Eligibility and Selection Criteria

The ESO Summer Research Programme is an opportunity for university students from STEM fields who have not yet started a PhD programme and have completed at least two years of their degree by June 30th 2025. Even thought the programme is open to students of any nationality, the final selection for the programme will give priority to students who have a nationality of an ESO member state, Chile or Australia (the country of the student's institute/university is not considered for eligibility). Students must be proficient in both spoken and written English (the working language of the programme).  Students must be able to attend the full six week duration of the research programme. 

We will consider applications from students taking any astronomy, physical science, computer science or maths degree subjects. However, we expect the students to have some knowledge of physics, programming, data analysis techniques and, preferably, astronomy.

Students will be chosen for the program based on their academic accomplishments, research potential, and the likelihood of deriving significant benefits from the experience. Special consideration will be given to the students' motivation to participate in the program and the specific project they have applied for. Applicants are permitted to apply for only one project, with no exceptions. However, they may indicate interest in a second project in their motivation letter. Students will be assigned to one of the two research projects they have expressed interest in during the application process.

Students that need a visa to travel/work in Germany are responsible for obtaining the visa.

Successful applicants are warmly encouraged to start the procedure as soon as they receive the offer to attend the programme (i.e., ~three months before the start of the programme). The ESO Human Resources department will be able to provide them with any documents specifically required for the consulate/embassy visa request.

For any enquiries related to eligibility please contact us on: summerresearch@eso.org.

Important Dates

Applications open: 12 December 2024
Application deadline: 30 January 2025
Announcement of results, request for interview: late March 2025
Deadline for accepting offers: mid April 2025
The Summer Research Programme 2025: 30 June - 08 August 2025