The European Southern Observatory (ESO) invites applications for the ESO Fellowship Programme 2026/2027. The Programme is designed to help early career scientists develop their independent research programmes and reach the next step of their scientific careers by: developing their scientific profiles in a rich and structured scientific environment alongside more senior scientists; becoming mature and independent researchers who develop their own research projects and contribute to collaborative scientific endeavours; preparing to take on higher scientific, technical or supervisory/managerial responsibilities; and developing their understanding of instrumental and observational techniques through supporting observatory operations. ESO Fellows are expected to actively participate in ESO's scientific life by proposing and contributing to the organisation of scientific workshops, co-supervising PhD students, coordinating thematic research groups, joining scientific committees, and organising seminars.
The ESO Vitacura Office in Santiago is where ESO Fellows interact with Instrument and System Scientists and Science Operations Managers from Paranal, ALMA and La Silla, with a continuous flow of visiting astronomers. ESO Chile is an excellent place to build collaborations with the Chilean astronomical community and with other international observatories in the country. Fellowships in Chile are granted for four years. During the first three years, Fellows are assigned duties within one of the Science Operation groups of Paranal or ALMA, contributing to observatory operations at a level of 80 nights per year (50% of working time). ALMA duties may include observing at the telescope, data processing and analysis, software testing, serving as technical experts in the ALMA proposal review process, and developing new array capabilities. At Paranal, Fellows act as support astronomers executing service-mode observations or assisting visiting astronomers, and join an Instrument Operations Team. Fellows may spend the fourth year at any astronomy/astrophysics institute in an ESO member state, in Australia, at a Chilean institution, or at ESO; there are no functional duties in the fourth year.
Qualifications: open to applicants who will have obtained their PhD in astronomy, physics or a related discipline before 1 November 2027. Early-career scientists from all astrophysical fields — observational, theoretical and computational — are welcome. The ideal candidate should demonstrate comprehension of general science cases outside their own field of research, have good communication and time management skills, work independently, and take personal responsibility for their work.
Remuneration: an attractive package including a competitive salary and allowances, comprehensive social benefits, and financial support for relocating families. The Office for Science provides funding for attending international conferences and workshops and for science visits to other institutes during the fellowship.
Closing date: 15/10/2026
HOW TO APPLY:
Apply online by completing the web application form available at https://recruitment.eso.org. The application consists of three documents: the Motivation letter form, the Research plan form, and the Academic and Research track record form, all uploaded in PDF format to the related vacancy at the ESO recruitment portal. Templates (Word, LibreOffice, Latex) are available at https://www.eso.org/sci/activities/fellowships-and-studentships/FeSt-overview/fellowship_programme/application_guidelines.html. Applicants must also provide names and contact details of three people familiar with their scientific work and willing to provide a recommendation letter; for the Chile Fellowship Programme referees are automatically invited to submit letters by the application deadline of 15 October 2026 (midnight Chilean time). Incomplete or late applications will not be considered.
https://recruitment.eso.org/jobs/2026_0052