Intern in the Space Medicine Team

Our team and mission

Based at the European Astronaut Centre (EAC), ESA’s Space Medicine Team (SMT) comprises medical doctors, biomedical engineers, exercise physiologists, psychologists, IT specialists, education coordinators, administrators and project managers. Each plays a vital role in ensuring the health and well-being of astronauts during all stages of a mission.

To better support astronauts during current missions to the International Space Station and prepare for human missions beyond low Earth orbit, the Space Medicine Team is working to identify, evaluate and develop new space technologies and procedures. This process involves collaborating with ESA’s technology teams and Human Research Office to identify existing space-relevant technologies and scientific knowledge, and looking outside of ESA at terrestrial technology developments and the wealth of current science knowledge concerning human health. The Space Medicine Team work in close partnership with national space agencies, industry, research institutions and universities from across ESA’s Member States. In collaboration with other groups and teams within the ESA and the EAC, the SMT run a broad portfolio of training courses for students of all educational levels and young medical professionals.

For information on space medicine internships in addition to the Topics outlined below, please follow https://www.esa.int/About_Us/EAC/Space_Medicine

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

Field(s) of activity/research for the traineeship

1) topic 1: Research, Education & Development Initiative (REDI) seeks to promote readiness for current and future human space missions 

In support of the ESA Space Medicine Team and international space medicine, our Research, Education & Development Initiative (REDI) seeks to promote technical (research and development) and individual (education and training) readiness for current and future human space missions through academic collaboration and educational partnerships.

As part of this initiative, we offer internships to students of medicine, biomedical sciences (including exercise science) or biomedical engineering and – where appropriate – those with specific expertise in analytics/programming or education/outreach.
Our internship projects may involve the collection and/or the analysis of medical/research data (in collaboration with partners), performance of targeted systematic literature reviews, elements of medical hardware evaluation/development, database management, the generation of analytical models/simulations and/or knowledge dissemination.

Our internships are within the following domains:

• identification and evaluation of medical risks (incl. radiation) associated with Low Earth Orbit and Deep Space vehicles/habitats;
• optimisation of in-flight exercise countermeasures (for ISS and Exploration);
• evaluation and optimisation of non-exercise management of astronaut health;
• identification, development, validation and implementation of medical technologies and strategies to mitigate medical risks associated with spaceflight;
• optimisation of post-flight rehabilitation strategies;
• evaluation of the suitability and applicability of ground-based analogues of micro- and hypogravity;
• identification and evaluation of medical risks and requirements associated with hypogravity (lunar) operations;
• development, delivery and accreditation of international space medicine education/training.

2) topic 2: Simulation of a Medical System for Future Human Exploration Missions:

Creation of a ground-based analogue (simulator) of a medical system for future human exploration missions. The simulator will make use of real medical hardware and software (and simulated medical data generators), environmental sensors, and real and simulated medical consumables, to support the development of a mass, volume, and function-optimised system. In turn, this simulated system will be used to develop, rehearse, and optimise, procedures and processes for nominal and off-nominal (emergency) in-flight medical scenarios that are anticipated to occur during future exploration missions.

Behavioural competencies

Result Orientation
Operational Efficiency
Fostering Cooperation
Relationship Management
Continuous Improvement
Forward Thinking

Education

You must be enrolled at university for the entire duration of the internship. You should preferably be in your final or second to last year of a University course at master's level in a technical or scientific discipline.

Additional requirements

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.

Knowledge and background in space / life sciences is an asset.

The topics listed in section 2 above respectively require such educational knowledge as:
 

Topic 1
In order to optimise productivity and applicability, we encourage the use of a range of open-source tools.

Please highlight in your application if you have expertise/experience in the use of:

• Rayyan or other software: for systematic reviews. 
• Mendeley: for Citation management.
• Python, MatLab, or R: for data/statistical analysis/machine learning. 
• OpenSim/Anybody: for biomechanical simulation.

In addition, please highlight any experience in database management, programming or physiological data capture/analysis, systematic literature reviews, support of physiology experiments or educational/outreach delivery/development.

Topic 2
Human physiology and/or space physiology; basic medical monitoring and diagnostics utilizing medical technologies. Knowledge and background in German is an asset.