About this job

ESA is looking for a Internal Research Fellow (PostDoc) for Earth Observation Innovative Digital Technologies.

Our team and mission
You will be based at the Φ-lab at ESRIN, whose mission is to speed up development in Earth observation (EO), by helping ESA and European industry and start-up and research communities to rapidly adopt transformative technologies.
You will be part of a multi-disciplinary team of researchers and data scientists passionate about innovation, and will work in an inspiring, collaborative open-space environment. Φ-lab is currently focused on innovative Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Quantum Computing (QC) activities which have promise in terms of delivering visible impact on the Earth observation sector.
You can find more information about Φ-lab and research and innovation here : https://esamultimedia.esa.int/docs/EarthObservation/phi_lab_explore_research_innovation_2020.pdf Interested candidates are encouraged to visit the ESA website: www.esa.int

Responsibilities

Field(s) of activities/research/learning areas
You will carry out applied research in Artificial Intelligence (AI) and/or Quantum Computing with particular emphasis on developing new methods applicable to Earth observation.
Your specific area of research will be chosen partly by you, based on your expertise, and partly by the Φ-lab team so as to follow the Agency’s strategic directions. In addition to your main research activity, you will have the possibility to contribute to the general activities of the Φ-lab related to events, support procurement activities involving industry and research centres, and in general support Φ-lab activities in the community related to your expertise. In particular, you will:

• perform the agreed applied research, contributing to the Φ-lab current AI4EO and QC4EO use cases (e.g. multi-sensor data fusion, edge computing, automatic change detection, transfer learning, mining of hyperspectral data, data mining, quantum machine learning);
• support the team in rapidly prototyping and evaluating solutions for application to EO data sets and challenges, particularly those relevant to ESA EO missions;
• adapt existing algorithms and tools to take account of the specific characteristics of EO data sets and physical measurement principles, and apply them to EO data applications;
• prepare, validate and maintain large-scale, training data sets, to be used for development and evaluation of AI algorithms by international research and industrial communities;
• contribute to the development of an interactive environment for rapid prototyping and testing of new ideas;
• organise and lead AI4EO or QC4EO challenges on proposed topics;
• collaborate with academia and industrial partners on transferring research results to applications;
• publish in peer-reviewed top-ranked literature;
• promote/share your results and tools through new digital tools, including social media and Jupyter Notebook;
• perform and participate in assessments on subjects of strategic interest to ESA.

Profile

Technical competencies
Breadth of exposure coming from past and/or current research/activities
Knowledge relevant to the field of research
Research/publication record
Ability to conduct research autonomously
General interest in space and space research

Education
You should have obtained: A degree in AI, computer science, mathematics or a relevant engineering discipline, andA PhD (completed before take-up of duties) with the subject of your thesis relevant to the description of the tasks outlined above.

Additional requirements
You should also have: Proven interest in AI, EO, QC and New Space
An adequate network within the reference community
Proven experience of leading research with international recognition
Experience with one or more general purpose programming languages e.g. Python, and with general purpose deep learning frameworks e.g. Tensorflow, PyTorch 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.

For a complete job description and to apply, click on “apply”.

The closing date for applications is 15 March 2021.

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 at contact.human.resources@esa.int. —————————————————————————————————————————————————– Please note that applications are only considered from nationals of one of the following States: Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and Canada and Slovenia. 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 first be given to internal candidates and secondly to external candidates from under-represented Member States. (http://esamultimedia.esa.int/docs/careers/NationalityTargets.pdf)

We offer
The European Space Agency (ESA) is an equal opportunities employer that offers competitive salaries exempt from national income tax and excellent employment conditions, such as allowances for expatriates and relocation support. For more information: http://www.esa.int/About_Us/Careers_at_ESA

About us
We are the European Space Agency. Our mission is the peaceful exploration and use of space for the benefit of everyone. We watch over the Earth, develop and launch inspiring and unique space projects, train astronauts and push the boundaries of science and technology, seeking answers to the big questions about the Universe. We are a family of scientists, engineers and business professionals from all over Europe working together in a diverse and multinational environment. We are dedicated to united space in Europe and united Europe in space. Learn more: http://www.esa.int/