ESA Graduate Trainee in Earth Observation Ocean Science
European Space Agency (ESA)
Intern Internship Close on 28 Feb 2026
Frascati, IT
Location
ESRIN, Frascati, Italy
The Science Section within the Climate Action, Sustainability and Science Department of the Directorate of Earth Observation Programmes is a dynamic R&D team leading EO research and Earth system and climate science activities, in partnership with European and international scientific groups. Visit our web site for an overview of our activities:
https://eo4society.esa.int/communities/scientists/
More specifically, the Trainee will be part of the Earth System Science Hub, a new science laboratory in ESA working as center for networking and scientific collaboration among world-class researchers in Member States (MS) and worldwide. The Hub brings together young and senior scientists of different disciplines in Earth Observation and Earth system Science to work together sharing different expertise and capabilities and undertaking collaborative research in order to promote a community response to the main science challenges of this decade.
The Graduate Trainee work will also be framed in the context of the newly established ADVANCED MEDITERRANEAN OPEN SCIENCE DATA ANALYSIS LAB (MeDAL). MeDAL has been inaugurated on April 7th in the ESRIN Science Hub through the signature of a Memorandum of Intent between the Director of ESA Earth Observation Programmes Simonetta Cheli, and the Director of the Institute of Marine Science of the National Research Council (CNR-ISMAR) of Italy Mario Sprovieri. The main goal of this new initiative is to jointly advance the scientific understanding of the Mediterranean Sea, an area providing numerous vital services to people living along its coasts, but whose health is threatened by an increasing number of pressures including climate change.
You are encouraged to visit the ESA website: http://www.esa.int
Studying the 3D ocean circulation is crucial for understanding how the ocean uptakes and transports tracers like heat, CO2, oxygen, nutrients, etc. The exchanges with the atmosphere, and the pathways between the ocean surface and its interior influence the Earth’s climate from regional to global scales and also play a key role in structuring the marine life. However, unravelling the specific mechanisms regulating these processes is still challenging in oceanography. This is particularly true for the Mediterranean Sea, where the Rossby deformation radius (setting the typical scales of more energetic flow instabilities) only reaches O(~10km), and investigations based on the analysis of data collected from single platforms or through hydrographic surveys limited in space and time are clearly not adequate to address all processes at play.
The main objective of the ESA Graduate Trainee activity will be to develop, test and validate new methods allowing to reconstruct the dynamical state of the Mediterranean Sea at high spatio-temporal resolution by merging innovative high-resolution data from the altimeter SWOT (Surface Water Ocean Topography) mission together with other satellite altimeters and in-situ measurements. The work falls withing the framework of the on-going ESA 4DMED project whose objectives are to exploit the synergy offered by the increasing EO European satellites together with in-situ observations, advanced physical/biogeochemical/ecological models and novel technologies to develop a data-driven, 4D reconstruction of the Mediterranean Sea physical and biogeochemical state. This information is exploited to further improve our understanding of the complex interactions between physical and biological processes at a broad range of temporal and spatial scales and explore options to transfer that knowledge into new solutions for society regarding the monitoring, restoration and preservation of the Mediterranean Sea Health.
The Graduate Trainee will work on enhancing the outcome of the 4DMED project, pursuing two main objectives: the first objective will be to develop and test new data-driven methodologies to reconstruct the 4D dynamics of the Mediterranean Sea at higher spatial and temporal resolution compared to the 4DMED project. To achieve this goal, the candidate will leverage on the unique capabilities of the SWOT altimeter mission, whose interferometric altimeter allows to provide a bi-dimensional image of the ocean dynamic topography at 250m resolution within each swath.
The second objective will be to test and apply existing methodologies (quasi-geostrophic omega equation) for estimating the vertical currents – the 4DMED project focussing on the horizontal components only- at the fine-scales and compare the results with existing products in the Mediterranean Sea. While this has been studied with models and first indirect estimations from in-situ data, there are limited direct ways of measuring vertical currents. Therefore, despite their huge importance in modulating marine biological and biogeochemical processes, there is still no consensus on how strong the vertical currents are, their regional and seasonal patterns at the fine scales, especially in the unique Mediterranean Sea.
The target area to develop and validate the new approaches and products will be the north-western Mediterranean, where a unique in-situ dataset colocalized with high-resolution altimetry measurements has been collected during research campaigns (FastSWOT and BioSWOT) performed in the frame of the calibration and validation phase of the SWOT mission.
Result Orientation
Operational Efficiency
Fostering Cooperation
Relationship Management
Continuous Improvement
Forward Thinking
For more information, please refer to ESA Core Behavioural Competencies guidebook
You should have recently completed or be in the final year of your master’s degree in Physics, Physical Oceanography or Marine Sciences
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. Previous experience of working in international teams can be considered an asset. Your motivation, overall professional perspective and career goals will also be explored during the later stages of the selection process.
Diversity, Equity and Inclusiveness
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, religious beliefs, age, disability or other characteristics.
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 via email at contact.human.resources@esa.int.
Important Information and Disclaimer
During the recruitment process, the Agency may request applicants to undergo selection tests. Additionally, successful candidates will need to undergo basic screening before appointment, which will be conducted by an external background screening service, in compliance with the European Space Agency's security procedures.
The information published on ESA’s careers website regarding working conditions is correct at the time of publication. It is not intended to be exhaustive and may not address all questions you would have.
Nationality and Languages
Please note that applications can only be considered from nationals of one of the following States: Austria, Belgium, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom. Nationals from Latvia, Lithuania and Slovakia as Associate Member States, or Canada as a Cooperating State, can apply as well as those from Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus and Malta 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 be given to external candidates from under-represented Member States*.
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.
*Member States, Associate Members or Cooperating States.
