Trainee (Improving consistency of MRLs for substances used in both veterinary drugs and pesticides)

The European Medicines Agency (EMA) offers a traineeship opportunity in the Veterinary Pharmaceuticals Office focused on improving consistency of Maximum Residue Limits (MRLs) for substances used in both veterinary drugs and pesticides.

The European Medicines Agency (EMA) is a decentralised agency of the European Union (EU), located in Amsterdam. It is responsible for the scientific evaluation, supervision and safety monitoring of medicines in the EU.

Placement description

We are looking for a trainee in the Veterinary Pharmaceuticals Office.

Specific objectives and projects

Maximum Residue Limits (MRLs) are legally binding limits of residues of pharmacologically active substances that can be present in human food following their use in agriculture. They are set at levels that ensure consumer safety and play an important role in determining the acceptability of imported food. The EMA undertakes the scientific evaluation required for the establishment of MRLs for veterinary drugs while EFSA does the same for pesticides. Some active substances are used in both veterinary drugs and in pesticides and, for some of these, different MRLs have been established for the veterinary drug and pesticide, potentially causing difficulties for authorities responsible for monitoring residue levels. In this traineeship you will undertake a scientific analysis of these dual use substances and consider how divergent MRLs could be harmonised and what the impacts of such harmonisation might be.

Learning outcomes

You will become familiar with the scientific analyses undertaken in order to establish MRLs, focusing particularly on the use of toxicology and residue depletion data to ensure consumer safety. You will learn about procedures, processes and methodologies used by the EMA and EFSA; you will see some of these in action and possibly contribute to them. You will gain experience of reviewing and understanding regulatory reports and take responsibility for a comparative analysis of substances evaluated by both of these leading scientific authorities. You will gain experience in presenting your analyses and proposals to scientific colleagues.

Eligibility criteria

To be eligible for consideration for this placement, you are required to:

1. enjoy full rights as a citizen of a European Union Member State or Iceland, Lichtenstein and Norway;
2. possess a university degree in veterinary medicine or life sciences (minimum of three years or more) that must have been obtained between 6 May 2025 and 6 May 2026 or be a university student on an Erasmus + or a similar programme or a PhD student or a Master's student with a previous fully finished degree in the areas mentioned before.
3. a thorough knowledge of English (at least level C1) and good knowledge of other official EU language (at least B2) of the Common European Framework for Languages

Additional skills

• Experience of reviewing scientific reports
• Experience of writing scientific reports
• Good communication skills

Behavioural Competencies

You will demonstrate the following behavioural competencies:

• Communication skills
• Interpersonal skills
• Working with others
• Adaptability
• Research and analytical skills
• Learning and development

Conditions of traineeship

The traineeship is offered for 10 months (1 October 2026 – 31 July 2027) and takes place at the Agency’s premises in Amsterdam with possibility for teleworking up to 40% of working time from The Netherlands and occasional teleworking from outside The Netherlands. Traineeships are offered for either full-time or part-time (80% or 50%) if combined with university studies.

The Agency pays a monthly stipend of €2,049.77 for a full-time traineeship (reduced accordingly for 80% or 50%) and a travel contribution upon joining the Agency.

Each trainee will have a mentor at the Agency who will guide the trainee through the programme.

What we offer

• Meaningful work contributing to protecting the health of every individual and animal in Europe within multinational, multidisciplinary team
• Development opportunities (e.g. internal mobility, mentoring, peer coaching, career reflection programme, etc.)
• Work-life balance (flexible working arrangements, teleworking, generous annual leave plus official holidays)