Call for Proposals: Living Planet Fellowship
Section
The Living Planet Fellowship supports the new generation of scientists in ESA Member States to undertake cutting-edge research in Earth Observation and Earth System and Climate Science, maximise the scientific impact of ESA missions and European EO capacity and respond to the main challenges of the new ESA Earth Observation science strategy: Earth Science in Action for Tomorrow’s World.
This call is motivated by the urgent need to foster the new generation of scientists to develop advanced science-based solutions that respond to the major challenges that society is facing in the onset of this century. This call includes also the following important additional opportunities:
- Support for small ground-based experiments and in-situ data collection,
- A visiting scientist scheme to join the ESA Earth System Science Hub.
- A visiting scientist scheme to collaborate with another Institute/Laboratory
- Access to cloud computing resources and digital platform services
Objectives
- The main objective of the Living Planet Fellowship is to support young scientists, at post-doctoral level, to undertake cutting-edge research in Earth Observation, Earth System Science or Climate Research, maximising the scientific return of ESA and European EO missions and datasets through the development of novel EO methods, techniques and products, and by delivering excellent scientific results addressing the key science questions in the ESA EO Science Strategy, enabling improved predictions of the physical interaction of society with the Earth system.
Aims
- The Living Planet Fellowship aims to achieve this objective by:
- Enabling leading edge research to be undertaken by the new generation of scientists with focus on major scientific challenges and knowledge gaps in Earth system science that may contribute to respond to the urgent societal needs underpinning the European and global environmental and development agendas.
- Maximising the scientific impact of the unique and unexplored opportunities offered by the increasing European space-based observing capacity (Sentinels, Earth Explorers, meteorological missions, national and commercial missions) complemented with 3rd party mission data, existing long-term EO-based data records (e.g., ESA heritage mission data, CCI ECVs), in-situ data and citizen observations.
- Promoting an open science approach where sharing data, results and knowledge is at the core of the scientific value chain.
- Capitalizing on novel and emerging technologies, incorporating platform technologies, advances in ICT, data intensive science or Artificial Intelligence as an amplifier and accelerator of science.
Research Areas
- Host Organisations’ Candidates shall propose a 2-year research plan contributing to at least one of the following areas:
- Advancing Novel Methods and Techniques: Targeted research projects aimed at developing innovative methods, novel algorithms and new EO products and datasets expanding the scientific use of the Sentinel missions, the Earth Explorers or the ESA long-term data archives into new scientific areas and application domains. Activities shall establish a solid basis to expand the missions’ product portfolio and stimulate novel science results and innovative applications.
- Advancing Earth System Science: Cutting-edge scientific activities aimed at maximizing the scientific impact of ESA and European missions in terms of new discoveries and advances in Earth system science addressing the challenges of the ESA EO Science Strategy. Projects shall contribute to answer major open questions in Earth system science, address global scientific challenges and community priorities posed by international Earth System Science communities and international science groups (e.g., WCRP, SOLAS, AIMES, iLEAPS, GCP, etc…).
- Advancing Data-driven Earth System Simulations and Predictability Science: Scientific activities aiming at advancing the state-of-the-art in data-driven Earth system simulations and predictability science bringing together EO data, advanced models and AI and ML techniques (e.g., foundation models) to deliver a quantum leap in their capacity to simulate and predict the dynamic evolution of the Earth system with special focus on exploring the potential of AI and hybrid approaches to overcome the fundamental limitations in current modelling approaches to characterise different components of the Earth system with especial focus on extremes events, their drivers and impacts.
- Activities in Support of the Sentinel User Preparation Programme: Scientific research aimed at preparation of European entities to exploit the opportunities offered by the future Copernicus Sentinel Expansion and Next Generation missions. In particular, projects shall contribute to the development of the scientific basis for novel methods, algorithms and products beyond core mission objectives and goals with a focus on exploring the scientific opportunities offered by the huge synergistic potential across missions in all domains of Earth system science.
Funding Information
- With this call ESA plans to support a new set of research post-doctoral positions to be co-funded by ESA with a maximum overall price of 200KEuro.
Eligibility Criteria
- Candidate Eligibility:
- Candidates must have received a Ph.D. research degree in Earth science, physics, engineering, Earth observation or a related discipline after the 1st January 2018. Scientists that obtained the PhD before this date may be exceptionally admitted to this programme if, at the time of the proposal’s submission, they have completed less than 8 year’s research experience after the award of the PhD (i.e. including any research career breaks). For such an exception to be accepted a detailed explanation for the research career break shall be provided as an appended letter from the host institution. Career breaks for family or health circumstances (if duly justified) are both acceptable reasons.
- Candidates must have a nationality from an ESA Member and Associated State participating to the FutureEO 1 Segment 3 (2025-2027) Programme.
- Host Organisation:
- The initiative will be implemented through 2-year contracts placed with selected Host Organisations (e.g., university, technical centre, laboratory, company) from ESA Member and Associated State participating to FutureEO-1 Segment 3 (2025-2027) Programme.
- The Host Organisations shall co-fund the research position of the Candidate (as a standard post-doctoral research contract) for the entire duration of the project. Co-funding shall cover a minimum of 30% of the overall cost of the post-doctoral activity and may include cost associated to overheads, travel support, cost of publications, contributions in kind, data and part of the candidate salary and emoluments, if needed (purchase of computers, equipment, software or any other material beyond data cannot be included in the costs).
- The Host Organisation shall confirm (via the required letter of support) the availability of the Candidate and the possibility of the Host Organisation administration to initiate the project within the 1st quarter 2026.
- Only one Candidate will be selected for any single organisation (understood as a Faculty or Institute inside large research institutions or universities) to maximise the geographical distribution and avoid a concentration of candidates in the same centre.
- Selected candidates will be the Principal Investigators of the research project, while a representative of the Host Organisation (e.g. a full professor, faculty member or a member of the scientific staff of the Host Organisation) shall serve as the principal ESA contact for administrative and contractual matters.
- Selected candidates will work full-time on the research projects proposed in their applications and will be based at the proposed Host Organisation during the entire period of the research contract, except for the optional research periods in an ESA centre or temporal visits to other research laboratory.
Application Requirements
- Applicants must submit online (by the specified deadline) via the LimeSurvey link below, their research proposals including the following documents:
- The research proposal;
- A letter of support from the Host Organisation supporting the candidate and his/her project proposal;
- Two additional letters of support from senior scientists in the relevant field, supporting the candidate and the scientific proposal;
- A CV of the candidate including a list of publications.