Boundary Plasma Physicist

Stellarex Energy; Toronto; On-site; CAD 150,000 - 210,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive base salary

Equity options

Health and dental coverage

Relocation assistance

Job summary

Stellarex Energy seeks a highly technical Boundary Plasma Physicist for its prototype stellarator facility in the Greater Toronto Area. Lead boundary plasma modeling, divertor integration, and helium ash management to enable steady-state fusion operation.

Join a mission-driven team building foundational technology for clean energy. You will validate models against experiments, balance heat loads, and drive design of power dispersal and erosion mitigation in a non-axisymmetric geometry.

Qualifications

• Ph.D. in Plasma Physics, Nuclear Engineering, Applied Physics, or closely related field.
• 5+ years of post-doctoral or senior research experience in boundary plasma physics.
• Deep expertise in 3D edge transport and neutral modeling codes like EMC3-EIRENE or SOLPS.
• Experience with non-axisymmetric boundary physics and experimental validation.
• Strong track record of cross-functional collaboration with diagnostics and wall/divertor engineers.

Responsibilities

• Boundary Physics & Divertor Integration: model boundary for steady-state energy/particle control.
• Power Dispersal & Thermal Load Management: simulate edge exhaust and detachment regimes.
• Erosion Mitigation & Plasma-Material Interactions: analyze sputtering and impurity transport.
• Helium Ash Exhaust & Particle Control: optimize gas dynamics and pumping.
• Boundary Modeling & Experimental Validation: benchmark codes against experiments.

Skills

Boundary Plasma Physics

Divertor Integration

3D Edge Transport

Stellarator Edge Physics

Cross-Functional Collaboration

Education

Ph.D. in Plasma Physics or related field

Tools

EMC3-EIRENE

SOLPS

Boundary Plasma Codes

Job description

At Stellarex Energy, we are building foundational technology for the clean energy transition by harnessing stellarator fusion to provide safe, reliable, and carbon-free baseload power. Turning this ambitious physics and engineering goal into industrial reality requires an exceptional, mission-driven team. If you are ready to solve one of humanity's greatest technological challenges and build transformative hardware from the ground up, we invite you to join our team in the Greater Toronto Area.

Role Overview

Stellarex Energy is seeking a highly technical Boundary Plasma Physicist to advance boundary plasma physics and divertor integration for our prototype stellarator facility in the Greater Toronto Area. Reporting to technical leadership of the project, you will serve as a specialist developing an integrated boundary plasma solution—balancing extreme heat loads and particle exhaust against core plasma confinement. In this critical role, you will utilize advanced boundary physics codes, validate models against operational stellarator experiments, and drive the design of power dispersal, erosion mitigation, and helium ash removal systems essential for steady-state fusion operation.

Core Responsibilities

• Boundary Physics & Divertor Integration: Perform boundary plasma modeling and divertor analysis to ensure an integrated, steady-state solution for energy and particle control in non-axisymmetric stellarator geometries.
• Power Dispersal & Thermal Load Management: Model edge power exhaust, detachment physics, and radiative divertor regimes to achieve wide power dispersal and keep peak heat fluxes within material engineering limits.
• Erosion Mitigation & Plasma-Material Interactions: Analyze sputtering, impurity transport, and erosion mechanisms to minimize divertor target degradation and prevent core plasma contamination.
• Helium Ash Exhaust & Particle Control: Optimize neutral gas dynamics, divertor pumping, and helium ash exhaust pathways to maintain steady-state fusion performance and fuel purity.
• Boundary Modeling & Experimental Validation: Deploy and advance state-of-the-art boundary physics modeling codes (e.g., EMC3-EIRENE, SOLPS, others), benchmarking computational predictions against results from leading international stellarator experiments.

Required Qualifications & Experience

• Education: Ph.D. in Plasma Physics, Nuclear Engineering, Applied Physics, or a closely related computational/energy engineering field.
• Experience: 5+ years of post-doctoral or senior research experience executing boundary plasma physics, edge modeling, or divertor integration programs.
• Boundary Codes & Modeling Mastery: Deep technical expertise in 3D edge transport and neutral modeling codes (such as EMC3-EIRENE, SOLPS, or equivalent boundary plasma suites).
• Stellarator Edge Physics: Demonstrated experience with non-axisymmetric boundary physics, island or helical divertor topologies, edge localized transport, and experimental validation.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Strong track record collaborating closely with plasma diagnostics, first-wall and divertor engineers.

Stellarex offers an industry-leading competitive base salary paired with meaningful company equity options, providing direct ownership in our long-term enterprise growth. We also offer comprehensive health and dental coverage, professional development support, and relocation assistance to the Greater Toronto Area.

Stellarex Energy is an equal opportunity employer committed to workforce diversity.