ESO Summer Research Programme – Project G

European Southern Observatory; Garching bei München; Vor Ort; EUR 40.000 - 60.000; Vollzeit

Zusammenfassung

A leading astronomical research organization in Garching bei München invites university students to apply for its Summer Research Programme. This six-week opportunity from June 15 to July 24, 2026, is ideal for those interested in astrophysics, programming, and data analysis. Selected candidates will work on Project G, exploring the physical conditions of the interstellar medium using neural networks. Accommodation and travel costs will be covered, along with a modest stipend for living expenses.

Leistungen

Accommodation provided

Travel costs offered

Modest stipend for living costs

Qualifikationen

• University students in STEM fields who have completed at least two years of their degree.
• Some knowledge of physics, programming, and data analysis techniques.
• Proficient in both spoken and written English.

Aufgaben

• Explore a neural network-based framework to infer physical conditions of molecular gas.
• Use multi-line observational data for training models.
• Participate in a six-week research program on-site.

Kenntnisse

Knowledge of programming

Data analysis techniques

Knowledge of physics

English proficiency

Ausbildung

University degree in science, technology, engineering or mathematics

Tools

TensorFlow

Python

Jobbeschreibung

Are you interested in working in areas of frontline technology and in a stimulating international environment? Do you feel your profile matches our requirements? Learn more about our current vacancies and apply online.Read more..

The European Organisation for Astronomical Research in the Southern Hemisphere (ESO) is the foremost intergovernmental astronomy organisation in Europe and the world's most productive ground-based astronomical observatory. ESO carries out an ambitious programme focused on the design, construction and operation of powerful ground-based observing facilities enabling astronomers to make important scientific discoveries.

ESO operates three unique world-class observing sites in northern Chile: La Silla, Paranal and Chajnantor (home to ALMA), and the ESO Headquarters are located in Garching, near Munich, Germany.

At Paranal, ESO operates the Very Large Telescope, the world's most advanced visible-light astronomical observatory, and will host and operate the southern array of the Cherenkov Telescope Array, the world's largest and most sensitive high energy gamma-ray observatory. ESO is a major partner in ALMA. On Cerro Armazones, ESO is building the 39-metre Extremely Large Telescope (ELT), which will become "the world's biggest eye on the sky" and whose operations will be fully integrated into the Paranal Observatory.

Within the Directorate for Science at its Headquarters in Garching, near Munich, Germany, ESO is inviting university students to apply to our ESO Summer Research Programme. The ESO Summer Research Programme is an opportunity for university students from science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields who have not yet started a PhD programme and have completed at least two years of their degree.

Your application is welcome if you would like to be considered for Project G: From Molecular Lines to Physical Conditions: Teaching Neural Networks to Read the Interstellar Medium

Applications for the ESO Summer Research Programme will be considered from students taking any astronomy, physical science, computer science or mathematical degree subjects. However, it is expected that students have some knowledge of physics, programming, data analysis techniques and, preferably, astronomy.

Students will be selected for the programme based on their academic achievements, research potential and likelihood to significantly benefit from the experience. Particular attention will be given to the motivation of the students to join the programme and specific motivation for Project G:

Project G: From Molecular Lines to Physical Conditions: Teaching Neural Networks to Read the Interstellar Medium

A major challenge in understanding star formation is determining the physical conditions of the interstellar medium, particularly the dense molecular gas closely associated with active star-forming regions. The most direct method relies on far-infrared dust emission, which is well mixed with the gas and can be modeled to infer temperature and column density. However, far-infrared observations require space-based facilities across infrared wavelengths that are currently not available and typically offer much lower angular resolution compared to modern radio and optical telescopes.

An alternative approach uses molecular line emission in the radio/millimeter regime, accessible with high-resolution observatories such as the IRAM 30m telescope and ALMA. Molecular lines are sensitive to a wide range of physical parameters -- including density, temperature, chemistry, and radiative transfer --- but this sensitivity creates significant complexity, making traditional forward modeling extremely challenging.

The growing availability of machine-learning techniques presents a powerful new way to tackle this problem. In this project, the student will explore a neural network-based framework -- using the tensorflow package in python -- to infer physical conditions of molecular gas from multi-line observational data. The model will be trained using a suite of molecular line data from an IRAM 30m large program (LEGO), combined with Herschel dust observations that provide benchmark physical parameters. Once developed and validated, this approach can be applied across Galactic star-forming regions and extended to high-resolution extragalactic observations from facilities such as ALMA.

Reports to:

Head of the Office for Science Garching

Students must be proficient in both spoken and written English.

Contract:

The duration of the ESO Summer Research Programme is six weeks: 15 June - 24 July 2026.

Participation in the programme will only be possible on-site at ESO in Garching, near Munich.

Travel costs to/from Garching will be offered to students of the programme. Accommodation will also be provided in a shared apartment in Garching (utilities included). Students will also be provided with a modest stipend to cover living costs for the duration of the programme.

Students that require a visa to travel/work in Germany are responsible for fulfilling the necessary requirements for obtaining a visa in good time. Successful applicants are encouraged to start the procedure as soon as they receive the offer of acceptance into the programme (approx. three months before the start of the programme). The ESO Human Resources department will also be able to provide any specifically required documents required for the visa request to the consulate/embassy.

Applicants are invited to apply online at http://jobs.eso.org/. Applications must be completed in English and should include the following material:

• a Motivation Letter containing both motivation for the ESO Summer Research Programme and specifically for this project (max one page). Please state if you also have an interest in one of the other six projects offered within the scope of the ESO Summer Research Programme. A separate application is not required.
• a CV containing details of your highest qualification level / degree to date (for example, BSc or MSc). If you are currently enrolled in a programme which you have not yet finished, please state the university/institute and the start and expected finish dates. Please outline the programming languages you can use (and your level of proficiency), any experience using astronomical software, and any other relevant technical skills. Please also list any workshops, research schools, or conferences that you have attended with the corresponding dates and website if available.
• a Research Plan describing a research project that you have carried out in the past and the skills that you acquired (max. half page). Please include the university/institute where the research was undertaken and the start and end dates of the project. This could be a project as part of your degree programme or another research experience. Please note that if you have no previous experience, this will not negatively affect your application.
• the name and contact details of a Referee who is familiar with your academic or research achievements and can write a recommendation letter on your behalf. Once you enter their details in the online application form, they will automatically receive an invitation to submit the letter. To ensure your referee has enough time to draft and upload their letter before the application deadline, you are strongly encouraged to initiate the invitation well in advance. You have the possibility to partially complete your application, initiate the invitation to your Referee, and finalise preparing your other material at a later point in time before the deadline.

By submitting an application, you verify that:

• the information provided in your application is correct and complete to the best of your knowledge.

Deadline for applications is 31 January 2026.

Interviews are expected to be held in late March 2026, online via MS Teams.

For any enquiries related to the programme contact us via: [e-mail]

ESO Values

An important element in any successful employment relationship is harmony in values between an organisation and its people.

The ESO values are:

ESO strives for excellence through innovation.

ESO provides outstanding services to its communities.

ESO fosters diversity and inclusion.

ESO believes in the key role of sustainability for its future.

Achieving the above are recognized as only possible on the basis of personal values and attitudes that we expect from our employees: respect, integrity, accountability, commitment, collaboration, and clear and open communication.

Applicants to any ESO position or programme are asked to reflect on their affinity with these values and advised they may be asked about them if called for interview.

No nationality is in principle excluded from employment at ESO, however, recruitment preference will be given to nationals of our Member States, host states and strategic partners: Australia, Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and Chile, irrespective of gender, age, disability, sexual orientation, ethnicity or religion.