Researcher (FDL Europe)

We are looking for AI/ML specialists, scientists, and software engineers who are interested in participating in interdisciplinary applied research this summer. The research is a paid engagement that runs during the academic summer break, from mid-June to mid-August, and publishable research is an explicit outcome.

FDL Europe tackles the use of artificial intelligence and machine learning techniques to solve problems in the fields of space exploration, astronaut health, Earth science, climate change and resilience, disaster response, planetary defense and planetary science. FDL Europe is a public-private partnership between the European Space Agency (ESA), the University of Oxford and Trillium Technologies, in partnership with private industry and academia.   FDL has successfully demonstrated that structured interdisciplinary problem solving, sprint methodologies, radical collaboration methods and partnering with commercial organisations is a powerful amplifier in which the latest tools and techniques in AI and Machine Learning (ML) are applied to science and technology research priorities of ESA.  

FDL Europe ensures that AI outcomes are fine-tuned to tackle valid open science and engineering problems by building interdisciplinary four-person teams with a faculty of domain and ML experts able to address tightly defined science challenges which are informed by both deep domain (subject) knowledge and a cutting-edge understanding of what’s possible in ML.

Key details: 

  • A program for PhD and postdoc level researchers.

  • Researchers receive a stipend to support their participation.

  • Runs for eight weeks and starts from mid-June to mid-August 2024.

  • Research often leads to published work (such as Science Advances and ApJ) and outputs are shared at AGU, NeurIPS, AAAI, NASA conferences - as well as partner events like Google Cloud’s NEXT and Nvidia’s GTC.

  • Teams engage in cutting-edge research and deployment programs in AI, space and climate science and medicine.

  • Teams work closely with experts in the problem domain and experts in ML.

  • Teams meet and work with experts from our partners at NASA, ESA, Google, Intel, Nvidia, Planet, D-Orbit, Oxford University, SCAN, Berkeley Lab and many others.

  • Please find an overview of FDL Europe 2023’s achievements here.

The application deadline is March 29th, 2024. We strongly encourage you to apply as soon as possible as we interview on an ongoing basis.

Embark on an intellectual journey with FDL-X, where the drive of innovation meets academic excellence and a vibrant community.

To apply, simply click on the "Learn more here" button to be directed to the website. You can also click on the "Apply now" button below and fill out the application form.