The mission of the ESSC is to give European space scientists an independent voice in the space arena. The ESSC provides unbiased, expert advice to the European Space Agency (ESA), the European Commission, EU national space agencies, and other decision-makers in the space domain. Since its inception in 1974, it has established itself as the reference body in Europe for independent scientific advice on space science matters and a focal point for international research collaboration.
To carry out its mission and represent the scientific community, ESSC is composed of specialist panels dedicated to the different domains of space sciences. The Astronomy and Fundamental Physics (AFP) panel focusses on space sciences beyond the Solar system.
The AFP panel is looking for a new member to enlarge the current expertise of the panel. The current expertise includes planet formation & evolution; interstellar medium & star formation; stellar structure and evolution, gravitational waves; astrometry, as well as high energy astrophysics. We are searching for expertise in cosmology, extragalactic astrophysics, or any other field complementing the expertise of the current panel members.
The selection process will take into consideration the panel diversity, equity and inclusion, as well as the balance in experience (junior/senior members), and the European geographical/national representation.
As an AFP member you will be in direct contact with (mostly European) decision makers in the space domain, provide a critical voice and support them in optimising their missions. Panel meetings take place on a monthly interval (1 hour online) and there are bi-annual meetings (in person) with the full ESSC (all panels) and representatives of decision makers in the space domain.
If you are interested, please send a motivation statement (max 1 page) and a short CV (max 2 pages) as one single pdf to the ESSC Secretariat, (essc@esf.org) by the 30th of April 2025. Inquiries can be sent to the chair of the panel (Saskia Hekker; saskia.hekker@h-its.org).
Please feel free to share this call with any colleague who could be interested.