ESA Graduate Trainee in Advanced Deployable Space Structures

Our team and mission

The Technology Department is responsible for the technology strategy, the research and technology development programmes, the education programme and the directorates communication activities.

In particular, this includes, together with all relevant directorates:

• Developing and implementing ESA’s technology strategy;
• Organising studies, research and developments to provide an integrated, continuous technology development path from TRL1 to TRL9 according to strategic and programmatic needs, available competences and resources;
• Coordinating and harmonising technology developments with ESA’s application and programme specific technology development programmes, European and national technology development programmes;
• Developing and implementing a resource and competence plan for conducting R&D activities, together with the Management Support Office and the other departments;
• Preparing future missions and their technologies through early phase studies, system analyses, feasibility assessments, and establishing mission baselines for DG, Directorate, and Member State decisions;
• Developing together with the TEC business partners, Senior Technical Authorities and System engineers effective R&D processes addressing user and programme needs;
• Liaising with D/CIC on commercialisation and competitiveness aspects of R&D activities, and ensure the alignment of ESA's technology strategy with the strategies in these domains;
• Liaising with D/OPS on ground system R&D activities;
• Integrating relevant Education activities into the R&D management processes;
• Communicating the value of ESA’s technical competence, infrastructure and facilities;
• Coordinating in close cooperation with corporate communication at ESA, TEC communication activities;
• Managing TEC internal communication activities.

This ESA Graduate Traineeship will take place within ESA's Advanced Concepts Team (ACT) at ESTEC (Noordwijk, Netherlands).

ESA’s Advanced Concepts Team (ACT) monitors, performs, and promotes cutting-edge multidisciplinary research for space. It explores innovative approaches to space-related R&D, including competitions, prizes, and games, as well as research aimed at fostering disruptive innovation. The team develops an expert network within academia and provides rapid first-look analyses of challenges, opportunities, and problems.

The ACT collaborates with universities and research centers, focusing on advanced topics of strategic relevance to the space sector while experimenting with novel teamwork methods. To achieve its objectives, the ACT fosters a dynamic, multidisciplinary research environment where early-career researchers—spanning postdoctoral and postgraduate levels in science and engineering—contribute to the development of emerging technologies and innovative concepts.

Field(s) of activity/research for the traineeship

You will carry out most of your activities in the field of advanced deployable space structures. The future of space exploration demands structural solutions that maximize deployed size while minimizing launch mass and volume. You will thus focus on next-generation deployable space structures such as inflatable systems with rigidizable components offering packing efficiency; origami-inspired mechanisms enabling compact folding of large-area systems; tensegrity architectures providing optimal strength-to-weight ratios through compression-tension equilibrium; and totimorphic structures - an emerging class of metamaterials with continuous shape-morphing capabilities between arbitrary configurations.

You will investigate the theoretical properties of such space structures, combining smart materials (shape memory alloys, adaptive composites) and modern design tools such as differentiable inverse design, topology optimization. Space related applications include deployable antennas, solar arrays, habitats, telescopes, and mega-structures in general.

During the traineeship, you are expected to conceive your own projects relevant to the field. Examples of possible topics may involve:

• Geometric design: analysis of foldable/deployable structures to achieve superior packaging efficiency, investigating properties such as flat-foldability, rigidity during deployment (e.g. origami, tessellations).
• Hybrid deployable architectures: design structures integrating multiple deployment paradigms (e.g., inflatable-tensegrity hybrids, origami-totimorphic combinations) for multi-functionality. Investigate form-finding methods and optimization strategies for novel hybrid systems.
• Autonomous morphing and reconfiguration: develop control algorithms and actuation strategies for totimorphic and adaptive structures enabling autonomous shape transformation in orbit. Explore minimally-actuated systems where strategic locking/unlocking enables global shape changes.
• Deployment dynamics and validation: develop fast multibody dynamics models predicting deployment behavior of complex folding structures. Create simulation frameworks capturing coupled structural, thermal, and control dynamics during deployment and operational phases.
• Large-scale orbital construction: design modular structural systems for in-space assembly of very large structures (>100m scale). Investigate packaging strategies, assembly sequences, and structural concepts optimized for on-orbit construction.
• Mission-specific demonstrators: develop conceptual designs for applications such as reconfigurable telescopes, adaptive solar arrays, deployable habitats, or gossamer structures for solar sails and sunshields.

As a member of the Advanced Concepts Team (ACT), you will contribute to the development and evaluation of new space technologies and concepts. You will collaborate with experts from diverse fields, including artificial intelligence, computer science, fundamental physics, and mission analysis, and you will help disseminate research findings within ESA and to external audiences.

Finally, you will monitor—and if feasible, contribute to—ESA's Discovery and Preparation campaigns by refining early study definitions and possibly participating in select activities.

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 Aerospace Engineering, Mathematics, Robotics, Material Science or related subject.

Additional requirements

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.

You should also have:

• Knowledge of space systems engineering, structural mechanics, computational modelling and/or related field
• Knowledge of at least one of the following: Python, C/C++, numerical simulation tools (finite element analysis, multibody dynamics)
• Experience with optimization techniques (topology optimization, evolutionary algorithms, constrained optimization) is an advantage
• Background in origami, tensegrity, metamaterials, or in-space assembly is a plus.

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 and eligible to acquire the security clearance by their national security administrations.

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.