ESO Fellowship Programme Europe 2026/2027

Reach new heights at Europe's leading astronomy organisation

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.

More information about the fellowship programme and ESO's astronomical research activities can be found at .

The ESO Fellowship Programme: ESO-Germany

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 .

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

The ESO Fellowship Programme: ESO-Chile

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.

Science funding

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.

Qualifications

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.