Intern in the Science Engagement and Oversight Office, Coronal Brightenings in Solar Orbiter Data
Noordwijk
- Organization: ESA - European Space Agency
- Location: Noordwijk
- Grade: Internship - Internship
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Occupational Groups:
- Statistics
- Information Technology and Computer Science
- Renewable Energy sector
- Internal audit, Investigation and Inspection
- Scientist and Researcher
- Closing Date: 2025-11-30
Intern in the Science Engagement and Oversight Office, Coronal Brightenings in Solar Orbiter Data
Noordwijk, NL
Location
ESTEC, Noordwijk, Netherlands
Our team and mission
Under the direct authority of D/SCI, the Head of the Science Engagement and Oversight Office is responsible for overseeing the scientific content of the Programme, interfacing with the scientific community and providing scientific expertise to studies, projects and missions, also in other Directorates as needed.
CESAR (Cooperation through Education in Science and Astronomy Research) is a joint educational programme developed by the European Space Agency (ESA), the Spanish National Institute for Aerospace Technology (INTA), and the public company ISDEFE. It is based at ESA’s European Space Astronomy Centre (ESAC) in Villanueva de la Cañada, Madrid, Spain. Its main goal is to provide students and teachers from European schools with hands-on educational materials and resources about Astrophysics and Space Sciences, to be used in the classroom, as well as easy access to ESA’s data archive and to optical and radio telescopes.
Candidates interested are encouraged to visit the ESA website: http://www.esa.int
Field(s) of activity for the internship
Topic of the internship: Impact of small-scale EUV brightenings on the solar atmosphere: insights from high-resolution Solar Orbiter data
For the detailed topic descriptions please go to this web page:
This project will investigate small-scale brightenings in the solar atmosphere using high-resolution EUV observations from the Extreme Ultraviolet Imager (EUI) onboard Solar Orbiter. These transient brightenings, often associated with localized magnetic activity, are thought to play a role in coronal heating and mass transfer to the solar wind. Despite their abundance and significance, many aspects of their statistical properties and magnetic environment remain unexplored.
The selected intern will compile and analyze a diverse set of EUI image sequences and identify brightenings using existing detection techniques or threshold-based methods. Artificial intelligence methods may also be explored to improve or automate the detection process. These detections will be combined with measurements from other instruments onboard Solar Orbiter, such as magnetic field data from the Polarimetric and Helioseismic Imager (PHI), as well as from other observatories, including the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO), the Interface Region Imaging Spectrograph (IRIS), and ground-based observatories. Using this multi-instrument dataset, you will investigate how the occurrence and properties of brightenings vary across regions of the solar disk with different magnetic activity and characteristics.
The project will develop skills in solar physics, handling large datasets, feature detection, multi-wavelength analysis, and statistical interpretation. It may also involve the application or evaluation of AI-based tools for pattern recognition or classification. The outcome is expected to provide new insight into the statistical distribution and characteristics of small-scale energy release events in the solar atmosphere, contributing to ongoing efforts to understand the mechanisms that heat the corona and drive the solar wind.
Behavioural competencies
Result Orientation
Operational Efficiency
Fostering Cooperation
Relationship Management
Continuous Improvement
Forward Thinking
For more information, please refer to ESA Core Behavioural Competencies guidebook
Education
You must be a university student, preferably studying 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.
For this position you should have:
- comfort in working with Python and have experience analyzing scientific or image-based datasets.
- prior exposure to solar physics is helpful but not essential.
- strong analytical thinking and a careful approach to data interpretation and methodology are important.
- an interest in machine learning approaches for feature detection or classification is desirable.
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.
The information published on ESA’s careers website regarding internship 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
Please note that applications are only considered from nationals of one of the following States: Austria, Belgium, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom. Applicants from Canada as a Cooperating State can apply as well as those from Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus and Malta as European Cooperating States (ECS).
Applications from non-qualifying applicants will most likely be discarded by the recruiting manager.