The European Southern Observatory (ESO) invites applications for the ESO Fellowship Programme 2026/2027. The Programme is designed to help early career scientists to develop their independent research programmes and successfully reach the next step of their scientific careers by:
- Developing their scientific profiles benefiting from a rich and structured scientific environment where they can interact with more senior scientists.
- Becoming mature and independent researchers who will develop their own research projects and contribute effectively to collaborative scientific endeavours.
- Getting prepared to take on higher scientific, technical or supervisory/managerial responsibilities in future positions.
- Developing their understanding of instrumental and observational techniques through supporting observatory operations to improve their scientific understanding and prepare for a future career in observational astronomy.
Fellowships are available both at ESO's Headquarters in Garching near Munich, Germany, and at ESO's astronomy centre in Santiago, Chile. 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, organising seminars, writing competitive grant and telescope proposals, among other activities.
More information about the fellowship programme and ESO's astronomical research activities can be found at http://eso.org/sci/activities/fellowships-and-studentships/FeSt-overview/fellowship_programme.html.
The ESO Headquarters is situated in Garching near Munich, within the campus of the Technical University of Munich (TUM) and several Max-Planck institutes, all together forming an active research centre that boasts one of the highest concentrations of astronomers in Europe. High-calibre scientists, instrument experts, and other professionals are all within easy reach, providing fellows with valuable opportunities to start collaborations and learn new skills. On the Garching campus, ESO also participates in the ORIGINS Cluster, which gathers nearly 200 scientists, and the IMPRS Programme for PhD students. For a list of current ESO staff and fellows, and their research interests please see the ESO scientist page in Garching http://www.eso.org/sci/activities/garching/personnel.html.
ESO Fellowship positions in Garching are of three years duration. In addition to developing their independent research programmes, ESO-Garching Fellows are expected to engage in functional work for 25% of their time. During this fraction of time, fellows are trained in crucial areas of high-level technology and/or actively participate and contribute to ESO projects, which they select from activities proposed by different departments. Details on the nature of the projects can be found here https://www.eso.org/sci/activities/fellowships-and-studentships/FeSt-overview/fellowship_programme/Fellows_and_ESO_Projects.html
The ESO Vitacura Office, in Santiago, is where ESO Fellows have the possibility to interact with Instrument and System Scientists, and Science Operations Managers from Paranal, ALMA, and La Silla. There is also a continuous flow of visiting astronomers and observers that allows stimulating scientific interactions with the international community. ESO Chile is an excellent place to increase collaborations with the Chilean astronomical community, with Santiago being host to a large number of ever-growing astronomy departments. This is in addition to the astronomy communities at other international observatories located in the country. The Joint ALMA Observatory is also located on ESO's Vitacura campus, further enhancing the scientific environment available to ESO Chile Fellows. For a list of current ESO-Chile astronomers and their research interests, please see the ESO scientist page in Chile. http://www.eso.org/sci/activities/santiago/personnel.html
ESO Fellowships in Chile are granted for four years. During the first three years, the Fellows are assigned duties within one of the Science Operation groups of Paranal or ALMA, where they contribute to observatory operations at a level of 80 nights per year, corresponding to 50% of their working time. Fellows with duties at ALMA will have opportunities to participate in ALMA operations at both the Joint Alma Observatory in Santiago and at the Operations Support Facility near San Pedro de Atacama, including observing at the telescope, data processing and analysis, software testing, serving as technical experts in the ALMA proposal review process, and developing new capabilities for the array. Visits to and duties at the ESO ALMA Regional Center at the ESO Headquarters in Munich are also possible. At Paranal, Fellows act as support astronomers, executing service-mode observations or helping visiting astronomers to achieve their scientific goals. They are also expected to join an Instrument Operations Team. In the role of Instrument Fellow, they gain an in-depth knowledge of various aspects of a given instrument such as engineering and technological characteristics, specific operational aspects, and data quality. In these environments, ESO-Chile Fellows can develop useful skills in project management, team coordination, and communication in a multi-disciplinary environment. Exploiting this unique mix of technical knowledge and their close contact with the science carried out at the Observatories, ESO-Chile Fellows can build a solid research programme that can boost their future career. The ideal candidate should demonstrate comprehension of general science cases outside the candidate's field of research, have good communication skills, should work independently, have time management skills, and should be willing to take personal responsibility for their work.
ESO-Chile Fellows may choose to spend the fourth year at any astronomy/astrophysics institute in an ESO member state or ESO's strategic partner, Australia. The Fellow may also be hosted by a Chilean institution where they will be eligible to apply for telescope time through competition for Chilean observing time. There is also the possibility to spend the fourth year at ESO either in Santiago or Garching. There are no functional duties during the fourth year. However, in the case that the year is spent at ESO Chile, Fellows can request to carry out functional work for up to 25% of their time (equivalent for 40 nights of observing).
At both ESO Chile and ESO Germany there exists an 'Office for Science' that oversees astronomy and astrophysics research activities within the organisation. The Office for Science provides funding for attending international conferences and workshops, together with science visits to other institutes during the fellowship. There is also the possibility to co-supervise students while at ESO, from short-term interns to PhD students. Fellows have the opportunity to organise international conferences using funds provided by ESO. Fellows can also apply for additional, limited research funds through an internal, competitive process.
The programme is 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 are welcome to apply. Observational, theoretical and computational astrophysics are all areas where ESO Fellows can benefit from one of the most vibrant and stimulating scientific settings anywhere in the world.
We offer an attractive remuneration package including a competitive salary and allowances, comprehensive social benefits, and we provide financial support for relocating families. Details of the Terms of Service for ESO Fellows including details of remuneration are available at: ESO's conditions of employment https://www.eso.org/public/jobs/conditions/fellows/.
If you are interested in enhancing your early career through an ESO Fellowship at the most advanced ground-based observatory in the world, then please apply by completing the web application form available at https://recruitment.eso.org.
Candidates are asked to include the following material as part of their application:
The application form consists of three documents:
- The Motivation letter form
- The Research plan form, with all the relevant parts completed.
- The Academic and Research track record form, with all the relevant parts completed
All documents should be uploaded in pdf format to related vacancy at the ESO recruitment portal https://recruitment.eso.org. All three forms are available as Word, LibreOffice and Latex templates and can be downloaded at https://www.eso.org/sci/activities/fellowships-and-studentships/FeSt-overview/fellowship_programme/application_guidelines.html.
The names and contact details of three people familiar with your scientific work and willing to provide a recommendation letter.
- For the ESO Chile Fellowship Programme, Referees will be automatically invited to submit a recommendation letter by the application deadline. Applicants are strongly advised to trigger these invitations (using the web application form) well in advance of the application deadline, October 15.
- For the ESO Europe Fellowship Programme, referees will be invited to submit recommendation letters only for candidates who advance to the second stage of the selection process. Applicants who are successful in the first stage are strongly encouraged to notify their referees to begin preparing the letters as soon as they receive confirmation of their progression. The deadline for submitting the reference letters is December 10.
The ESO Europe and Chile Fellowship Programmes have a common submission deadline:
15 October 2026 midnight Garching time: closing date for applications (including reference letters). Incomplete or late applications will not be considered.
The schedule of the recruitment process will follow a slightly different format and timeline in Europe and Chile due to the differences of the selection process.
Europe Fellowship Selection timeline
- Second half of November 2026: Candidates who pass the first stage of the selection will be contacted, and their referees will be asked to submit reference letters. Unsuccessful applicants will also be notified.
- 18-22 December 2026: shortlisted candidates will be contacted for the interview. Unsuccessful applicants are also notified.
- 12-22 January 2027 interview week: Candidates will first be invited to give an online science talk, followed by a video interview at a later stage.
- End of January 2027: offers are sent by the Chair of the Fellowship Selection Committee to the top-ranked candidates.
- 15 February 2027: deadline for offer acceptance. After acceptance of all offers, candidates on the waiting list and unsuccessful applicants are also notified.
Chile Fellowship Selection timeline
- October - November 2026: review of the applications.
- December 2026: shortlisted candidates are invited to a video interview in January.
- Early January 2027 interview week: Candidates are video interviewed.
- End of January 2027: offers are sent by the Chair of the Fellowship Selection Committee to the top-ranked candidates
- 15 February 2027: deadline for offer acceptance. After acceptance of all offers, candidates on the waiting list and unsuccessful applicants are also notified.
Please find at the following link contact details for questions related to the ESO Fellowship Programme: eso.org/fellowships.
Additional useful information, including sample salary estimates based on postdoc experience and personal circumstances (such as nationality, marital status, and number of children), can be found in the FAQ.
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 & 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 & open communication. Applicants to any ESO role are asked to reflect on their affinity with these values and advised they may be asked about them if called for interview.
ESO has established diversity as an important value of the Organisation, is committed to providing an equal opportunities environment and is actively seeking to promote a diverse, equitable and inclusive workforce. Please visit https://www.eso.org/public/about-eso/sustainability/dei-at-eso/ for further details.
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.
