Young Graduate Trainee in Earth Observation To Mitigate Drought in Europe and Africa

Young Graduate Opportunity in the Directorate of Earth Observation Programmes

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

ESRIN, Frascati, Italy 

Our team and mission

The Applications Section (EOP-SGA) primarily engages in research and development (R&D) focused on Earth observation-based solutions that contribute to addressing the European and global international environment and development agenda. Our projects typically involve active collaboration with Early Adopters at every stage, including design, development, and validation. This ensures the seamless integration of innovative EO-based solutions into end-user operational systems and practices.

The EOP-SGA team is based at the ESRIN site of ESA, comprises nine Earth Observation (EO) experts. Each expert specializes in overseeing specific domains where EO data are applied.

The EOP-SGA team is part of the Green Solutions Division (https://eo4society.esa.int/ ).

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

Field(s) of activity/research for the traineeship

High spatial resolution thermal satellite missions are expected to operate in the coming years. Among them, the European Space Agency (ESA) is set to launch the Land Surface Temperature Monitoring (LSTM) mission, which is scheduled to join the Copernicus Sentinel constellation in 2028. These satellites (2) will possess thermal infrared observation capabilities over land and coastal regions, supporting agriculture management services and potentially offering a range of additional services.

In anticipation of the LSTM mission, ESA is conducting research projects that utilize data from currently available thermal sensors to develop future applications. This includes thermal data retrieved from the International Space Station through the ECOsystem Spaceborne Thermal Radiometer Experiment (ECOSTRESS).

Through this Young Graduate Traineeship, you will work with various thermal and other remotely sensed datasets, primarily from ECOSTRESS but also from geostationary satellites. Your responsibilities will include calculating various indices, such as the Temperature Rising Index (efficient for agricultural drought monitoring), the Vegetation Condition Index, and the Standardized Precipitation Index.

Upon obtaining these indices, you will analyze the responses of different drought indices to known drought events.

Your specific tasks will include:

• Selecting four study locations, comprising two in Europe (Northern and Mediterranean locations) and two in Africa (Sahel and Horn of Africa);
• Understanding crops response to drought using geostationary land surface temperature, vegetation, and rainfall data, and developing a lag response model;
• Validating the results with ECOSTRESS and European Drought Observatory data.

You will utilize ESA-supported cloud computing platforms for conducting your research.

Technical competencies

Knowledge of relevant technical domains

Relevant experience gained during internships/project work

Breadth of exposure coming from past and/or current research/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 just completed, or be in the final year of your Master’ s degree in in a related scientific or engineering discipline

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.

You should also have knowledge in earth observation data, agriculture and programming languages (i.e. python).

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 [email protected] .

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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.