Internal Research Fellow (PostDoc) in Space Environments and Effects - 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:

• Assess, test and further develop ionising radiation transport and effects analysis models
• Develop related software capabilities under Geant4 and GRAS frameworks
• Apply developments to real-life cases of ESA spacecraft and missions
• Collaborate with other parts of the Agency and external partners in the radiation physics domain
• Support the development of ESA missions and programmes by investigating space environments

Are you eligible?

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

• Education: PhD in radiation, space physics and/or information technology, recently completed (within five years) or close to completion
• Key skills: Knowledge in radiation physics and space physics, Ability to conduct research autonomously, Ability to gather and share relevant information, Good interpersonal and communication skills, Experience in Geant4/GRAS simulation software, Knowledge of Monte Carlo techniques, Programming skills in relevant languages, Ability to work in multicultural environment

Selection process

The notice describes the following selection steps:

• CV submission
• Motivation letter submission
• Research proposal submission (maximum 5 pages)
• Interview exploring motivation, professional outlook and career goals

Contract and working arrangements

Contract duration: Internal Research Fellow position.

Working arrangements: ESTEC, Noordwijk, Netherlands.

Hiring unit: Space Environments and Effects Section, Technology, Engineering and Quality Directorate.

Position details

Reference

1435411933

Last Verified

15 September 2026

Position overview

This is the official EU Careers listing for Internal Research Fellow (PostDoc) in Space Environments and Effects at ESA based in Noordwijk (Other). The vacancy reference is 1435411933.

Job Requisition ID:20885

Date Posted:9 September 2026

Closing Date:7 October 2026 23:59 CET/CEST

Publication:External Only

Type of Appointment (learn more):Internal Research Fellow

Directorate:Technology, Engineering and Quality

Location

ESTEC, Noordwijk, Netherlands

Our team and mission

The Space Environments and Effects Section supports the development of ESA missions and programmes by investigating the space environments within which they will operate, assessing likely effects and defining mitigation methods. Environments addressed include high-energy radiation from radiation belts; solar particle events and cosmic rays; plasmas encountered in planetary magnetospheres; the solar wind and artificially generated charges and fields on spacecraft; micro-meteoroids and non trackable debris; planetary and lunar dust; and planetary atmospheres. The Section also initiates and manages a wide range of related modelling, software and hardware R&D activities.

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

Field(s) of activity/research for the traineeship

A significant number of ESA missions fly in severe radiation environments that can have various effects on the spacecraft and their payload and instrumentation. Such effects include dose degradation in components, displace damage in solar cells, different types of single event effects in electronics, imaging instrument interference, internal charging and biological effects on astronauts. Detailed analyses of such effects, and possible ways to shield and mitigate against them, are typically conducted by using environmental prediction in combination with Monte Carlo radiation simulation toolkits such as Geant4 and its application, GRAS (Geant4 Radiation Analysis for Space).

ESA is a signatory member of the international Geant4 Collaboration together with CERN and a number of other institutes worldwide and has over the years contributed to a number of space-specific physics models and other software capabilities and applications to allow for accurate estimates of such radiation effects.

The goal of this Research Fellow position is to assess, test and further develop ionising radiation transport and effects analysis models and related software capabilities under the Geant4 and GRAS frameworks, together with the application of such developments to real-life cases of ESA spacecraft and missions. As part of this work in ESA's Space Environments and Effects Section, substantial collaboration with other parts of the Agency and with external partners in the radiation physics domain is expected.

Technical competencies

Knowledge relevant to the field of research

Research/publication record

Ability to conduct research autonomously

Breadth of exposure coming from past and/or current research/activities

Ability to gather and share relevant information

General interest in space and space research

Behavioural competencies

Education

You should have recently completed (within five years), or be close to completion of a PhD in radiation, space physics and/or information technology.

Additional requirements

Experience in key space radiation environments and effects simulation software (Geant4/GRAS), general Monte Carlo techniques and relevant programming languages will be an asset.

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.

During the interview, your motivation, overall professional outlook and career goals will also be explored.

In addition to your CV and your motivation letter, please prepare a research proposal of no more than 5 pages. This proposal should be uploaded to the "additional documents" field of the "application information" section.

Application timeline

This vacancy was first listed on 9 September 2026, 6 days ago.

The application deadline is 7 October 2026, 20 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 15 September 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.