I really enjoy being at ESO because of the diversity of people and activities that I do here.
ESO is a place where astronomers and engineers shape and design the future of our field.
The doors open to me by ESO – I think there’s so many that I’m not even aware of all of them yet.
Each year, several outstanding early-career scientists have the opportunity to further develop
their independent research programmes at the European Southern Observatory.
Fellowships are available both at ESO’s Headquarters in Garching near Munich, Germany
and at ESO’s astronomy centre in Santiago, Chile.
ESO Headquarters is situated in one of the most active research centres in Europe
boasting one of the highest concentrations of astronomers in the world.
High-calibre scientists, instrument experts, and other professionals within easy reach
provide fellows with valuable opportunities for starting collaborations and learning new skills.
ESO programmes helped me in my career as it brought me together with people
that are very relevant for my field and essentially allowed me to start new research programmes.
Being at ESO has helped my career because one of the opportunities that you get at ESO
is exposure to experts in both the science as well as the technical side of things.
The Garching fellowship programme is quite unique in many ways
but mostly because of the environment we have here with the talent, people—hundreds of people— astronomers
one of the biggest campuses in Europe and in the world, and the very, very strong support
that we are bringing to these fellows for the three years they spend here.
So the research setup here is quite rich. It goes from comets, exoplanets
to star formation regions, protoplanetary disks, galaxies, cosmology, high-redshift objects.
It really covers the whole set of topics that we have in astronomy.
So if you are passionate about astronomy, come to ESO. It will definitely change your life.
The ESO fellowship has been a fantastic opportunity for my career.
It’s the first time where I’m truly independent in my research. I’m taking control of what I’m doing on a daily basis.
I enjoy most about my fellowship that I can work in an extremely diverse and international environment
and through my ESO duties I have access to instrumentation and to gaining a deep insight about the instruments and facilities.
So what I really like at ESO is the possibility to be independent and at the same time to collaborate with people with different expertise.
And also the possibility to really see the full scientific process, from the initial idea and how proposals are selected
through the possibility to go to the telescope and see how the sky is observed, until the final publication.
In addition to developing their independent research programmes
ESO Fellows in Germany are expected to engage in so-called functional work for the organisation, for up to 25% of their time.
Although initially perceived as a burden, the functional duties for specific ESO projects prove to be enjoyable
and fulfilling, and have a very positive influence on fellows’ careers.
So the functional work that the fellows are conducting here is a unique opportunity
for them to connect to the ESO projects and to learn new skills.
These will be super important when they go on with their career.
My main part in this functional duty was looking at new algorithms.
As functional work here, I’m going to Paranal three times a year to observe.
That’s a great experience to understand how a telescope is working and how observations are carried out.
During the fellowship, apart from research, I work in the user support department
so I help the users to develop their observing programmes.
I’m working with the new ESO Supernova centre which is a visitor centre and outreach centre that ESO is opening in 2018.
I’m very passionate about outreach.
In addition to the fellowships at ESO’s Headquarters, ESO offers a similar programme in Chile.
The unique aspect of the fellowship in Chile is the opportunity to work so closely with instrumentation and state of the art telescopes.
Being closer to the instruments, you learn how you can get the most out of it.
We are looking for people who are passionate about observatories.
You work for ESO 50% of your time for three years
and then you have a fourth year, that you don’t have in Garching, totally free of duties.
We can plan the duty work in a synergetic way to actually benefit the science and the development of the fellow.
I love the combination of functional duties at the telescope and being able to concentrate on my science here.
The functional part of the work — it can be tough! But it’s incredibly, incredibly rewarding, and incredibly enjoyable.
The people here are really collaborative. I think that the team work is a must, for Paranal specifically.
Usually you get some collaborations where you can discuss science in an informal way
so this environment is very good for science.
We have a small community. Fellows are working together and spend time together.
We exchange information on science and then we have a great time together. That’s the part I enjoy the most.
Regardless of which programme they chose, be it in Chile or Germany
the ESO fellows are fully supported to conduct frontline research.
At the same time, working at ESO equips them with essential practical skills for later in their careers.
I’ve learned how to multitask. I’ve learned how to prioritise.
I’ve learned a lot about instruments that maybe I wouldn’t have used in my own science beforehand, which now I’m thinking about.
And of course both Germany and Chile offer great opportunities to have fun outside of work...
For me one of the great things about working here in Garching is my ability to cycle everywhere.
In my spare time I really, really enjoy travelling.
South America is incredibly accessible from Santiago so I’ve had the opportunity to travel around South America as well.
If you would like to become our next ESO Fellow and fast track your career
apply to our Chile or German programmes and take into account the advice from our current or past fellows.
ESO is a place for curious people, so if you are curious then just come here and explore all the possibilities that there are.
Come to ESO and ask questions. I think I got the most out of ESO by just knocking on doors and speaking to all of the people.
Come, visit, learn about what we do, and do great science because that’s the most important thing here.
Transcribed by ESO; Translated by —