Science Jobs

2 positions at EU institutions

The science domain here groups the student, doctoral and early career routes into scientific and technical work, together with the roles that support and communicate science. In the current listings the openings are at CERN near Geneva and in Meyrin. They include a range of technical studentships covering material and surface science, applied physics, electrical and electronics engineering, IT with mathematics and robotics, and general or civil engineering, plus a doctoral student programme and an early career professionals track for technical fields. The domain also holds roles that keep science organised and public, such as a records manager and the editor of the CERN Courier. Where the research and engineering domains cover established staff, the science domain is where many people start, through a studentship or a doctoral place, before moving into a permanent scientific or technical career. This page explains what the science domain covers, the entry routes and seniority, the qualifications employers expect, how contracts and pay work, and how to apply. See the science listings for current openings.

2 positions found

From the EU Jobs Alert guide How to land a job at the EU institutions A walkthrough of EPSO competitions, agency calls, and contract roles, written by our editor. Read the guide →

About Science careers at EU institutions

What the science domain covers

The science domain is broad by design. At one end it is a set of structured entry programmes for students and early career scientists. The technical studentships in the current listings cover material and surface science, applied physics, electrical and electronics engineering, IT with mathematics and robotics, and general and civil engineering, giving students a period of paid, supervised work on real scientific projects. The doctoral student programme supports people carrying out PhD research linked to the laboratory, and the early career professionals track in technical fields is an open door for recent graduates. At the other end the domain includes roles that make science usable and visible. A records manager keeps the documentation and data of a scientific organisation in order, which matters for reproducibility and compliance. The editor of the CERN Courier produces the publication that reports the laboratory's science to a specialist readership, a science communication role rather than a bench one. So the domain mixes people learning science, people supporting it and people communicating it. This is a useful distinction when reading a vacancy, because a technical studentship and a records manager post need different backgrounds and offer different futures. The common thread is a scientific or technical environment and a focus on the early stages of a career or on the infrastructure around science. For a job seeker weighing where to start, the current openings show how many supported entry points a single organisation can offer at once.

Typical roles and seniority

Seniority in the science domain skews toward the start of a career. Technical studentships are aimed at students partway through a bachelors or masters degree who want practical experience in a field such as applied physics or robotics; they are fixed term and closely supervised. The doctoral student programme sits a step up, for people undertaking a PhD, combining original research with the resources of a major laboratory. The early career professionals track in technical fields targets recent graduates ready for a first proper role rather than a study placement. Together these form a clear pipeline from student to junior professional. Alongside the entry routes, the domain includes established support and communication roles that are not junior at all. A records manager is a professional position requiring information management expertise, and the CERN Courier editor is a senior science communication role calling for both scientific literacy and editorial judgement. So the domain contains two seniority patterns: a graduate pipeline that runs from studentship to doctoral place to early career professional, and standalone professional roles in science support and publishing. For candidates, the reading is that this domain is the natural place to begin. Entering through a studentship or doctoral programme builds the specialism and the network that later open staff scientist or engineer roles, while the support and communication posts offer an alternative for people whose strength is organising or explaining science rather than producing it. Progression usually means converting an entry placement into a permanent scientific, technical or professional contract.

Where the jobs are and who hires

The science vacancies in this category are at CERN, split between its main site near Geneva and the commune of Meyrin. CERN runs one of the largest structured student and early career programmes in European science, which is why the domain here is dominated by its studentships, doctoral places and early career tracks. CERN is an intergovernmental laboratory rather than an EU body, so it recruits directly through its own programmes and scales. The pattern of using student and graduate schemes to bring people in is common across European science employers. The European Space Agency runs junior professional and internship programmes across its sites in the Netherlands, Germany, Italy and elsewhere, and EU research agencies and joint undertakings offer traineeships in Brussels and beyond. So while the live science listings point to one laboratory, the wider ecosystem offers similar entry routes at other bodies. For candidates, the practical point is that the science domain is entered mainly through named programmes with fixed application windows rather than through open ended vacancies. Watching the schemes at several organisations widens the options. The support and communication roles in this domain, such as records management and editing, are more like standard professional vacancies and appear at many organisations under similar titles. Whichever route fits, the science domain is where a large share of scientific and technical careers in these organisations begin, so it rewards early and organised applications. The listings show the current mix of programmes and professional posts.

Qualifications and profiles employers want

For the entry programmes, the key qualification is being at the right stage of study. Technical studentships expect candidates enrolled in a bachelors or masters programme in a relevant technical field, from applied physics to robotics to civil engineering, who can take a period away from their studies for supervised project work. The doctoral student programme expects candidates admitted to or pursuing a PhD, with a research topic that fits the laboratory's work. The early career professionals track expects a completed degree in a technical field and readiness for a first professional role. Across all of these, employers look for genuine interest in the science, relevant coursework or project experience, and the ability to work inside a large technical team. For the professional roles, the profile is different. A records manager needs training and experience in information or document management and an understanding of how scientific records must be kept. A science publication editor needs scientific literacy, strong writing and editing skills and editorial judgement. Language expectations follow the employer: CERN works in English and French and expects functional knowledge of one with willingness to learn the other, while EU bodies running similar programmes require a main working language and often a second official EU language. What ties the domain together is that employers are investing in potential at the entry level and in specific professional skill at the support level. Candidates who can show both a clear scientific or technical grounding and the practical skills the specific role needs fit the widest set of openings, whether a studentship or a standalone professional post.

Staff categories, contracts and how pay works

Contracts in the science domain reflect its entry heavy nature. At CERN, studentships and doctoral places are fixed term programme contracts with their own stipends or salaries set by the organisation, distinct from staff contracts. Early career and technical roles may be offered as contract agent or other fixed term arrangements. Because CERN is not an EU body, these terms sit outside the EU Staff Regulations. Where similar entry routes exist inside the EU institutions and agencies, the framework is different. Traineeships are run as paid schemes with their own grant rather than a salary. Junior professional and first staff roles map onto the Staff Regulations, with graduate scientific and technical staff recruited as administrators in the AD function group and support roles in the AST group. Contract agents in function groups FG I to FG IV cover many fixed term technical and support needs. In the EU pay system, published monthly gross bands apply before allowances and the internal tax. A first administrator grade, AD5, runs about 4,917 to 5,565 EUR per month, while assistant roles at AST3 run about 3,523 to 3,883 EUR and AST4 about 3,883 to 4,280 EUR. Contract agents in FG III span roughly 2,954 to 5,932 EUR and FG IV about 3,637 to 8,225 EUR. Student and doctoral stipends, whether at CERN or in EU traineeships, are lower than these staff bands because they are training arrangements. The point to check in any vacancy is whether it is a training placement or a staff contract, because that decides pay, duration and what comes next.

How to apply, languages and career progression

The science domain is entered mainly through named programmes with set deadlines, so timing matters more than in other domains. CERN studentships, the doctoral student programme and the early career professionals track are all applied for directly through the laboratory's recruitment site, often in defined intake rounds such as the current 2026 cycle, and spontaneous applications are accepted for some technical fields. Equivalent schemes at other bodies, including space agency junior professional programmes and EU institution traineeships, run on their own calendars, so checking each employer's windows pays off. The standalone professional roles, such as records manager and editor, are ordinary vacancies applied for directly, and if they arise inside the EU institutions they follow the EPSO or CAST routes used for permanent and contract staff. On languages, English is the common working language, French is useful at CERN and the OECD, and permanent EU posts require a second official EU language. Career progression from this domain is mainly about conversion and specialisation. A studentship or doctoral place builds the expertise and contacts that lead into a staff scientist, engineer or professional role, sometimes at the same organisation and sometimes elsewhere. The support and communication roles progress like other professional careers, through greater responsibility and seniority. Because this domain is where so many scientific careers start, the most useful advice is to apply early, to more than one scheme, and to treat each placement as a step toward a permanent contract. Compare the open programmes and posts before choosing where to begin.

Frequently asked questions

What is a CERN technical studentship?

It is a fixed term paid placement for students enrolled in a technical bachelors or masters programme, offering supervised work on real projects.

Who can apply to the doctoral student programme?

Candidates pursuing or admitted to a PhD with a research topic that fits the laboratory's scientific work are eligible to apply.

Are there non research roles in the science domain?

Yes. Records managers and science publication editors keep scientific work organised and communicated, and they need professional rather than bench skills.

Do studentships pay a full staff salary?

No. Studentships and doctoral places are training arrangements with stipends set below staff grade bands like AD5 or AST3.

When should I apply to science programmes?

Apply early and to defined intake rounds, since these programmes run on set calendars with fixed deadlines rather than rolling vacancies.

Does the science domain lead to a permanent job?

Often. A studentship or doctoral place builds the specialism and network that open staff scientist, engineer or professional roles later.

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