Planetary Research Jobs

To increase the scientific return from its space science missions, ESA welcomes applications from scientists interested in pursuing research based on publicly available data in the ESA Space Science Archives. The Archives host data from all current and past ESA space science missions in astronomy, planetary science, and heliophysics.

The ESA Archival Research Visitor Programme is open to scientists at all career levels who are affiliated with institutes in ESA Member States and Cooperating States (note that all visits must comply with the ESA Security Directives, which may necessitate additional checks). Early-career scientists are particularly encouraged to apply, including PhD students (see below). We encourage applications from women and minorities. The peer-review evaluation process is anonymised to ensure equal opportunities for all applicants.

Residence lasts typically between one and three months, also distributed over multiple visits, depending on the complexity of the research project. The research projects can be carried out at ESAC (Madrid, Spain) and at ESTEC (Noordwijk, Netherlands). To offset the expenses incurred by visitors, ESA covers travel costs from and to the home institution and provides support for lodging expenses and meals.

During their stay, visiting scientists have the opportunity to interact with archive and mission specialists for questions on the retrieval, calibration, and analysis of archival data. In principle, all areas of space research covered by ESA science missions can be supported (the data must be publicly available in the archives). To ensure that technical expertise in the specific area of interest is available at ESAC or ESTEC, applicants should consult the table of expertise and contact the relevant scientists in their field of interest (this is very important). In case of doubts, write to the programme coordinators for assistance at arvp@cosmos.esa.int.

The next deadline for applications is Saturday 31 October 2026, 23:59 UTC

Call for applications

Applications can be submitted at any time by sending email to arvp@cosmos.esa.int. The proposal must contain:

1. Introduction and background information.
2. Scientific goals of the project.
3. Public ESA data that you plan to use.
4. Expertise that you want to develop.
5. Brief work plan.
6. Expected publications.
7. Approximate dates and length of the visit(s).
8. ESA people you have contacted.
9. Your contact information.

We encourage you to contact us if you have any questions about the data that could support your research project. You will find the names of our experts in the various science areas in the table of expertise below. Or write to the programme coordinators for assistance at arvp@cosmos.esa.int.

Application forms

When preparing your application, use the provided Word or LaTeX templates. Note that:

1. The research project must not exceed two pages, including figures.
2. Page 3 may be used only for literature references and personal information.
3. The page format must be A4.
4. Do not modify the margins (1.5 cm left/right, 2.0 cm top/bottom).
5. Use font size 11 or larger.
6. Use fonts such as Arial, Helvetica, or Verdana to improve readability.
7. Convert the final document to PDF and send a single file to arvp@cosmos.esa.int

To prevent unconscious biases, your name, email address, and other contact information (on the third page of the application form) will not be visible to reviewers. To help in the process, you must write your application in an "anonymous" way, i.e. do not identify yourself in the text. For instance, do not mention the name of your institute or collaborators in the scientific description of the project (page 1 and 2) and when you are referring to one of your papers, do not write "I have shown that ... (Author Name, 2023, Journal, 954, 125)", but rather write "It has been shown that ... (Author Name, 2024, Journal, 954, 125)". If you identify yourself, the application will not be considered.

Students

We welcome proposals by graduate students. The proposals can be submitted by the students themselves or in collaboration with their supervisors. If you are a student and would like to visit ESA to learn more about doing science with archival data, make sure that you coordinate and agree your research project with your supervisor. Mention this in the application, but omit the name of the supervisor, otherwise the application is not anonymous.

Deadlines

Applications can be submitted at any time and are reviewed twice a year, with deadlines usually on 30 April and 31 October. The results of the review will be communicated to applicants within about two months of the deadlines. Applicants are encouraged to contact the ESA scientists or the programme coordinators well ahead of the deadlines in order to discuss their research plans.

Applications received by 31 October 2026 (23:59 UTC) will be considered for visits in spring and summer 2027.

Accommodation

Visitors are responsible for finding their own accommodation. To limit the costs of the programme, we advise visitors to search online booking platforms such as Booking.com, Travelocity, Orbitz, and AirBnB, all of which offer options for extended stays. Visitors staying in Madrid are advised to look for accommodations near the Moncloa station for easier commute to ESAC with some direct bus services in the morning and evening. At ESTEC, visitors will have very frequent bus services throughout the day to anywhere in Leiden and Noordwijk.

Reimbursement of expenses

ESA reimburses travel costs from and to the home institution as well as lodging costs (with a limit of 100 euro/night, when possible). It also provides a stipend of 50 Euro/day for meals and incidental expenditures, such as local transportation. Airplane or train tickets will be reimbursed upon arrival. The lodging costs and stipend are normally transferred every month, after presenting a hotel bill or reservation. No receipts are needed for meals or local transportation. All reimbursements occur via bank transfer and visitors will be asked to provide their account information before arriving.

Computing equipment

We assume that visitors will use their own laptop computers and their Eduroam accounts. We will provide credentials to access the ESA wireless networks if otherwise needed. Some Linux workstations equipped with standard data-analysis software (e.g. IDL, Matlab, ArcGIS, ENVI) are also available. If the research project requires more powerful desktop computers, specific software packages, or access to the ESA grid, the needs must be described in the application in order to assess whether they can be fulfulled and for arrangements to be made ahead of time.

Deliverables

Visitors are expected to illustrate their project in a presentation to the ESA Science Faculty during their residence. At the end of their stay, visitors must provide a report on the advancement of their research, highlighting the role played by ESA data and any problems encountered (follow this simple template to prepare your report and send it by email to arvp@cosmos.esa.int). Visitors are requested to acknowledge support from the ESA Archival Research Visitor Programme in any resulting publications. Please add a sentence to the acknowledgement section of your paper stating that you "received support from the ESA Archival Research Visitor Programme". We also encourage visitors to share with the community via the ESA Space Science Archives any higher-level science products obtained through their research projects, such as catalogues, time series, combined spectra or images, software routines, models, etc.

Visa requirements

No visa is required for citizens of European Union countries or of ESA Member States when travelling to ESAC or ESTEC. This also applies to UK nationals for visits of up to 90 days. Citizens of other countries are responsible for arranging the necessary visa documents, when applicable. Visiting scientists must arrange for their medical insurance.

Table of expertise

The following table lists the type of expertise that ESA mission scientists and archive scientists can offer. It is important to contact them before submitting an application. If in doubt on whom to contact, write to the programme coordinators for assistance at arvp@cosmos.esa.int.

You can sort the table by Mission, Name, or Site by clicking on the corresponding column headers. To send email to people click on their names.