Research Jobs

33 positions at EU institutions

Research jobs in this domain center on fundamental and applied science carried out at large European research organizations. In the current listings the openings sit at CERN, the European Organization for Nuclear Research near Geneva, where physicists, research fellows and technical staff work on particle accelerators and detector systems. Typical postings include experimental physicist, applied physicist for superconducting detector magnets, calorimeter development physicist and material scientist roles, alongside installation and maintenance technicians who keep the experiments running. CERN is an intergovernmental laboratory rather than an EU body, so it recruits through its own fellowship and staff schemes instead of EPSO competitions. The wider European research system also employs administrators who manage funding programmes such as Horizon Europe. This page explains what the research domain covers, the profiles employers look for, how pay is structured, and the routes into a first contract. See the current research vacancies for live examples.

33 positions found

From the EU Jobs Alert guide How to land a job at the EU institutions A walkthrough of EPSO competitions, agency calls, and contract roles, written by our editor. Read the guide →

About Research careers at EU institutions

What the research domain covers

The research domain groups roles where the core work is producing scientific knowledge rather than administering a programme. At CERN, which accounts for the current openings in this category, that means experimental and theoretical particle physics, detector development, accelerator science and the materials work that supports them. Job titles in the recent listings include experimental physicist, applied physicist working on future superconducting detector magnets, calorimeter development physicist and material scientist for ISOL targets. A large share of the work is hands on: installation and maintenance technicians and detector installation technicians build, test and repair the equipment that experiments such as ATLAS depend on. Some postings sit at the boundary of research and software, for example physicists who also develop firmware and reconstruction software for trigger systems. The domain therefore spans people who design experiments, people who build and run the hardware, and people who write the analysis code. Across the wider European research system, the same domain also covers scientists employed to run research funding, though the live vacancies here are concentrated on laboratory science. If you are scanning the market, the research listings show how broad the mix of physics, engineering support and technical roles can be inside a single organisation. Understanding which part of that spectrum a vacancy belongs to matters, because the qualifications, contract type and pay differ sharply between a doctoral level physicist post and a technician role on the same experiment.

Typical roles and seniority

Seniority in the research domain runs from graduate entry to established scientist. At the junior end sit research fellowships, aimed at people who have recently finished a masters or doctorate and want a fixed term of paid research. The fellowship in applied physics and engineering is a representative example. Mid level and senior roles carry titles such as experimental physicist, applied physicist and calorimeter development physicist, and usually require a completed PhD plus a track record on a specific detector or accelerator system. Technical roles form a parallel ladder: installation and maintenance technician, detector installation technician and particle accelerator operator are skilled positions that call for vocational training or an engineering qualification rather than a doctorate. Material scientist posts, such as the ISOL targets role, need specialist knowledge of the materials used inside the beamline. Because CERN organises much of its output around named experiments, seniority is often expressed through responsibility for a subsystem rather than through a management title. A senior physicist may lead the reconstruction software for one trigger while reporting into a group that spans hundreds of collaborators. For candidates, the practical reading is that the domain rewards depth on a particular instrument or technique. The clearest progression is from a fellowship or first staff contract into a role with named responsibility for a detector component, an analysis chain or a piece of accelerator infrastructure, rather than a jump into general management.

Where the jobs are and who hires

The active research vacancies in this category are all at CERN, based at its site straddling the Franco Swiss border near Geneva and the neighbouring commune of Meyrin. CERN is an intergovernmental organisation founded by its member states, not an institution of the European Union, so it sits alongside the EU bodies on this site rather than inside them. That distinction matters for applicants because CERN runs its own recruitment, salary scale and social security arrangements instead of the EU staff system. Within the broader European research landscape, other employers on this site handle the funding and coordination side of research rather than the bench science. The European Research Executive Agency manages parts of Horizon Europe, and joint undertakings such as Fusion for Energy manage Europe's contribution to large scientific projects. Those bodies recruit research programme managers, project advisers and scientific project officers, which is a different profile from a laboratory physicist. So the domain has two centres of gravity: hands on science, concentrated at large laboratories like CERN, and research administration, spread across EU agencies mostly based in Brussels and other capitals. If your background is experimental physics or accelerator technology, the laboratory route is the direct fit. If it is science policy or grant management, the agency route through the EU institutions is the more natural target, and the entry mechanism there is different, as the next sections explain.

Qualifications and profiles employers want

For the laboratory science roles, the baseline qualification is a strong degree in physics, engineering or a related field, with a PhD expected for most physicist positions and a recognised technical qualification for technician and operator roles. Employers look for demonstrable experience with the specific systems named in the vacancy, whether that is calorimetry, superconducting magnets, trigger electronics or vacuum and cryogenics. Publications, contributions to a named experiment and hands on instrument time all count. Software ability is increasingly part of the profile even for experimental posts, since detector development now involves firmware, data acquisition and reconstruction code; several recent listings pair physicist with software or firmware developer in the same title. For the research administration roles at EU agencies, the profile shifts toward a university degree plus knowledge of research funding rules, project management and financial monitoring. Language ability is treated differently by the two employer types. CERN operates in English and French and expects working knowledge of at least one, with willingness to learn the other. The EU institutions require a main working language, usually English or French, and knowledge of a second official EU language for permanent posts. Across both, employers value the ability to work in international teams, because research collaborations and funding programmes are multinational by design. Candidates who can show both technical depth and the softer skills of documentation, safety compliance and coordination tend to fit the widest range of postings in this domain, from a bench role to a project office seat.

Staff categories, contracts and how pay works

How you are employed depends on which type of body you join. At CERN the main routes are staff contracts, fellowships for early career researchers, and project associate or student arrangements, each with its own scale set by the organisation. Contract agent and other fixed term arrangements also appear in the listings. The EU institutions and agencies use a separate system defined by the Staff Regulations. Permanent scientific and policy officials are recruited as administrators in the AD function group, while support staff sit in the AST group. Fixed term needs are met with temporary agents and contract agents in function groups FG I to FG IV, and member states also second national experts for limited periods. Pay in the EU system follows published monthly gross bands before allowances and the EU internal tax. An administrator entering at AD5 earns roughly 4,917 to 5,565 EUR per month, an AD7 around 6,137 to 6,767 EUR, and AD9 about 7,461 to 8,225 EUR. Contract agents in FG IV, the group most research programme managers fall into, range from about 3,637 to 8,225 EUR across the grade, while FG III runs from about 2,954 to 5,932 EUR. CERN pay is set separately and is not directly comparable, but both systems offer expatriation related allowances and structured progression. Reading a vacancy, always check which framework applies, because it determines contract length, tax treatment and the pension you accrue.

How to apply, languages and career progression

The application route splits along the same line as the employers. For CERN roles you apply directly through the laboratory's own careers portal, submitting to a specific vacancy or to a fellowship, studentship or graduate programme, and selection is run by the recruiting group rather than a central competition. For permanent posts in the EU institutions, entry is through EPSO, the European Personnel Selection Office, which runs open competitions that build reserve lists from which agencies recruit administrators and assistants. Contract agent posts are filled through the EPSO CAST permanent selection process, and temporary agent and seconded national expert vacancies are usually published directly by the recruiting agency. Practically, that means a laboratory physicist and an EU research programme manager follow completely different timelines: the first is a direct application with interviews, the second can involve tests, a reserve list and a wait before a job offer. On languages, expect to certify a main working language and, for permanent EU posts, a second official language. Career progression in the EU system moves up through grade steps within AD or AST, with promotion tied to appraisal and seniority; at CERN it runs through advancement on the internal scale and growing responsibility for experiments or infrastructure. Many people move between the two worlds, for example from a research fellowship into a science policy or programme role at an EU agency. A period spent on a named experiment or on a funding programme both count as evidence when you apply for the next post, so the two routes are less separate than they first look. Browse the current vacancies to compare how individual employers word their requirements before you commit to a route.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need a PhD to work in the research domain?

A PhD is expected for most physicist posts, but technician, operator and research administration roles accept vocational or bachelor level qualifications instead.

Does CERN recruit through EPSO competitions?

No. CERN is an intergovernmental laboratory, not an EU body, so it uses its own fellowship, student and staff recruitment rather than EPSO.

What does a research fellowship at CERN involve?

A fellowship is a fixed term paid research post for early career scientists who have recently completed a masters or doctorate degree.

Which EU bodies hire for research administration?

Agencies such as the Research Executive Agency and joint undertakings like Fusion for Energy recruit research programme managers, project advisers and scientific officers.

How much does an AD5 administrator earn?

An administrator entering at grade AD5 earns roughly 4,917 to 5,565 EUR gross per month before allowances and the EU internal tax.

What languages does the research domain require?

CERN works in English and French and expects one of them; EU institutions require a main language plus a second official EU language for permanent posts.

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