting you here, and go back to blogging about folding bikes, burritos, and misunderstandings of electricity in Australian newspapers.
It’ll be such a relief.
-cvj
Oh, and congratulations on making the right choice!
-cvj
Congratulations! That’s great to hear, although I was hoping things would work out at Penn since my plan was to finally learn GR. 🙂
Hey Sean — glad to hear that you wound up somewhere you’re excited about! My years at Caltech were great ones, both in terms of science and lifestyle. I’ll envy you when I’m clearing snow out of my driveway here near Boston ….
Congrats! Sounds like a fantastic sort of position.
Almost no need for me to chime in here with congratulations, so instead I will simply say that I am seething with jealousy. 🙂 Soon you’ll be awash in sunshine and fabulousness, at least when not unlocking the secrets of the universe…
Congratulations, Sean — I wondered which institution would be lucky enough to snag you!
Sounds like a great opportunity and I look forward to having you closer by, and to seeing some of the percolating ideas come to life.
Anthony
Congratulations!
I read that Caltech just lost a cannon to MIT, but I guess this should not affect you.
Congratulations Sean! Go get em! In better weather to boot.
Hooray!
Though SoCal is not maybe as nice as NorCal, but it’s fun down there too. 🙂
FANTASTIC! It will be just great to have you in LA!
Congratulations!!
Excellent choice!
As long as you are simply exiting Chicago, all is fine in the Universe. I wish you all the California happiness in the world.
Warmest, heartiest congratulations, Sean!!! What wonderful news! As a young man it was my dream to attend Caltech, now shall I take vicarious pride in your teaching there. Best wishes from all of us at 3QD…
You will be about as far geographically from Lubos as you can be within the continental US. What could be better?
And the fact that you won’t have tenure means your brain will not rot away for a while.
Congratulations Sean!
I hope you won’t give up on teaching. Your lectures were always quite interesting!
Ah – it’s a Cosmic (Variance) alignment in California!
Congratulations Sean and welcome to California! I’m glad it’s all settled and you can move on. Now you can shine even brighter and show Chicago what they are missing.
Now, it’s time for Risa and Mark to look for some places in California, making Cosmic Variance a lot less than the current value. Or, Clifford (or JoAnne) may move to the east coast to retain what we have for now. ;-)Congratulations, Sean!!! Hope you flourish there!
Good for Caltech! Congratulations! The best, which was yet to come, is now a little closer!
Congratulations Sean. Yes, you may miss Chicago at times, but it will miss you far more frequently.
Congratulations! I’m very happy to hear the news. Mark is right, Chicago will be missing you.
I wonder if you will be working with Kip Thorne? If he was borne 1940 that makes him 66. Do people of science actually retire?
Getting paid to do something you love doing, is this not a reward for the culmination of the time and energy spent? 🙂 Well done Sean.
Congrats, Sean! Lucky for Caltech!
I hope for the sake of the Caltech student-body that you don’t leave teaching behind for good. I guess they can always read the blog…