Astronomer onboarding at a glance

Week one covers orientation, safety and shadowing. Days 1–30 build vocabulary and supervised practice on core procedures; days 31–60 move to independent work with competency sign-offs; days 61–90 focus on full productivity, cross-training and a credential plan.

Before day one

Confirm start date, schedule, pay and supervisor in writing
Verify required credentials: Ph.D., Postdoctoral fellowships (as applicable)
Prepare equipment and access: python; telescopes; astropy; high-performance computing
Assign a buddy or preceptor
Enroll the new hire in Astronomer training so foundations are covered before or during week one

Week one: orient and protect

Workplace tour, emergency procedures and incident reporting
Follow observatory safety
Protect eyes when observing the Sun
Follow data policies
Take care at high altitude
Shadow an experienced astronomer through a full shift
Training modules 1–3: role foundations, a day on the job and essential vocabulary (15 terms)

Days 1–30: learn

Goal: perform core tasks safely under supervision.

Supervised practice: write a telescope time proposal
Supervised practice: reduce raw telescope images
Supervised practice: explain astronomy to the public
Training modules 4–7: duties, step-by-step tasks, tools and safety
30-day check-in: confidence, questions and early wins

Days 31–60: contribute

Goal: handle a regular workload independently.

Plan observations: independently
Analyze data: independently
Build models: independently
Write code: independently
Competency sign-offs completed (see checklist below)
Training final knowledge check and certificate of completion
60-day check-in

Days 61–90: own

Goal: full productivity and a growth plan.

Meet productivity and quality targets for the role
Begin cross-training on a secondary task
Agree on a credential goal (for example, Ph.D.)
Discuss the career path: Graduate Researcher → Postdoctoral Fellow → Staff Astronomer or Professor
90-day review

Competency checklist

Skill or task	Trained	Observed	Signed off
Write a Telescope Time Proposal
Reduce Raw Telescope Images
Explain Astronomy to the Public
Astrophysics
Data analysis
Python programming
Statistics

How to measure onboarding success

Time to independent work on instruments or projects
Documentation or data corrections required
Rework, out-of-spec results or failed audits
90-day retention

How Astronomer training maps to this plan

Introduction to the Astronomer Role
A Day on the Job
Essential Astronomer Vocabulary
Core Duties and Responsibilities
Common Tasks, Step by Step
Tools, Equipment and Technology
Safety, Compliance and Professional Standards
Skills Employers Look For
Launching Your Astronomer Career
Final Knowledge Check

Get team pricing

Astronomer Onboarding Plan (30-60-90 Days)