TIMESTEP Research Apprenticeship Program - Application Deadline

Are you an upcoming sophomore? Interested in astronomy or physics research? 

TIMESTEP’s Research Apprenticeship Program is seeking sophomores majoring in astronomy and/or physics for the 2025-2026 academic year! 

TIMESTEP’s Research Apprenticeship Program began in 2022 under the leadership of Dr. Gurtina Besla and Dr. Ewan Douglas. The program provides 2nd-year UArizona astronomy and physics majors a paid opportunity from September 2025 through April 2026 to build technical and professional skills that are transferable to both research and industry. Through weekly professional development workshops, along with skills-building projects in a research group overseen by a faculty advisor, the program teaches the necessary computing and hardware skills for students to land competitive positions. These skills include:

  • Reading scientific papers
  • Literature Review & NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
  • Linux Command Line
  • Python
  • Version control-Git, GitHub
  • Overleaf- LaTeX Debugging
  • Visualizing data- Matplotlib
  • Intro to HPC & Linux
  • Instrumentation/lab skills
  • Scientific Communication- Presenting research, writing about research/scientific concepts
  • Leadership & professional communication training

*Faculty mentors have included Dr. Ewan Douglas, Dr. Tim Eifler, Dr. Eduardo Rozo, Dr. Dan Marrone, Dr. Erika Hamden, Dr. Carl Fields, and Dr. Eric Pearce.

What are the benefits?

  • Pay is for 5-10 hours per week @ $16.50 per hour
  • Build technical and professional skills
  • Prep for competitive research positions and programs

Who is eligible?

  • All applicants must be enrolled as a UArizona student majoring in astronomy and/or physics.
  • Must be in your 2nd/sophomore year, as determined by credits, for the 2024-25 school year
  • Prerequisites (can be transfer credits or high school AP exam credits):
    • One of CSC 110, ECE 175, or an equivalent intro to computer programming in Python. This can be taken in the summer, with a record verifying completion submitted before the program begins.
    • Calculus I (Math 122AB or Math 125) and Calculus II (Math 129)
    • Intro Mechanics (Phys 141 or 161H)
  • International students are eligible to apply.

Need help with your application? The Undergraduate Research Ambassador team is here to support you on every step of your research journey! Please reach out to the Undergraduate Research Ambassadors by sending your inquiries to their email at undergradresearch@arizona.edu(link sends e-mail)(link sends e-mail)(link sends e-mail) or scheduling a 1:1 appointment with them.

Ready to submit? Submit here. The application deadline is May 19th, 11:59 PM AZ Time.

Questions? Please email your inquiries to timestep@arizona.edu

When

May 19, 2025 (All day)