HRE - Science Faculty
HRE Project Descriptions for Research Fellowship Call 2020
Applications for the 2020 Research Fellowships have closed, please check back for our next opportunities which will be released in October 2021 for take-up duty in 2022. In the meantime, feel free to go through the 2020 opportunities so get a flavour of which projects and profiles ESA is looking for.
+ EAC
Projects hosted at the European Astronaut Centre (EAC) in Cologne, Germany
The postholder will continue research and development of technologies supporting surface and subsurface planetary exploration using humans, as well as supporting the implementation of CAVES & PANGAEA. The post-holder will also help to mentor interns, trainees and any other positions contributing to these projects.
The postholder will evaluate cardiac parameters in a range of relevant contexts including ground-based analogues. In addition, the postholder will repar, conduct and post-process (data analysis and peer-reviewed publication) a series of human participant studies in addition to performing technical evaluations built upon a systematic evaluation of relevant literature. Liaising, disseminating and collaborating with space medical operations, scientific and technical communities will also be part the postholder’s tasks.
The postholder will expand the VORTEX (Virtual Reality for Lunar Exploration) project focused on accurately representing the lunar south pole surface for early depiction, science preparation, future operations and training usages utilizing the centers VR, haptics and potentially AR assets. The postholder will use this platform to both further develop XR capability at EAC and objectively asses the efficacy of these technologies as preparatory tools for exploration scenarios.
The postholder will prepare, conduct and post-process (data analysis and publication) a number of studies investigating the effects of simulated hypogravity exposure on human biomechanics and physiology with a view to inform and optimize Lunar operations by direct involvement in a number of Movement in Low Gravity (MoLo) experiments to investigate the effects of hypogravity upon locomotion and movement, using a unique hyogravity simulation system, participating toa hypogravity ISS technical evaluation and developing future studies using a verticalised treadmill facility.
+ ECSAT
Projects hosted at the European Centre for Space Applications and Telecommunications (ECSAT) in Harwell, UK
The postholder will investigate and design new methods of creating planetary surface simulants to aid the development of new/existing missions within ESA, and to expand the range of analogues and simulants available in the ESA2C collection.
+ ESTEC
Projects hosted at the European Space Technology Centre (ESTEC) in Noordwijk, Netherlands
The postholder will generate "semi-synthetic" terrain models with ground resolutions better than the existing lunar datasets for provisional landing sites. Additionally, the postholder will perform a preliminary validation of the technique and / or devise a validation experiment.
The postholder will perform in-house sample related research and support the definition of new missions and capabilities for sample curation and analysis across Europe.
The postholder will investigate molten salt electrolysis for the reduction of lunar regolith. The research fellow will also support mission and payload definition activities and work performed in collaboration with the newly established European Innovation Centre for Space Resources in Luxemburg.
The postholder will identify, investigate and evaluate present developments in the area of cultivated meats (meat produced by in vitro cell culture of animal cells, instead of from slaughtered animals), as well as its end-to-end processing value chain, including resources required and waste products generated.