ESA Graduate Trainee in Space Environments and Effects

Our team and mission

The Space Environments and Effects Section supports the development of ESA missions and programmes by investigating the space environments within which they will operate, assessing likely effects and defining mitigation methods. Environments addressed include high-energy radiation from radiation belts; solar-particle events and cosmic rays; plasmas encountered in planetary magnetospheres; the solar wind and artificially generated charges and fields on spacecraft; micro-meteoroids and non-trackable debris; planetary and lunar dust; as well as planetary atmospheres. The Section also initiates and manages a wide range of related modelling, software and hardware R&D activities.

Field(s) of activity/research for the traineeship

A significant number of ESA missions across various programmes fly on-board radiation instruments to monitor the local space radiation environment and its possible effects on the spacecraft and their payload. Such devices are also used to provide long-term radiation flux data to improve the existing environmental models used in future mission design, and to characterise and map possible novel environment features.

The goal of this EGT position is to analyse data from such radiation monitors in Earth orbit particularly regarding the Earth’s radiation belts. The analysis will include:

• Modelling the response of such instruments to the ambient energetic electron and proton fluxes
• Processing and analyses of new in-orbit data
• Study of any enhancements or changes in the radiation belts due to solar events, the drift of the geomagnetic field, or other phenomena
• Cross-comparison of measurements with other sources of data and with instruments in other locations in the Solar System

Such analyses are intended to support the development of new European radiation belt models.

As part of this work in the TEC-EPS section, substantial collaboration with other parts of the Agency and with external European partners in the domain is foreseen.

Technical competencies

• Knowledge of relevant technical/functional domains
• Relevant experience gained during internships, project work and/or extracurricular or other activities
• General knowledge of the space sector and relevant activities
• Knowledge of ESA and its programmes/projects

Behavioural competencies

• Result Orientation
• Operational Efficiency
• Fostering Cooperation
• Relationship Management
• Continuous Improvement
• Forward Thinking

Education

You should have recently completed or be in the final year of your master’s degree in Space Physics and/or IT domains.

Additional requirements

• Experience in space radiation environment data analyses, relevant programming languages, and radiation instrument modelling with Monte Carlo techniques will be an asset.
• You should have good interpersonal and communication skills and should be able to work in a multicultural environment, both independently and as part of a team.
• Previous experience of working in international teams can be considered an asset.

Important Information and Disclaimer

• Applicants must be eligible to access information, technology, and hardware which is subject to European or US export control and sanctions regulations.
• Successful candidates will need to undergo basic screening before appointment, which will be conducted by an external background screening service, in compliance with the European Space Agency's security procedures.

Nationality and Languages

Please note that applications can only be considered from nationals of one of the following States: Austria, Belgium, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom. Nationals from Latvia, Lithuania and Slovakia as Associate Member States, or Canada as a Cooperating State, can apply as well as those from Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus and Malta as European Cooperating States (ECS).

The working languages of the Agency are English and French. A good knowledge of one of these is required. Knowledge of another Member State language would be an asset.

*Member States, Associate Members or Cooperating States.