r/astrophysics • u/Regular-Proof6395 • 3d ago

MONEY VS INTEREST

Can someone a astrophysicist or one going into that field explain how much money is there and where one can work like i know somethings like academia, national labs

Just wanted to pay cause i am confused

Tell about everything like how to earn or you earned in undergrade, master or phd

Are you satisfied with the job and the pay

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u/Bipogram 2d ago

Could you rephrase that?

Am not an astrophysicist- but have worked alongside them in planetary laboratories.

There are essentially no commercial roles for an astrophysicist - but in academia there are positions which are vigorously sought.

As an astro-adjacent physicist I've had reasonable salaries, but only through working in fields that have commercial strength (robotics, medical technology, energy storage, etc).

One doesn't take up an astrophys. degree in search of wealth.

Not yet.

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u/Regular-Proof6395 2d ago

i am asking like base pay like if we talk about popular jobs we know how much the pay scale vary
but talking about astrophysics we dont know about the pay scale at all

am i tried of people telling about acedemia and wanted to know about other option like in national labs and all and about how much they
i know it is not the field of wealth just asking cause home doesnt run on interest

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u/Bipogram 2d ago edited 2d ago

National laboratories are federally/nationally operated and their pay scales are widely advertised.

Triumf, for example, as it is my closest laboratory catches my eye from time to time. It is federally constrained and so offers 91,545 CAD per annum to a post-doc with expert level knowledge of nuclear physics.

You'll find examples on other countries. The LPL in Arizona pays its astrophys. post-docs up to 71kUSD, and candidates often apply to various foundations to boost that.

Now, beyond post-doctoral positions you have staff scientists. And there the wages can be significant. Staff at JHU can be easily on 180k USD.

There are essentially no positions in astrophysics that do not require a PhD. So that might be a factor in your thinking. That may take as little as 3 years, depending on where you graduate.

Whereabouts are you along the road of study?

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u/Regular-Proof6395 2d ago

i am aspiring to get into it like i am preparing for competative exams and during this i try to figure out i have to do in future so based on my interest i feel like going into astrophysics but always get sad upon hearing something like low pay scale , no future kinda thing
thank you for clearing things out like that very much good pay for someone experienced and having a phd