Research Fellowships in Space Science: call for applications!

ESA's postdoctoral Research Fellowship Programme offers early-career scientists and engineers the possibility to carry out innovative research in a variety of disciplines related to space science, space applications or space technology. Research Fellowships in Space Science specifically offer the opportunity to contribute to ESA's endeavour to explore our Solar System and the Universe in the fields of heliophysics, planetary science, astrophysics and fundamental physics. If you are ready to launch your research with ESA, this is an opportunity not to be missed!

For this edition we have spoken with Victoria Grinberg, former Research Fellow and current Liaison Scientist at ESA, as well as other former Research Fellows and new colleagues that have just joined our teams. This is your opportunity to learn more about the Research Fellowships in Space Science directly from inside.

Can you tell us about your role in supporting the Research Fellowship Programme in Space Science?

As Liaison Scientist, my job is to promote strategic communication with the scientific community at large. So when it comes to fellowships, it’s about making sure that early career researchers know about the fellowship, what ESA can offer to them and how they can apply, and also ensuring that our current fellows and their research are visible. It also involves listening to the community and finding out what the scientific community expects from the Research Fellowship Programme and the fellows.

The research fellows will be based in three different locations: ESAC (Spain), ESTEC (the Netherlands) and STScI (USA). How would you describe the work environment at ESTEC?

ESTEC is ESA’s technical heart and the largest of our sites. I love how diverse folks who work here are – it’s not only scientists working on space science, but also a lot of life science and exploration colleagues, a lot of engineers, a big comms team… It’s such a unique opportunity to learn more about what makes our satellites work but also to learn about other space tech areas. There is, of course, the occasional chance to see actual flight hardware being tested, but even more so the chance to get to know the people and processes that make space science possible.

ESTEC is a big buzzing place full of work opportunities and interesting colleagues, but it also has a ton more to offer: from good coffee and perfect pain au chocolat for breakfast to sports courses and pottery classes on-site or the chance to grab a sandwich and go for a walk on the nearby dunes during the lunch break. Oh, and we have a cat that hangs around the reception area all the time, he’s even got his own blanket, cat tree and Facebook account: Mickey, the space cat!

We asked colleagues based at other establishments to share with us their experience and thoughts on their work environment.

Alicia Rouco Escorial

Alicia Rouco Escorial is a Research Fellow at the European Space Astronomy Centre (ESAC) in Villafranca del Castillo (Spain), where her research aims to shed light on the physical processes under the extreme conditions of high gravity and magnetic fields in the surroundings of highly magnetised neutron stars.

For me, working at ESAC not only means being part of the great adventure of space exploration, but it also feels like coming back home. ESAC was the place where I started my scientific career as a trainee and, after years of international research experience, I came back to ESAC to continue my work as a more senior researcher. I feel extremely lucky to be here because I have the opportunity to interact daily with the experts in charge of the ESA missions XMM, Newton and INTEGRAL or NewAthena, essential for my research, as well as collaborating with experts in the high-energy Astrophysics field who work at ESAC and Centro de Astrobiología (CAB). Working at ESAC also allows me to find synergies between different ongoing missions (discussing potential projects with archival scientists and software engineers) and even to get to know more about mission planning and operations — such knowledge would be very difficult to acquire outside this environment. However, all this professional growth is not the only incentive that ESAC offers me: the people who work here are exceptional (and I am not only referring to the scientific and mission teams). Since ESAC is smaller than other ESA facilities, you have the opportunity to interact or exchange a smile or ‘good morning’ with most of the people who work here. Having a good work environment and contributing to it is pivotal for me. Being an ESA Research Fellow at ESAC is, in a nutshell, a wonderful and unique experience!

Quentin Changeat

Quentin Changeat is a researcher at the Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI) in Baltimore (US), focusing on the analysis of observations with the new James Webb Space Telescope (JWST).

Home to the Hubble and James Webb Space Telescopes, STScI not only hosts one of the largest pools of experts in space instrumentation, but it is also one of the premier institutes for research in astronomy. As my work focuses on the studying of exoplanet atmospheres with space telescopes, STScI is the perfect place for me. The international and complex aspects of those missions attract scientists and engineers from all over the world, creating a rich multidisciplinary and multicultural working environment. In my opinion, this truly makes a difference, especially as exoplanet science involves many disciplines. It also creates many opportunities to learn or get involved in new scientific topics. I am thrilled to work in such a fantastic and dynamic place, participating in the most exciting and revolutionising discoveries about the universe.

Paule Sonnentrucker

Paule Sonnentrucker is the ESA Mission Manager for Hubble Space Telescope and James Webb Space Telescope at the Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI) in Baltimore (US).

The STScI in Baltimore offers a very vibrant, stimulating, multi-faceted, and international work environment. As the mission operation centre for JWST and the science operations centre for HST and JWST, STScI is the home of a diverse staff where scientists, engineers, and public outreach specialists work hand in hand to support, conduct and promote world-class research. Located on the campus of Johns Hopkins University, STScI also offers unique opportunities for young researchers to interact daily not only with the STScI scientific staff but also with the faculty, postdocs and students of the JHU physics and astronomy department.

Going back to you, Victoria, what do you see as the main benefits of being a Research Fellow at ESA?

The Research Fellowship in Space Science allows the fellows to carry out an independent project of their choice – the freedom is an amazing benefit and allows fellows to really develop their ideas and to sharpen their scientific profile. At the same time, the fellows get insights into the working of an intergovernmental organisation that enables the existence of the very space missions they are using. It’s a unique insight that will help their future careers whenever they are involved in space missions, whether as data users or proposers for new missions, in the future. And they can spend up to 20% of their time on function work if they want to, again getting a chance to sharpen their scientific profile and to learn new skills: ranging from data science and citizen science, to operations and calibration or to communication.

You were a former Research Fellow at ESA. What can you tell us about your experience?

After spending three years in the USA I really wanted to come back to Europe, so I applied for the ESA fellowship with the idea of combining XMM-Newton and INTEGRAL observations of X-ray binaries – binary star systems consisting of a black hole or neutron star and a normal star – in order to better understand accretion onto neutron stars and black holes and stellar winds in these systems.

The ESA Research Fellowship in Space Science was an ideal stepping-stone in my career: it gave me the freedom to grow as a scientist, the inspiration to develop new research ideas, and insight into the development and management of space missions that my research relies on. I liked the experience as a fellow so much that ultimately, after working as a research group leader in Tübingen, Germany, for a few years, I came back to ESA's Directorate of Science as staff!

During my time at ESA, I especially valued the chance to work closely with folks who were not directly involved in my area: for example, my mentor did not work on the same objects, but on active galactic nuclei (or AGN). Together we supervised a Young Graduate Trainee, whose project combined X-ray binary science with methods from AGN research. I also had the chance to interact with two of the artists who were visiting ESA during my fellowship; I learned so much from them and my science was included in their artwork!

For future researchers who want to apply, what advice would you give?  

Mainly: don’t be afraid to apply! A lot of folks are hesitant to apply and miss out on the opportunity. So, apply – and if it does not work out this year, try again next year!

A good, exciting but also realistic project idea is important. Discuss with your colleagues and collaborators, get their input on your idea if you can. But also don’t be afraid to combine something safe with something new and exciting. The fellowship is your chance to really pursue the science you want to do.

Who can apply?

To be eligible for the Research Fellowship Programme you must:

• Have recently completed or be close to completing a PhD in a relevant discipline. Preference is given to applications submitted by candidates within five years of receiving their PhD.
• Be a national from one of the following States: Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom. Nationals from Latvia, Lithuania, Slovakia and Slovenia, as Associate Member States, or Canada as a Cooperating State, can apply as well as those from Bulgaria, Croatia and Cyprus as European Cooperating States (ECS).

How to apply?

Join us at the forefront of unveiling the mysteries of our Solar System and the Universe! Read more and apply here.

The closing date for applications 18 September 2023 23:59 CET/CEST.

What to expect from an ESA research fellowship in Space Science

1. Hear from alumni

If you are curious to know more about the programme, who better to tell you about it than its alumni? We invited former ESA Space Science Research Fellows to share their experience at ESA and how their career paths have unfolded since then. You can find all the interviews here – take a look and get inspired!

1. Hear from current research fellows

ESA selected 12 fellows to pursue their own independent research in space science in 2023. Their research covers a broad range of topics, including the origin of nature’s most powerful explosions, the composition of the exospheres of Jupiter’s moons, Europa and Ganymede, and the processes governing the heating of the solar corona. Learn more about these fellows and their research here.

Life at ESA

ESA is proud to offer its employees a stimulating and inspiring work environment that is complemented by myriad on-site services and facilities that make their ESA experience outside of work equally as rewarding.

Learn more about life at ESA.