Archival Research Visitor Programme

 

To increase the scientific return from its space science missions, ESA welcomes applications from scientists interested in pursuing research based on publicly available data in the ESA Space Science Archives. The Archives host data from all current and past ESA space science missions in astronomy, planetary science, and heliophysics.

The ESA Archival Research Visitor Programme is open to scientists at all career levels who are affiliated with institutes in ESA Member States and Collaborating States. Early-career scientists (within 10 years of the PhD) are particularly encouraged to apply, including PhD students (see below). We encourage applications from women and minorities. The evaluation process is anonymised to ensure equal opportunities for all applicants.

Residence lasts typically between one and three months, also distributed over multiple visits, depending on the complexity of the research project. The research projects can be carried out at ESAC (Madrid, Spain) and at ESTEC (Noordwijk, Netherlands). To offset the expenses incurred by visitors, ESA covers travel costs from and to the home institution and provides support for lodging expenses and meals.

During their stay, visiting scientists have the opportunity to interact with archive and mission specialists for questions on the retrieval, calibration, and analysis of archival data. In principle, all areas of space research covered by ESA science missions can be supported. To ensure that technical expertise in the specific area of interest is available at ESAC or ESTEC, applicants should consult the table of expertise and contact the relevant scientists in their field of interest (this is very important). In case of doubts, write to the programme coordinators for assistance at arvp@cosmos.esa.int.

 


The next deadline for applications is 30 April 2024 (23:59 UTC)

 

Call for applications

Applications can be submitted at any time by sending email to arvp@cosmos.esa.int. The email should contain a single PDF document of at most three pages detailing:

  • description of the goals of the research project
  • public archival data on which help is sought
  • which type of expertise you expect to gain
  • proposed time and duration of the visit
  • expected publications
  • contact information

Please keep it short (max 3 pages) and follow the simple template provided here. Note that this is just a template, you can use the font type and size that you prefer (not smaller than 10), but please do not exceed three pages. You must indicate the year of your (expected) PhD.

To prevent unconscious biases, your name, email address, and other contact information (on the third page) will not be visible to reviewers. To help in the process, you must write your application in an "anonymous" way, i.e. do not identify yourself in the text. For instance, do not mention the name of your institute or collaborators in the scientific description of the project (page 1 and 2) and when you are referring to one of your papers, do not write "I have shown that ... (Author Name, 2023, Journal, 954, 125)", but rather write "It has been shown that ... (Author Name, 2023, Journal, 954, 125)". If you identify yourself, the application will not be considered.

We encourage you to contact us if you have any questions about the data that could support your research project. You will find the names of our experts in the various science areas in the table of expertise below. Or write to the programme coordinators for assistance at arvp@cosmos.esa.int

 

Students

We welcome proposals by graduate students. The proposals can be submitted by the students themselves or in collaboration with their supervisors. If you are a student and would like to visit ESA to learn more about doing science with archival data, make sure that you coordinate and agree your research project with your supervisor. Mention this in the application, but omit the name of the supervisor, otherwise the application is not anonymous.

 

Deadlines

Applications can be submitted at any time and are reviewed twice a year, with deadlines usually on 30 April and 31 October. The results of the review will be communicated to applicants within about two months of the deadlines. Applicants are encouraged to contact the ESA scientists or the programme coordinators well ahead of the deadlines in order to discuss their research plans. 

Applications received before 1 May 2024 will be considered for visits in autumn and winter 2024/2025. 

 

Accommodation

Visitors are responsible for finding their own accommodation. To limit the costs of the programme, we advise visitors to search online booking platforms such as Booking.com, Travelocity, Orbitz, and AirBnB, all of which offer options for extended stays. Visitors staying in Madrid are advised to look for accommodations near the Moncloa station for easier commute to ESAC with some direct bus services in the morning and evening. At ESTEC, visitors will have very frequent bus services throughout the day to anywhere in Leiden and Noordwijk.

 

Reimbursement of expenses

ESA reimburses travel costs from and to the home institution as well as lodging costs (with a limit of 100 euro/night, when possible). It also provides a stipend of 50 Euro/day for meals and incidental expenditures, such as local transportation. Airplane or train tickets will be reimbursed upon arrival. The lodging costs and stipend are normally transferred every month, after presenting a hotel bill or reservation. No receipts are needed for meals or local transportation. All reimbursements occur via bank transfer and visitors will be asked to provide their account information before arriving.

 

Computing equipment

We assume that visitors will use their own laptop computers and we will provide credentials to access the ESA wireless networks (eduroam accounts can also be used). Some Linux workstations equipped with standard data-analysis software (e.g. IDL, Matlab, ArcGIS, ENVI) are also available. If the research project requires more powerful desktop computers, specific software packages, or access to the ESA grid, the needs must be described in the application in order for arrangements to be made ahead of time.

 

Deliverables

Visitors are expected to illustrate their project in a presentation to the ESA Science Faculty during their residence. At the end of their stay, visitors must provide a report on the advancement of their research, highlighting the role played by ESA data and any problems encountered. Visitors are requested to acknowledge support from the ESA Archival Research Visitor Programme in any resulting publications. We also encourage visitors to share with the community via the ESA Space Science Archives any higher-level science products obtained through their research projects, such as catalogues, time series, combined spectra or images, software routines, models, etc.

 

Visa requirements

No visa is required for citizens of European Union countries or of ESA Member States when travelling to ESAC or ESTEC. This also applies to UK nationals for visits of up to 90 days. Citizens of other countries are responsible for arranging the necessary visa documents, when applicable.

 

Table of expertise

The following table lists the type of expertise that ESA mission scientists and archive scientists can offer. It is important to contact them before submitting an application. If in doubt on whom to contact, write to the programme coordinators for assistance at arvp@cosmos.esa.int

You can sort the table by Mission, Name, or Site by clicking on the corresponding column headers. To send email to people click on their names.

Mission ⇵ Instrument Areas Name ⇵ Site ⇵
Akari FIS   Eva Verdugo ESAC
Bepi Colombo   data analysis, PDS4 standards Mark Bentley ESAC
Chandrayaan-1 SIR-2 visible/Near-IR spectroscopy Sebastien Besse ESAC
CHEOPS   Exoplanets, Stellar Flares, Cool Stars, Habitability, Bayesian Statistics, Machine Learning, Time Series Analysis Max Günther ESTEC
CHEOPS   Transiting exoplanet characterisation, Transit Timing Variations, signal processing, machine learning Bruno Merin ESAC
Cluster   space plasma data Arnaud Masson ESAC
Cluster RAPID, PEACE, EDI time series analysis of plasma/energetic electrons and ions Cecil Tranquille ESAC
Cluster   analysis of in situ particles and fields data (solar wind, magnetospheres) Andrew Walsh ESAC
Cluster   plasma and fields data (polar cusp, magnetopause, magnetosheath) Philippe Escoubet ESTEC
Cluster   data analysis, fields and waves Helen Middelton ESAC
CoRoT   Transiting exoplanet characterisation, signal processing, machine learning Bruno Merin ESAC
Double Star   space plasma data Arnaud Masson ESAC
Double Star   analysis of in situ particles and fields data (solar wind, magnetospheres) Andrew Walsh ESAC
Double Star   plasma and fields data (polar cusp, magnetopause, magnetosheath) Philippe Escoubet ESTEC
ESASky   Data mining, visualisation, python tools, imaging, spectroscopy, photometry Deborah Baines ESAC
ESASky   Data mining, visualisation Elena Racero ESAC
Euclid   Cosmology, Bayesian inference, data science, Python tools Guadalupe Canas Herrera ESTEC
Euclid VIS, NISP Imaging, photometry, multi-wavelength analysis Rachana Bhatawdekar ESAC
ExoMars TGO CaSSIS planetary remote sensing, geospatial data analysis Elliot Sefton-Nash ESTEC
ExoMars TGO   atmosphere remote sensing Colin Wilson ESTEC
ExoMars TGO CaSSIS planetary remote sensing, computer vision, geomorphology Eleni Vassilia Bohacek ESTEC
Gaia   astrometry, photometry, spectroscopy, astrophysical parameters Jos de Bruijne ESTEC
Gaia   astrometry, data mining, photometry, spectroscopy, astrophysical parameters Alcione Mora ESAC
Gaia   astrometry, photometry, spectroscopy, astrophysical parameters Timo Prusti ESTEC
Gaia   data mining, archive, python tools Deborah Baines ESAC
Gaia   data mining, archive Elena Racero ESAC
Gaia   astrometry, data mining, photometry, astrophysical parameters, archive, Python tools Hector Canovas ESAC
Gaia   Young stars, Protoplanetary disks, Debris disks, transiting exoplanets, machine learning Bruno Merin ESAC
Herschel   imaging, spectroscopy, multiwavelength analysis Ivan Valtchanov ESAC
Herschel PACS, SPIRE photometry and large surveys Bruno Altieri ESAC
Herschel   imaging, spectroscopy Pedro Garcia-Lario ESAC
Herschel HIFI   Eva Verdugo ESAC
Herschel HIFI radio and sub-mm high resolution spectroscopy David Teyssier ESAC
Herschel   data mining, archive Elena Racero ESAC
Herschel PACS, SPIRE Young stars, Protoplanetary disks, Debris disks, machine learning Bruno Merin ESAC
Hinode EIS remote sensing, spectroscopy, plasma composition Andy To ESTEC
Hinode EIS spectroscopy, plasma dynamics David Williams ESAC
Hipparcos   astrometry, photometry Jos de Bruijne ESTEC
Hipparcos   astrometry, photometry Timo Prusti ESTEC
HST all imaging, photometry Guido De Marchi ESTEC
HST   imaging, photometry, multi wavelength analysis Rachana Bhatawdekar ESAC
HST   spectroscopy, time series, exoplanets Quentin Changeat STScI
HST STIS spectroscopy, dust abundances Marjorie Decleir STScI
HST   data mining, archive, python tools Deborah Baines ESAC
HST   Young stars, Protoplanetary disks, Debris disks, transiting exoplanets, machine learning Bruno Merin ESAC
Huygens   radio-science, plasma instruments, radiation data, housekeeping data Olivier Witasse ESTEC
Integral   spectroscopy, time series Erik Kuulkers ESTEC
Integral   spectroscopy, time series Peter Kretschmar ESAC
Integral   spectroscopy, time series, multi-wavelength analysis Celia Sanchez ESAC
Integral   spectroscopy, time series Victoria Grinberg ESTEC
Integral   imaging, spectroscopy, timing Jari Kajava ESAC
ISEE3 DFH time series analysis of solar X-ray data Cecil Tranquille ESAC
ISO ISOPHOT   Eva Verdugo ESAC
ISO SWS/LWS spectroscopy Pedro Garcia-Lario ESAC
JWST NIRCam, NIRSpec imaging, photometry, multi-object spectroscopy Guido De Marchi ESTEC
JWST NIRCam, NIRISS, NIRSpec imaging, photometry, multi wavelength analysis Rachana Bhatawdekar ESAC
JWST   spectroscopy, time series, exoplanets Quentin Changeat STScI
JWST MIRI spectroscopy, dust extinction Marjorie Decleir STScI
Lisa PathFinder all   Luis Mendes ESAC
Mars Express   radio-science, plasma instruments, radiation data, housekeeping data Olivier Witasse ESTEC
Mars Express HRSC planetary remote sensing, geospatial data analysis Elliot Sefton-Nash ESTEC
Mars Express OMEGA visible/near-IR spectroscopy Sebastien Besse ESAC
Mars Express   surface and atmosphere remote sensing, visible/infrared spectroscopy Alejandro Cardesin ESAC
Mars Express HRSC planetary remote sensing, computer vision, geomorphology Eleni Vassilia Bohacek ESTEC
Planck LFI, HFI radio and sub-millimeter point sources Marcos Lopez Caniego ESAC
Rosetta OSIRIS, NAVCAMS, MIRO   Michael Kueppers ESAC
Rosetta MIDAS dust detectors, data analysis, PDS4 standards Mark Bentley ESAC
Rosetta   radio-science, plasma instruments, radiation data, housekeeping data Olivier Witasse ESTEC
Rosetta OSIRIS, NAVCAM, VIRTIS morphology, visible/near-IR spectroscopy Sebastien Besse ESAC
SMART-1 AMIE, SIR morphology, visible/near-IR spectroscopy Sebastien Besse ESAC
SOHO   space plasma data Arnaud Masson ESAC
SOHO   data analysis (remote-sensing), data visualisation Daniel Müller ESTEC
SOHO CDS, EIT spectroscopy, plasma dynamics, photometry David Williams ESAC
SOHO LASCO, EIT solar activity, eruptive events, data visualization Laura Hayes ESTEC
Solar Orbiter   data analysis (remote-sensing), data visualisation Daniel Müller ESTEC
Solar Orbiter   analysis of in situ particles and fields data (solar wind, magnetospheres) Andrew Walsh ESAC
Solar Orbiter   analysis of in situ particles and fields data (solar wind, magnetospheres) Yannis Zouganelis ESAC
Solar Orbiter   remote sensing, plasma dynamics Chris Nelson ESTEC
Solar Orbiter   X-ray, multi-wavelength, remote-sensing, data visualization Laura Hayes ESTEC
Solar Orbiter   Remote-Sensing (esp SPICE, EUI), In situ, solar/space plasma data Miho Janvier ESTEC
Solar Orbiter EUI+ Multi-wavelength, plasma dynamics, simulations, machine learning, Radio and mm-observations Henrik Eklund ESTEC
Solar Orbiter   Analysis of in situ particles and fields data (solar wind, magnetospheres) Laura Rodriguez Garcia ESAC
SWARM   space plasma data Arnaud Masson ESAC
Ulysses   space plasma data Arnaud Masson ESAC
Ulysses COSPIN, GRB time series analysis of plasma/energetic electrons and ions Cecil Tranquille ESAC
Venus Express   radio-science, plasma instruments, radiation data, housekeeping data Olivier Witasse ESTEC
Venus Express   atmosphere remote sensing Colin Wilson ESTEC
Venus Express VIRTIS surface and atmosphere remote sensing, visible/infrared spectroscopy Alejandro Cardesin ESAC
XMM-Newton RGS high-resolution spectroscopy Jan-Uwe Ness ESAC
XMM-Newton   spectroscopy, time series, imaging Matteo Guainazzi ESTEC
XMM-Newton   imaging, spectroscopy, multiwavelength analysis Ivan Valtchanov ESAC
XMM-Newton   imaging, spectroscopy, multiwavelength analysis Matthias Ehle ESAC
XMM-Newton OM   Eva Verdugo ESAC
XMM-Newton   imaging, spectroscopy, timing Felix Fürst ESAC
XMM-Newton all imaging, spectroscopy Maria Santos-Lleo ESAC
XMM-Newton EPIC, OM imaging, spectroscopy, timing, catalogue sources, selection functions, upper-limits Richard Saxton ESAC
XMM-Newton   imaging, spectroscopy Jacobo Ebrero ESAC
XMM-Newton   spectroscopy (also high resolution), timing Victoria Grinberg ESTEC
XMM-Newton EPIC imaging, spectroscopy, timing Jari Kajava ESAC
XMM-Newton EPIC, RGS spectroscopy, data analysis, binaries, neutron stars Camille Diez ESAC

 

past announcements

 

[15 January 2024] The review of the proposals for the sixth cycle of the Archival Research Visitor Programme is complete. We are happy to welcome the following visiting scientists, who were selected by an independent committee and will join ESA in spring and summer 2024 to pursue their scientific research using data in the ESA Space Science Archives.

 

[4 July 2023] The review of the proposals for the fifth cycle of the Archival Research Visitor Programme is complete. We are happy to welcome the following visiting scientists, who were selected by an independent committee and will join ESA in autumn and winter 2023/2024 to pursue their scientific research using data in the ESA Space Science Archives.

 

[16 January 2023] The review of the proposals for the fourth cycle of the Archival Research Visitor Programme is complete. We are happy to welcome the following visiting scientists, who were selected by an independent committee and will join ESA in spring and summer 2023 to pursue their scientific research using data in the ESA Space Science Archives.

 

[6 July 2022] The review of the proposals for the third cycle of the Archival Research Visitor Programme is complete. We are happy to welcome the following visiting scientists, who were selected by an independent committee and will join ESA in autumn and winter 2022/2023 to pursue their scientific research using data in the ESA Space Science Archives.

 

[10 January 2022] The review of the proposals for the second cycle of the Archival Research Visitor Programme is complete. We are happy to welcome the following visiting scientists, who were selected by an independent committee and will join ESA in spring and summer 2022 to pursue their scientific research using data in the ESA Space Science Archives.

 

[2 July 2021] The review of the proposals for the first cycle of the Archival Research Visitor Programme is complete. We are happy to welcome the following visiting scientists, who were selected by an independent committee and will join ESA to pursue their scientific research using data in the ESA Space Science Archives.