Very early career stage

ESA Student Internship / Traineeships

Who is it for? Early-career scientists at the final-year Bachelor’s or Master’s level who wish to work on a pre-defined project at an ESA facility. You must be a citizen of one of the ESA Member States or Canada, Latvia, Lithuania or Slovenia.

Duration? 3-6 months.

How does it work? These are ESA-wide opportunities that are announced on a yearly basis. There may be several ESA Science and exoplanet related pre-defined projects posted, depending on availability of staff and resources.

Deadlines: The announcements of opportunity are usually posted around November, with submission deadlines shortly after.

Learn more here: https://www.esa.int/About_Us/Careers_at_ESA/Student_Internships2

Very early career stage

Young Graduate Trainee

Who is it for? You must be a student in the final year of a Master’s or have just graduated. You must be a citizen of one of the ESA Member States, Associate Members, European Cooperating States or Canada as a Cooperating State.

Duration? 1 year, with the possibility of a second-year extension.

How does it work? These are ESA-wide opportunities that are announced on a yearly basis. There may be several ESA Science and exoplanet related pre-defined projects posted, depending on availability of staff and resources.

Deadlines: The announcements of opportunity posted in February, with submission deadlines shortly after.

Learn more here: https://www.esa.int/About_Us/Careers_at_ESA/Graduates_Young_Graduate_Trainees

Early career stage

Co-supervised PhD Opportunities

Who is it for? Aspiring PhD students who wish to pursue a shared programme between their university and an ESA facility.

Duration? 3 years.

How does it work? These opportunities must be individually pre-organised between the candidate’s institute/university, institute/university supervisor, ESA, and ESA supervisor.

Deadlines: Individualised.

Learn more here: https://www.esa.int/About_Us/Careers_at_ESA/ESA_Co-funded_Research & Please feel free to contact any colleague in the ESA Exoplanet Team who you wish to work with and start the dialogue. See the team members here: https://www.cosmos.esa.int/web/exoplanetsworkinggroup/members

Early to mid career stage

Research Fellowship Programme

Who is it for? You must recently obtained doctorate (PhD) in a relevant field. You must be a citizen of one of the ESA Member States, Associate Members, European Cooperating States or Canada as a Cooperating State.

Duration? 2 years, with the possibility of a third year extension.

Deadlines: Research Fellowship opportunities are published throughout the year.

Learn more here: https://www.esa.int/About_Us/Careers_at_ESA/Post_docs_Research_Fellowship

All career stages

Archival Research Visitor Programme

Who is it for? Scientists at all career levels who wish to work on their own proposed project at an ESA facility. Early-career scientists (within 10 years of the PhD) and PhD students are particularly encouraged to apply.

Duration? 1-3 months, can be distributed over multiple visits.

How does it work? These are ESA Science opportunities that are announced on a half-yearly basis, for which candidates can propose their own projects.

Deadlines: The announcements of opportunity are usually posted around March and September, with submission deadlines shortly after.

Learn more here: https://www.cosmos.esa.int/web/esdc/visitor-programme

All career stages

Science Faculty Visitor Programme

Who is it for? Scientists at all career levels who wish to collaborate with an ESA Science Faculty member on a research project. Early-career scientists (within 10 years of the PhD), PhD students, and undergraduate students are welcome.

Duration? 1 day - 6 months.

How does it work? This programme is run by the ESA Science Faculty and open all year around. The ESA Science Faculty member and candidate must prepare for their collaboration and jointly propose their shared project to the ESA Science Faculty.

Deadlines: Open all year around; applications must be submitted well in advance of the visit.

Learn more here: https://www.cosmos.esa.int/web/space-science-faculty/opportunities/visiting

All career stages

Open Space Innovation Platform

Who is it for? Scientists at all career levels who wish to work on their own proposed project at an ESA facility.

Duration? Individualised.

How does it work? Anybody is welcome to submit ideas for new space technologies and applications via OSIP. The platform supports individuals who wish to contribute to European space research and interact with space industry experts. It also encourages ideas from legal entities interested in interacting with ESA and gaining funding or support for new research activities.

Deadlines: Individualised.

Learn more here: https://www.esa.int/Enabling_Support/Preparing_for_the_Future/Discovery_and_Preparation/The_Open_Space_Innovation_Platform_OSIP

All career stages

Secondments to ESA

Who is it for? Externally funded, experienced researchers (at postdoc level and beyond) who wish to go on a secondment / spend a sabbatical to ESA.

Duration? Individualised.

How does it work? These opportunities must be individually pre-organised between the candidate’s institute/university, candidate, ESA, and ESA staff.

Deadlines: Individualised.

Learn more here: Please feel free to contact any colleague in the ESA Exoplanet Team who you wish to work with and start the dialogue. See the team members here: https://www.cosmos.esa.int/web/exoplanetsworkinggroup/members