Our team and mission

Reporting to the Head of the Explore Office in the ESA Φ-lab, you will work in close cooperation with other staff in the Directorate of Earth Observation Programmes.

You will be part of the ESA Φ-lab. Our mission is to accelerate the future of Earth Observation (EO) by embracing disruptive innovation and be the catalyst for disruptive/transformative innovation in the sector.

Our vision is to become an “EO innovation hub” connecting EO with a growing ecosystem of disruptive and transformative innovation like AI, ML, Quantum Computing, Edge Computing, Metamaterials, Photonics, etc.. Many of the challenges posed by new technologies still need to be tackled at scientific, application and capability levels to deliver the maximum value from satellite-derived EO assets for our climate, society, and economy. The Φ-lab will bring together early career and senior researchers from a variety of disciplines across EO and disruptive/transformative innovation to contribute developing innovative EO solutions.

We offer:

• a stimulating multinational, interdisciplinary and open work environment;
• access to high-performance computing infrastructure and unparalleled EO and technology expertise;
• a unique opportunity to work on innovative solutions to address global challenges;
• freedom and focus to conduct creative research while making an impact in relation to ESA’s strategy;
• a wide network of relationships and collaboration with top academia, industry and research centres;
• the opportunity to contribute to the Φ-lab strategy and activities.

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

Field(s) of activity for the internship

Topic of the internship: Artificial Intelligence for Earth Observation

Artificial Intelligence is increasingly transforming Earth Observation (EO) by enabling the extraction of actionable insights from vast and complex datasets. ESA’s Φ-lab is at the forefront of this transformation through its active exploration of cutting-edge AI4EO technologies — spanning application-specific AI models, generative models, foundation models, and autonomous AI agents — with applications ranging from ground-based analytics to onboard satellite payload data processing (i.e., edge computing). 

As part of this internship, you will actively engage with Φ-lab researchers, staff, and Visiting Researchers and support a set of Φ-lab AI4EO research activities related to Foundation Models 4 Earth Observation and Edge computing in Space.  
You’ll gain hands-on experience across the full AI development cycle: from EO data preparation and model training to benchmarking, and deployment of edge AI computing models into edge computing devices.

Tasks may include:

• preparing EO datasets for AI pipelines;
• training models and analysing performance;
• running inference on edge computing devices;
• benchmarking AI models;
• supporting model design and optimisation.

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.

The following elements are considered an asset:

• background in computer science, data-science, Artificial Intelligence, Remote Sensing or embedded systems;
• knowledge in AI4EO, Foundation Models, or edge computing;
• previous experience with AI models training and inference.