Intern in the Electrical Department - Wave Interaction and Propagation Section - European Space Agency (Noordwijk)

About this position

The summary below is published by European Space Agency on the official vacancy notice. Our own analysis — salary realism, comparable openings, career trajectory, language profile — follows further down the page.

Key responsibilities

According to the vacancy notice, the role centres on the following duties:

• Ingest outcomes of on-ground characterisation tests of the instrument as parametrisation of the FORUM end-to-end simulator
• Assess expected performances of the mission
• Run sensitivity studies as a function of geophysical scene or settings of ground processing algorithms
• Assess impact on Level 1 products (calibrated signals)
• Generate reference datasets using the FORUM end-to-end simulator to support Level 2 performance assessment
• Generate reference datasets to support scientific activities and operational ground segment development
• Potentially be involved in prototyping calibration algorithms for FORUM

Are you eligible?

Check these requirements from the notice before investing time in an application:

• Education: University student, preferably in final or second-to-last year of Master's level course
• Languages: English, French
• Key skills: Numerical modelling, Data analysis, Software development, Python coding, Matlab coding

Contract and working arrangements

Contract duration: Internship.

Working arrangements: On-site at ESTEC, Noordwijk, Netherlands.

Hiring unit: Wave Interaction and Propagation Section, Technology, Engineering and Quality Directorate.

Position details

Reference

1452881033

Last Verified

10 November 2026

Position overview

This is the official EU Careers listing for Intern in the Electrical Department - Wave Interaction and Propagation Section at ESA based in Noordwijk (Traineeship). The vacancy reference is 1452881033.

Job Requisition ID:21028

Date Posted:1 November 2026

Closing Date:30 November 2026 23:59 CET/CEST

Publication Method:External Only

Directorate:Technology, Engineering and Quality

Location ESTEC, Noordwijk, Netherlands

Our team and mission

The Wave Interaction and Propagation Section covers the understanding of the behaviour of electromagnetic waves (from a few megahertz to optical wavelengths) in a variety of media - both natural and man-made - and environmental conditions, and the application of this understanding to the development and exploitation of space systems. This includes modelling, data analysis and algorithmic development, as well as experimental validation of models and algorithms. It contributes to the performance assessment of space missions.

More specifically this includes:

- wave propagation relevant to space communications, navigation and remote sensing; - wave interaction for active, passive and combined remote sensing of ocean, land and atmosphere of the Earth and other planets; - in-situ characterisation of the interaction/propagation environment; - payload data processing and data science techniques, simulation and performance evaluation tools.

For what concerns:

- theoretical modelling and experimental validation; - associated processing, mitigation, retrieval, correction and calibration algorithms for product generation. For remote sensing this includes algorithmic developments relevant to the generation of Lvl1 (physical observable) and Lvl2 (geophysical quantity) data products; - for remote sensing, design and validation of on-board processing functions/algorithms for payload data products, image processing and optical payload data compression; - contribution to mission performance assessment and to data products quality monitoring and improvement.

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

Field(s) of activity for the internship

FORUM is the Far-infrared, Outgoing Radiation Understanding and Monitoring mission, a research mission of the Earth Observation Directorate. It will be the first mission to take global measurements of Earth’s outgoing spectrum in the far-infrared at unprecedented resolution. These data will be used to investigate climate feedback from water vapour and clouds and ultimately improve climate models. FORUM will embark two payloads; The FORUM Sounding Imager (FSI) which is a Fourier Transform Interferometer working in the 100 to 1600 cm-1 spectral region and the FORUM embedded Imager (FEI). ESA - FORUM

The Wave Interaction and Propagation Section provides expert support to the FORUM project on aspects related to instruments performances, Level 1 (from raw data to calibrated signal) and Level 2 (from calibrated signals to geophysical parameters) processors development, and mission performances evaluation.

In this position you will be involved in FORUM performance assessment activities:

- ingesting the outcome of the on-ground characterisation tests of the instrument as parametrisation of the FORUM end-to-end simulator, to assess expected performances of the mission. You will run several sensitivity studies as a function of geophysical scene, or settings of the ground processing algorithms, to assess the impact on the Level 1 products (calibrated signals); - using the FORUM end-to-end simulator, you will generate reference datasets to support: (a) the assessment of the performances at Level 2 (geophysical retrievals), (b) further scientific activities and (c) the development of the operational ground segment; - you could be involved in the prototyping of calibration algorithms for FORUM.

Behavioural competencies

Education

You must be a university student, preferably in your final or second-to-last year of university course at Master's level. In addition, you must be able to prove that you will be 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 ESA Member State language is an asset.

During the interview, your motivation for applying to this role will be explored.

Knowledge and background in optics (wave propagation and/or instrumentation) is an asset.

Additional requirements:

- skills in numerical modelling and data analysis; - experience in software development and coding in languages such as Python and Matlab (knowledge of C++ is an asset).

Application timeline

This vacancy was first listed on 10 November 2026, today.

The application deadline is 30 November 2026, 19 days from today. Late applications are not accepted, so submit through the official EU Careers portal well in advance.

Last verified against the EU Careers feed on 10 November 2026.

Where to learn more

For headcount, mission, and other open vacancies at ESA see the ESA institution page; for the cost of living, correction coefficient, and other postings in Noordwijk see our Noordwijk location page.

New to EU careers? Our beginner's guide walks through entry routes, EPSO competitions, and what to prepare. For application logistics see application tips and EPSO competitions.