Internal Research Fellow

Internal Research Fellow (PostDoc) in AI applied to hyperspectral CHIME mission

**Job Requisition ID**:19813

**Date Posted**:30 September 2025

**Closing Date**:21 October 2025 23:59 CET/CEST

**Publication**:External Only

**Type of Contract**:Internal Research Fellow

**Directorate**:Earth Observation Programmes

**Workplace**:Frascati, IT

**Grade Band**:F2 - F2

**Location**
ESRIN, Frascati, Italy

**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 and in particular with the Copernicus Hyperspectral Imaging Mission for the Environment (CHIME) project and Mission Science team.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 acting as a catalyst for disruptive/transformative innovation in the sector.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;
- the freedom and focus you need to conduct creative research while making an impact on 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.-
**Field(s) of activity/research for the traineeship**
- fuse CHIME hyperspectral data with Sentinel-2’s (or other satellites’) multispectral imagery to enhance spatial and temporal resolution for precision agriculture, land degradation monitoring or water quality assessment;
- further develop onboard AI models capable of real-time anomaly detection directly on the satellite, expanding the mission scope while reducing latency and data transmission needs (a first proof of concept related to anomaly detection at sea already exists);
- implement explainable AI and uncertainty-aware models to ensure transparency and trust in hyperspectral-based decision-making for environmental policy and resource management;
- explore the potential of night-time hyperspectral imagery to enable 24/7 environmental monitoring and early warning systems.
- What would be the challenge you would like to address (not necessarily from the above examples)?
- Which would be the primary disruptive technology you plan to use?
- Please describe your proposed solution (e.g. AI architectures, etc.).
- Please describe your personal interest in tackling environmental sustainability challenges and describe why your proposal is important to society.
.In particular, you will:
- undertake advanced research activities exploring and expanding the use of disruptive and transformative innovation such as AI, ML, quantum computing and edge computing to develop new frameworks and solutions. Research may cover a wide range of innovative topics:

- exploration of innovative methodologies and technologies;
- development of novel methods, new technology implementations, (e.g. ML models) and/or high-level products;
- support the definition and implementation of rapid prototyping activities, research sprints and open challenges of innovative EO solutions addressing upcoming lab activities and wider strategy;
- engage with the innovation ecosystem to promote the uptake of new techniques and capture the latest developments in EO and disruptive/transformative innovation;
- publish the research project outcomes in high-impact journals;
- drive collaboration within the Φ-lab community and ESA internal teams to promote the uptake of these new techniques and solutions;
- contribute to the Φ-lab strategy, activities and outreach on disruptive technologies for EO;
- maintain a continuous dialogue with the scientific community, including major international programmes and initiatives in the field;
- support the Φ-lab’s daily activities and research network of ESA Graduate Trainees, National Trainees, Interns and Visiting Researchers, as applicable;
- interact and collocate with the CHIME Project and Mission Science team located at ESTEC (Noordwijk, Netherlands) to align the development of AI-driven methodologies and algorithms with the CHIME mission.

**Technical competencies**
Knowledge relevant to the field of researchResearch/publication recordAbility to conduct research autonomouslyBreadth of exposure coming from past and/or current research/activitiesAbility to gather and share relevant informationGeneral interest in space and space research**Behavioural competencies**
Result Orientation
Operational Efficiency
Fostering Cooperation
Relationship Management
Continuous Improvement
Forward ThinkingFor more information, please refer to ESA Core Behavioural Competencies guidebook**Education**-
**Additional requirements**-
You should have:
- Sound knowledge of themes of interest, such as EO, AI, ML, quantum comp