We are pleased to announce the opening of 15 Doctoral Candidate (DC) positions within EXODOCS, an ambitious European doctoral network designed to prepare a new generation of scientists to maximize the scientific return of the ExoMars Rosalind Franklin mission and to pave the way for future planetary exploration endeavors.

Timeline

• Opening of positions: XX March 2026.
• Application deadline: xx April 2026.
• Eligibility check and evaluation: A period of 30 calendar days following the application deadline will be dedicated to the eligibility verification and evaluation of candidates based on the established criteria.
• Interviews: After notification, shortlisted candidates will be invited to interviews, which will be conducted over a period of 15 calendar days.

The aim is to announce the selected candidates within 120 calendar days from the opening of the positions. The exact dates may be subject to adjustments for operational reasons. All applicants will be informed accordingly through the official recruitment channels.

Relevant documents

• Application form
• Guide for Applicants

The EXODOCS Doctoral Network welcomes applications from DCs of any nationality, gender, culture, religion, sexual orientation or age, provided they comply with the following eligibility criteria:

1. To hold, at the time of the PhD starting date, a MSc degree (or equivalent) in Engineering, Mathematics, Physics, Astronomy, Astrophysics, Planetary Science, Geology or related fields. Applicants who are in the final stage of their MSc studies and expect to obtain the degree before the start of the PhD are also eligible to apply.
2. To have not been awarded a doctoral degree.
3. To be in the first four years of your research career (full-time equivalent), counted from the date of obtaining the MSc degree (or equivalent).
4. To comply with the European Commission’s mobility rule, meaning at the time of recruitment by the host organization, you must not have resided or carried out your main activity (work, studies, etc.) in the country of the host organization for more than 12 months in the 3 years immediately before the starting employment contract date. Compulsory national service and/or short stays such as holidays are not taken into account.
5. To be proficient in English language. The required level of English proficiency will be assessed in a position-specific manner, depending on the DC position (details are provided in each DC job vacancy post advertised on EURAXESS).

Highly motivated candidates are encouraged to apply to up to five of the available PhD research projects.

Each application must be written in English and named according to the following format: EXODOCS_NameSurname_DCnumber (e.g. EXODOCS_MarioRossi_DC5).
Each application must be submitted via email to both the EXODOCS recruitment board (CORREO_ELECTRONICO) and the supervisors of the selected PhD position.

This application form must be submitted together with the following supporting documents in PDF format:

1. Short curriculum vitae (CV) in Europass format (https://europass.europa.eu/en/create-europass-cv);
2. Bachelor’s and, where applicable, Master’s degree diplomas;
3. Academic transcript(s) of records;
4. Supporting documentation for merits listed in the CV (e.g. language certificates or others);
5. Two Reference letters (up to one page, each);
6. Motivation letter (up to two pages) outlining your motivation for applying to the selected EXODOCS DC position. IMPORTANT: If applying for more than one position, a separate motivation letter must be submitted for each DC position.

Only complete applications submitted before the specified deadline will be considered.
While the evaluation and selection of candidates will be coordinated at the EXODOCS network level, the final recruitment of each selected DC will be carried out by the recruiting beneficiary, in accordance with its national and institutional employment regulations.
Applicants may contact the main supervisor of each position for specific questions, or the EXODOCS Project Management Team (CORREO_ELECTRONICO) for administrative inquiries.

The selection procedure is organized in three stages: eligibility check, evaluation of the application form, and online interview.

1. Eligibility check: All applications will be checked according to the eligibility criteria shown above.
2. Evaluation of the application form: All complete and eligible applications will first be evaluated by the Recruitment Committee of the corresponding DC position, based on the submitted documents. Each application will be scored according to the following criteria (maximum 50 points, see table 6.2 in the Guide for Applicants). Only candidates obtaining a minimum score of 35/50 in this first stage will be taken into consideration for the next step. The five highest-ranked candidates for each DC position will be invited to the online interview.
3. Online Interview: Shortlisted candidates will be evaluated during an online interview, which will account for 50% of the final score. The interview will assess
   1. The candidate’s scientific understanding and motivation for the specific project;
   2. Their ability to communicate and reason clearly in English; and
   3. Their potential to carry out independent research within an international environment.

After the Interview, all interviewed candidates will be notified of the outcome. Successful candidates will then be contacted by the HR department and their future supervisor at the hosting institution to begin the hiring process.

Additional steps (e.g. English profiency tests or PhD entry exams) could be necessary, depending on the selected DC position (details are provided in each DC job vacancy post advertised on EURAXESS).

Below, we report the list of available DC positions, including the Research project title and the recruiting institution.

• DC1: Optimizing the Scientific Return of Close-Up Cameras for Mars Exploration (Technical University of Munich, Germany);
• DC2: Automated Analysis of Martian Surface Clasts and Regolith Using Imaging Instruments (Open University, United Kingdom);
• DC3: Optimizing Mineral Identification Using Shortwave Infrared (SWIR) spectrometry (University College London, United Kingdom);
• DC4: Multi-Scale Target Prediction for Mars Exploration Using AI Methods (German Aerospace Center, Germany)
• DC5*: 3D Mapping of the Surface and Subsurface Using WISDOM (GPR) (University of Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines, France);
• DC6: Comparative Analysis and Optimization of Spectrometers for Mars Exploration (Universidad de Valladolid, Spain);
• DC7: Monitoring the dehydration of drill tailings from Martian subsurface sampling (University College London, United Kingdom);
• DC8**: Monitoring the alteration of drill cores from Martian subsurface sampling (LSU, Italy);
• DC9*: Developing Quantification Methods for Mineral Analysis Using Raman and NIR Spectroscopies (Université Paris-Saclay, France);
• DC10: Developing a Polarimetric Radargram Library for Subsurface Analysis with GPR (Technische Universität Dresden, Germany);
• DC11: Optimization of GC-MS procedures for Organic Detection on Mars (University of Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines, France);
• DC12: Novel solutions to Discriminate Biominerals from Abiotic Equivalents (Université Paris Cité, France);
• DC13**: Developing Spectral Analysis Tools for Trace Organic Detection and Biosignature recognition in Geological Mixtures (Sapienza University of Rome, Italy);
• DC14: Investigating Organic-Mineral Interactions for Biosignature Detection Using Spectroscopic Techniques (Universidad de Valladolid, Spain);
• DC15: Enhancing Cooperative Spectroscopic Analysis for Biosignature Detection on Mars (Université Paris-Saclay, France);

* The candidate will be hired by UVSQ, but the PhD degree will be awarded by UPS.
** The candidate will be hired by LSU, while INAF (Istituto Nazionale di Astrofisica, Rome) will act as the hosting institute.
For each Doctoral Candidate (DC) position, detailed information about the research context, scientific challenges, research objectives, expected impact, and supervisor contact details can be found in the Research section of the EXODOCS website.

EXODOCS offers doctoral candidates the unique opportunity to work at the core of the ExoMars Rosalind Franklin rover mission. By joining one of the eight instrument teams (PanCam, Enfys, WISDOM, CLUPI, Ma_MISS, RLS, MicrOmega, or MOMA), the DCs will have the unique opportunity to analyse real Martian data, participate in official ESA ExoMars mission simulations, collaborate closely with world-leading experts in planetary research and astrobiology, and much more.

The programme offers a highly competitive salary and excellent working conditions. Each contract includes the following benefits:

• Monthly living allowance: 3,400€/month, adjusted by a country correction coefficient that reflects the cost of living in the country of recruitment.
• Monthly mobility allowance: 600€/month.
• Monthly family allowance: €660/month, if applicable, depending on the family situation of the DC.

All researchers will be hired under an employment contract that includes social security coverage. The living allowance is a gross EU contribution to the researcher’s salary costs. Therefore, the net salary will depend on deductions for compulsory social security contributions (employer and employee) as well as applicable taxes in the country of employment. The listed amounts apply to full-time positions.

The mobility and family allowances are fixed monthly amounts, regardless of the host country, but may likewise be subject to national taxation. Please note that the figures above do not include any taxes to be paid by the researcher or the host institution.

Estimated gross salaries for each position can be found in the DC job vacancy post advertised on EURAXESS. Final information regarding the net salary will be provided directly by the HR department of each recruiting institution.