Our team and mission

This position is based at the European Space Research and Technology Centre (ESTEC) – Noordwijk, Netherlands

The internship will be in the Utilisation and Enabled Science Team, which coordinates the ESA research programme in Physical sciences and Biology, using various microgravity platforms including the International Space Station, Moon, and Mars. Projects cover a wide range of topics like Earth atmospheric measurement, ultraprecise cold atom sensors, quantum information and high-energy particles, soft or complex matter, boiling, evaporation and heat transfer, and advanced materials processing.

Candidates interested are encouraged to visit the ESA website: http://www.esa.int

Field(s) of activity for the internship

Topic of the internship: AI for Automated X-Ray Image Analysis

ESA is developing an X-Ray Facility for utilisation onboard the International Space Station (ISS-XRF) with which eventually a range of experiments can be conducted using X-ray diagnostics. The first experiment type involves the directional solidification of flat, thin metal-alloy samples in which the solidification process can be monitored through X-ray radiography (https://www.esa.int/Science_Exploration/Human_and_Robotic_Exploration/Research/Weightless_metal_X-ray).

The successive processing cycles that can be implemented will generate a high amount of data (images), which highlights the need for (semi)-automatic analysis of the microstructural evolution. You will conduct an analysis of the features that are key to the planned scientific investigations and will review the various emerging Artificial Intelligence (AI), Machine Learning (ML) and possibly other approaches, from which then a strategy for such (semi)-automatic image analysis can be derived.

Behavioural competencies

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

For more information, please refer to ESA Core Behavioural Competencies guidebook

Education

You must be a university student, preferably in your final or second-to-last year of a university course at Master’s level and you need to remain enrolled at your University for the entire duration of the internship.

Additional requirements

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.

Knowledge and background required:

• MSc graduate level in physics in general and materials science in particular, covering both experimental and modelling/simulation approaches.