ESA Call for Concordia Research MD candidates

BACKGROUND

Since 2001, ESA has been cooperating with the French Polar Institute (Institut Paul Emile Victor, IPEV) and the Italian Antarctic Programme (Programma Nazionale di Ricerche in Antartide, PNRA) on biomedical research activities carried out at the Antarctic research station 'Concordia'. Examples of this cooperation include a common research announcement for human research, the adaptation of technologies for grey water recycling to Concordia, which ESA originally developed for spacecraft life support systems (operating since March 2005), and long-term medical, psychological, and microbial monitoring. In view of ESA’s future plans for human long-duration exploration missions, Concordia station acts as a powerful analogue for these future missions, as it replicates many of the expected conditions of a Lunar or Martian base. Such conditions include hypoxia, isolation, confinement, high levels of autonomy and social monotony, limited resources, restricted access by outside help in case of emergencies, and a hostile external environment. In order to support the implementation of scientific activities in this area, ESA/IPEV/PNRA are looking for a medical doctor to join the next Concordia winterover crew (leaving for Antarctica in the October/November 2026 timeframe).

Figure 1. Antarctica and the Location of Concordia Station

CONCORDIA STATION

Concordia station is a permanent international research facility at high altitude on the Antarctic ice cap. The station was built by IPEV and PNRA S.C.r.l. The station has been permanently crewed since November 2004. The objective of Concordia station is to operate as an international research facility to conduct scientific programmes. The main fields of research at Concordia are glaciology, atmospheric sciences, astronomy and astrophysics, Earth sciences, technology, human biology and medicine. The area in which Concordia station is located is considered to be one of the most hostile places on Earth. Some characteristics of the extreme environment include:

• An altitude of 3200m, equal to an altitude of almost 4000m at the equator. As such, air pressure is 645hPa and results in chronic hypobaric hypoxic stress.
• The time from mid-February to mid-November is considered the winter period with the summer-period lasting the rest of the year. Access to the station is only possible during the Antarctic summer season.
• Overall mean temperature is -51°C, with a mean value of -30 °C during summer and -60 °C during winter (the lowest recorded temperature in Antarctica was recently found to be -97.7°C).

Figure 2. Yukimaro phenomenon and Concordia station

Further details on Concordia Station can be found at http://www.esa.int/Our_Activities/Human_Spaceflight/Concordia

CHALLENGES 

The challenges for a winterover crew at Concordia are manifold. They include but are not limited to:

• Prolonged isolation and confinement (typical duration of a stay in the station is 12- 13 months).
• A fascinating, but hostile natural environment (extreme low outside-temperatures, chronic hypobaric hypoxia).
• Autonomy: the crew needs to be autonomous and self-dependent especially from February to November, where no access to and from the station is possible, even in emergencies.
• Life in a small multicultural setting (typically 12-14 crew members, with French and Italian as the main spoken languages and a variety of behavioural customs).
• Limited mobility outside of the station buildings, especially during winter.
• Night/Daylight variations (constant light in summer, constant darkness in winter).
• Managing life with limited resources and in consideration of the environment.

In order to implement selected biomedical research at Concordia, ESA and IPEV and PNRA release a call for candidates for a medical doctor as part of the next Concordia winterover crew of 2027. Tasks will include (non-exhaustive list):

• Training for the implementation of the selected experiments before departure at the respective home laboratories of selected experimenters (travel across Europe is needed, usually training is conducted over the summer period).
• Participation in the pre-departure meeting (see below)
• Participation and supporting in data collection at the pre- and post-departure baseline data collection meetings
• Implementation of selected experiments (mainly in the areas of psychology, physiology and microbiology) at Concordia.
• Routine reporting on the status of the implementation.
• Sampling and analysis of recycled water.
• Participation in the normal shared tasks of the station (housekeeping).
• After the stay, providing a debriefing report (“lessons learned”).

We would assume the selected candidate to also participate as a test subject in the ESA biomedical experiments. However, this participation is voluntary and can be stopped at any time without consequences. Informed consent will be collected from participating crew members prior to departure. The selected candidate will not be responsible for the operational medical provision for the crew but can support the Crew Medical Doctor if the need arises.

CANDIDATE PROFILE

• Medical degree and work experience
• Strong interest in medical and psychosocial research
• Laboratory /research experience
• Very good English language skills are essential; French or Italian language skills are desirable
• Excellent health
• No addictions
• Aptitude to life in small community in a context of isolation.
• Nationality and residence in one of the ESA Member States or Associated Member States that contribute to ESA’s E3P programme: Austria, Belgium, Canada, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Luxemburg, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom.

 Additionally, as a benefit:

• Experience in wilderness/extreme environments medicine and other outdoor experience
• A space-related background

The position will be implemented via a contract with the French Polar Institute, IPEV. The final salary amount based on junior MD experience will depend on the exact contract duration (approximately 18 months in total). It shall be noted that Concordia-specific factors such as transport, special clothing, communication facilities etc. will be provided by the Concordia partners.

Estimated salary (gross): 5 800 € - 6 500 € / month.
 

PROCESS and TIMELINE 

Deadline for applications: 31 January 2026

Based on the submitted forms, maximum 8 candidates will be shortlisted and invited for a virtual interview. Out of these, a few candidates will be invited to undergo a thorough medical examination, a psychological assessment, and an interview in Paris around the February/March 2026 timeframe.

The final selection will be made as soon as the results from all medical tests are available. The selected research MD will have to participate in various events/activities before leaving for Concordia, for example:

• First meeting for the interview: January/February 2026 (virtually) 
• Second meeting: February/March 2026 (face-to-face in Paris, FR)  
• Research MD debriefing: May/June 2026 (face-to-face at ESA-ESTEC, in Noordwijk, NL or virtually)  
• Training: Summer 2026 (across Europe, face-to-face and/or virtually)  
• Pre-departure meeting: One week at the French Polar Institute with all IPEV winterers (late September 2026), a week of outdoor rescue training in Chamonix, and an additional week that will be organized by IPEV in France for Concordia winterers (early October 2026). 
• Pre-baseline data collection: 2/3 days in September/October 2026 (in Cologne, DE)  
• Departure between October / November 2026 
• Return before the end of 2027   
• Post-departure baseline data collection: 2/3 days in May/June 2028 (in Cologne, DE)  

Evaluation Criteria

Candidates will be selected by a panel of experts from ESA, IPEV and PNRA based on their background, skills, expertise and motivation, as well as a good understanding of the challenge of spending one year at Concordia and working in a very international environment. 

Source: ESA