The MSE Department of the Paranal Observatory provides technical support to the four VLT 8-m telescopes, to the VLT Interferometer with its auxiliary telescopes and to all instruments available for scientific observations. The telescopes and instruments are complex systems that involve many advanced technologies and require a high level of engineering support. The MSE Department of Paranal has a total workforce of 80 engineers and technicians distributed in 6 engineering groups.

The following are the three projects proposed for the Winter period 2026. They can start anytime between April and September and can last between three and six months depending on the topic and availability of the student. Please enquire if you are not sure.

I. INSTRUMENTATION: Test bench for KMOS pickoff arms

KMOS is an infrared multi-objects spectrograph with 24 pickoff arms working at cryogenic temperatures. In order to optimize the maintenance, we need to build a test bench where we can both check the optics alignment and the control of the arms at ambient temperature during instrument warm-up cycle.

Objectives:

The objectives of the internship are:

• Deploy and validate a KMOS virtual machine for offline testing with Local Control Unit (control computer)
• Implement an opto-mechanical testbench for pick-off arms with the support of local experts.
• Develop and validate a step-by-step procedure for pick-off arm alignment and motion verification, including:

- Absolute mechanical reference position (Datum) and reference switch verification.

- Linear/Angular motion range and repeatability tests.

- Image alignment at the intermediate focal plane and pupil alignment to the cold stop.

• Produce a documented, reusable procedure (user manual) for clean-room operations.

Student Profile:

• Electronics engineering student with some interest in HW, SW, control and hands-on instrumentation to conduct an experiment.
• Intermediate-advanced Unix/Linux and Python skills,
• Experience with laboratory instrumentation and motion control systems is important
• Experience with opto-mechanics is desirable but can also be learned on-site.

Duration and Shift:

Four to six months (depending on student's availability) The schedule will be 8 days on-site followed by 6 days off-duty (8x6).

Duty Station:

Paranal Observatory located 120 km south of the city of Antofagasta, Chile.

II. SOFTWARE: Migration of critical components in Paranal data infrastructure

The internship's main objective is to update the VLTSW logs collector named dlabmon, which is a C++ module that parses the log file and sends each log to the current data analysis platform document and time series databases. This module needs to have Kafka producer capabilities in order to interface with the platform upgrade and a centralized VLTSW compliant configuration to improve maintenance.

Objectives:

After this new version of dlabmon is deployed across all systems, several other migration opportunities become available. Among these other potential objectives of the internship are:

• Automation of data source migration in Grafana dashboards: Both databases of the platform are being replaced, ElasticSearch for OpenSearch as document database and KairosDB for InfluxDB as time series database. To avoid a big manual migration effort for the available Grafana dashboards, automation is to be explored and implemented.
• Control Network files collector improvements: Currently a set of shell scripts that makes available data files produced on the VLTSW control system to the data platform, which is outside the isolated control network. More robust and maintainable options are to be explored and tested.
• Migration of Jupyter based daily reports to a Kubernetes environment.

Student Profile:

• Computer scientist/Software engineer or similar
• Experience with C/C++, Linux systems
• Data engineering experience appreciated

Duration and Shift:

Six months. The schedule will be 8 days on-site followed by 6 days off-duty (8x6) with the possibility of hybrid/remote.

Duty Station:

Paranal Observatory located 120 km south of the city of Antofagasta, Chile.

III. ELECTRONICS: Earthquake detector system integration and M1 Cell obsolescence technology study.

The internship focuses on the finalization of the Earthquake Detection (EQD) protection system and a preliminary obsolescence study of the M1 Cell control system, including HMI and PLC optimization, system integration, documentation, and evaluation of modern automation technologies.

Objectives:

• HMI layout improvements.
• Integration into integrated operations centralized monitoring tools.
• Update of technical documentation and electrical drawings.
• Technical and obsolescence review of the VLT Unit Telescope M1 Cell control system, identifying at-risk components and evaluating modern technologies for future system upgrades.

Student Profile:

• Electronics engineering.
• Knowledgeable and interested in PLC Programming & Hardware.

Duration and Shift:

July-December 2026. The schedule will be 8 days on-site followed by 6 days off-duty (8x6).

Duty Station:

Paranal Observatory located 120 km south of the city of Antofagasta, Chile.

The Science Operations Department consists of 60 persons of more than a dozen different nationalities. PSO's mission is the production of high-quality astronomical data and to maintain or improve the scientific performance of Paranal's instruments. This includes the VLTI 2nd generation instruments Gravity & Matisse, the Adaptive Optics Facility (AOF) on UT4 and the planet hunter ESPRESSO. The following is the project proposed for the Winter period 2026:

I. VLTI OPERATIONS: Remote control of the DL/VCM and characterization of the AT polarization.

This internship involves two projects at the VLT Interferometer. First, testing and optimizing a tip-tilt correction prototype for the Variable Curvature Mirror (VCM) to reduce Delay Line (DL) maintenance costs, including bench testing, installation, and performance documentation. Second, implementing tools to regularly measure instrumental polarization from Auxiliary Telescopes (AT), which varies over time due to optical system changes and affects polarimetric measurements. Both topics will require tests, measurements, analysis and documentation of operational procedures.

Student Profile:

• Strong skills in optics: design, practical experience of optical setups and alignment.
• Preferably students from Optical Engineering schools.

Duration and Shift:

May to August 2026 (Exact dates to be confirmed) The schedule will be 8 days on-site followed by 6 days off-duty (8x6) with the possibility of hybrid/remote.

Duty Station:

Paranal Observatory located 120 km south of the city of Antofagasta, Chile.

We Offer:

ESO offers a special allowance during the period you are performing your apprenticeship with us. For students travelling to the observatory, transportation arrangements (plane tickets) from and to Santiago will be provided by ESO, with accommodation provided on site.

Application:

We invite all students from European and Chilean Universities in their career's last period to apply. The apprenticeship should be supported by the University (Letter should be provided).

If you are interested in working in areas of frontline technology and in a stimulating international environment, you are invited to apply online at http://recruitment.eso.org/.

Applications must be completed in English and should include a CV and a motivational letter. Please make sure to indicate the project(s) you are interested in applying to.

For further information on Paranal Engineering apprenticeships, we invite you to take a look at the following page: http://www.eso.org/sci/facilities/paranal/paranalenginternship.html

Closing date for applications is 28 February 2026.

ESO Values

An important element in any successful employment relationship is harmony in values between an organisation and its people.

The ESO values are:

ESO strives for excellence through innovation.

ESO provides outstanding services to its communities.

ESO fosters diversity & inclusion.

ESO believes in the key role of sustainability for its future.

Achieving the above are recognized as only possible on the basis of personal values and attitudes that we expect from our employees: respect, integrity, accountability, commitment, collaboration, and clear & open communication.

Applicants to any ESO role are asked to reflect on their affinity with these values and advised they may be asked about them if called for interview.

Diversity

ESO has established diversity as an important value of the Organisation, is committed to providing an equal opportunities environment and is actively seeking to promote a diverse, equitable and inclusive workforce. Please visit https://www.eso.org/public/about-eso/sustainability/dei-at-eso/ for further details.