Computational Plasma Physicist — Etch Reactor Modeling

Zenithon; Greater London; On-site; GBP 90,000 - 135,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Equity

Relocation assistance

On-site team in London or SF

Job summary

Zenithon, a frontier lab in London and San Francisco, seeks a computational plasma physicist to own how etch reactor models are set up and advanced. You will decide which physics matters, guide simulations, and work with ML researchers to ensure models reflect reality.

You will drive campaigns across geometry, chemistry and operating conditions, verify outputs against measurements, and communicate clearly with engineers. This role suits someone early in their career or a few years past their PhD.

Qualifications

• PhD in plasma physics, applied physics, or engineering or related field.
• Hands-on experience with HPEM, VizGlow, COMSOL or similar reactor-scale plasma code.
• Strong grounding in low-temperature plasma physics: sheaths, electron energy distributions, ion energy/angle distributions, and plasma chemistry.
• Proficient in Python and scientific computing.
• Clear communication with engineers who don't model.

Responsibilities

• Own how we set up reactor-scale etch simulations: geometries, chemistry, boundary conditions and operating ranges.
• Set the direction of our simulation work: where fidelity matters, from sheaths to surface chemistry.
• Run simulation campaigns across wide ranges of reactor geometry, chemistry and operating conditions.
• Check model outputs against physics and measurements, and show clearly where the errors sit.
• Work with ML researchers on model inputs, outputs and tests.
• Talk with engineers at partner companies about their reactors and translate needs into what we build next.

Skills

Python

Scientific computing

Communication

Education

PhD in plasma physics or related field

Tools

HPEM

VizGlow

COMSOL

Job description

Zenithon, a frontier lab in London and San Francisco, seeks a computational plasma physicist to own how etch reactor models are set up and advanced. You will decide which physics matters, guide simulations, and work with ML researchers to ensure models reflect reality.

You will drive campaigns across geometry, chemistry and operating conditions, verify outputs against measurements, and communicate clearly with engineers. This role suits someone early in their career or a few years past their PhD.