DirecciónEUROPEAN SPACE AGENCY
Young GraduateTrainee in Planetary Radio Occultation
Young Graduate Opportunity in the Directorate of Science
ESA is an equal opportunity employer, committed to achieving diversity within the workforce and creating an inclusive working environment. We therefore welcome applications from all qualified candidates irrespective of gender, sexual orientation, ethnicity, beliefs, age, disability or other characteristics. Applications from women are encouraged.
This post is classified F1 on the Coordinated Organisations’ salary scale.
Location
ESTEC, Noordwijk, Netherlands
Our team and mission
The YGT post will be conducted in the planetary sciences group. This includes the Project Scientists for ESA’s planetary sciences missions – missions such as Mars Express, JUICE, Bepi Colombo, EnVision – as well as Research Fellows and Young Graduate Trainees working on various diverse research topics. Most are located at ESTEC in the Netherlands, although some are also located at ESAC in Spain. For Planetary Radio Occultation, we also work with external partners in various ESA member states.
You are encouraged to visit the ESA website: http://www.esa.int
Field(s) of activity/research for the traineeship
Radio signals, like light, experience refraction. This effect is used to measure the properties of atmospheres and ionospheres, in particular the vertical profiles of atmospheric pressure and temperature, and ionospheric electron densities.
This so-called Radio Occultation technique can be used either when radio signals are transmitted from one spacecraft to another – as is now done routinely on Earth using transmissions from navigations satellites – or from a planetary spacecraft to receiving stations on Earth.
This project will use data from ESA’s two spacecraft currently orbiting Mars: Mars Express (MEx) and the ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter (TGO). There are a number of projects which a Trainee in this field could work on, including:
- Analysis of spacecraft-to-Earth Radio Occultation from the ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter (TGO) to Earth;
- Analysis of spacecraft-to-spacecraft Radio Occultation from Mars Express (MEx) to TGO, which is now being conducted routinely;
- Optimisation of spacecraft-to-spacecraft Radio Occultations in future Mars orbiters;
- Analysis of the data obtained for study of the ionosphere and/or neutral atmosphere.
The Trainee will inherit software codes for both spacecraft-to-spacecraft and spacecraft-to-Earth Radio Occultations, but will further develop this software for their specific applications. For example, a robust approach for estimating the uncertainties in retrieved properties is still be developed.
Besides their research topic, the Trainee will have the opportunity to observe (and potentially work with):
- the Science Operations Centres of the Mars Express and Trace Gas Orbiter missions, to optimise the Radio Occultation observation planning;
- ESA’s Planetary Science Archive, for the public distribution of the Radio Occultation analysis data;
- Future Mars mission studies – dependent on which planetary mission studies are ongoing at the time of the traineeship.
Technical competencies
Behavioural competencies
Result Orientation
Operational Efficiency
Fostering Cooperation
Relationship Management
Continuous Improvement
Forward Thinking
Education
You should have just completed or be in the final year of your master’s degree in Engineering, Physics, Computing or applied mathematics.
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.
Background in computing programming for scientific analysis would be an advantage.
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.
During the interview motivation and overall professional perspective/career goals will also be explored.
Other information
For behavioural competencies expected from ESA staff in general, please refer to the ESA Competency Framework.
For further information on the Young Graduate Programme please visit: Young Graduate Programme andFAQ Young Graduate Programme
At the Agency we value diversity and we welcome people with disabilities. Whenever possible, we seek to accommodate individuals with disabilities by providing the necessary support at the workplace. The Human Resources Department can also provide assistance during the recruitment process. If you would like to discuss this further please contact us email contact.human.resources@esa.int.
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Please note that applications are only considered from nationals of 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).
According to the ESA Convention, the recruitment of staff must take into account an adequate distribution of posts among nationals of the ESA Member States*. When short-listing for an interview, priority will first be given to candidates from under-represented Member States*.
In accordance with the European Space Agency’s security procedures and as part of the selection process, successful candidates will be required to undergo basic screening before appointment conducted by an external background screening service.
*Member States, Associate Members or Cooperating States.
