What is the role of funding in the field of astrophysics?

[Nspyred]

You could be a telescope salesman!

I had a Summer job working in theoretical astrophysics. What I did was programming. I typed in physics equations to calculate how many atoms of specific kinds there were at certain altitudes within the Sun. And compared the results with observations made by another team (experimentalists). The general goal here was to make the model and the observations fit together, and tweak either as needed. It was a long term project of which I was only a small part. Much of the job when full time is to keep funding coming while you keep tweaking the models and the observations. So programming can be a big part of it, as well as designing instruments for specific purposes.

BTW, modern astrophysicists don't spend their time eyeballing telescopes. Cameras do that. The people then process the data or images and interpret the results, matching them with theory and combining with other independent observations.

Hey.
I think the part in bold was glossed over by everyone. Everything else: working with computers, optical instruments, colleagues, etc. are things you'd probably get enough practice at in school. What about the "keeping funding coming" part. Could someone elaborate on that? Is that like asking for grants? How tough/competitive is that?

Thnx, and happy holidays everyone.

 

[twofish-quant]

What about the "keeping funding coming" part. Could someone elaborate on that? Is that like asking for grants? How tough/competitive is that?

For junior faculty, it mainly involves writing grant proposals, which is a non-trivial exercise. For more senior scientists it means going up to Washington D.C. and doing hard core lobbying for more money on certain projects. For some projects, like telescopes, it's a matter of making friends with people with money and convincing them to give.

How tough it is depends on the season. Right now, everyone is cutting so it's a pain to get money for anything.

 

[Dr Lots-o'watts]

...What about the "keeping funding coming" part. Could someone elaborate on that? Is that like asking for grants? How tough/competitive is that?

An example may be to get the funds needed to build a new telescope. If for some reason, they aren't available, it should be possible to find a lab that has similar equipment, in which case the equipment can be rented as needed. In all cases, one has to be imaginative enough to make the best of what is available. When enough researchers believe that non-existing equipment has to be built, they come together, and things get done.

Time spent on grant proposal by faculty members can easily take up 10-40% of their time. Naturally, a mature faculty member having many graduate students may put more care into this. The students do the actual research, while the professor can possibly spend his entire "research" time in his office (i.e. never in the lab) seeking funding, being there for his students only to answer questions and give out guide lines as needed.