PhD in Astronomy in New York United States | Columbia University

Our faculty are leaders in theoretical studies, observational research, and innovative instrument design, spanning fields from particle physics and cosmology to astrophysics, along with studies of extragalactic, galactic, stellar, and exoplanetary systems. Astronomy and astrophysics research is carried out collaboratively between the Department of Astronomy and the Department of Physics. Astronomy students regularly collaborate with faculty from both departments, which are housed together in the historic Pupin Laboratories. Many students also conduct PhD research at the nearby American Museum of Natural History, whose faculty maintain close ties with our department. Our researchers and students actively collaborate with other institutions across New York City, including the Simons Center for Computational Astronomy, CUNY, and New York University. As part of the MDM consortium, our department has access to 1.3m and 2.4m telescopes at Kitt Peak in Arizona, offering valuable observational opportunities for students and a testing ground for new instrumentation. We've recently become members of the Subaru Prime-focus Spectrograph consortium, contributing to the world's most advanced multi-object spectroscopic survey. The Columbia Astrophysics Laboratory, a joint initiative between our Astronomy and Physics Departments marking its 50th year, specializes in developing cutting-edge instruments for space missions like GALEX and NuSTAR, as well as ground-based facilities including LIGO.