MHD Computational Physicist

UKAEA; South Oxfordshire; On-site; GBP 43,000; Full time

Job summary

Join UKAEA as an MHD Computational Physicist and contribute to groundbreaking fusion energy initiatives. Your role will involve developing plasma stability codes and conducting research to advance the UK's fusion power capabilities. With a PhD in Physics, you will play a key role in innovative projects supporting clean energy missions.

Benefits

Outstanding defined benefit pension scheme

Corporate bonus scheme up to 7%

Flexible working options

Employee Assistance Programme

Generous annual leave allowance

Qualifications

• PhD or equivalent experience with expertise in experimental physics.
• Proficiency with data analysis tools, especially IDL or Python.
• Experience in diagnostics systems in scientific environments.

Responsibilities

• Perform plasma stability calculations for the STEP device.
• Control plasma instabilities in STEP and contribute to MAST-U experiments.
• Develop MHD codes for plasma stability analysis and collaboration.

Skills

Programming languages proficiency

Independent research ability

Communication skills

Teamwork

Professionalism and safety approach

Education

PhD or equivalent in Physics or related area

Tools

IDL

Python

C

FORTRAN

Job description

This role will be based in Culham, Oxfordshire.

This role requires employees to complete an online Baseline Personnel Security Standard (BPSS), including The Disclosure & Barring Service (DBS) checks for criminal convictions and possibly a search of open source data.

The Role

Are you looking for an exciting opportunity to make a difference? Join our team and contribute to the future of fusion energy.

As an MHD Computational Physicist, you’ll play a key role in supporting the UKAEA programme on plasma stability by developing and exploiting plasma MHD stability codes to understand plasma instabilities and to develop ways to avoid them or minimise their negative effect on tokamak plasmas. You’ll be immersed in a dynamic environment where your expertise will directly impact the design and optimisation of fusion power.

Your primary focus will be on the UKAEA’s Spherical Tokamak for Energy Production (STEP) project, a groundbreaking initiative to design and build a prototype fusion power plant. You will also have the opportunity to contribute to studies on the Mega Amp Spherical Tokamak Upgrade (MAST-U).

Your career development as a scientist will be strongly supported, including working towards chartership with the Institute of Physics.

Additional Responsibilities:

• Perform plasma stability calculations for scenarios proposed for the STEP device
• Study means to control plasma instabilities, including Resistive Wall Modes, Error Fields and ELMs in STEP
• Take part in MAST-U MHD experiments and the analysis of data
• Develop and extend the models in MHD codes used by UKAEA to study plasma stability
• Contribute to refereed journal articles and attend international conferences on magnetic fusion as agreed with management
• Be responsible for building a strong network of external collaborations

£42,858 (inclusive of Specialist Allowance) + excellent benefits including outstanding pension

• PhD or equivalent level of experience in Physics or related area
• Proficiency with programming languages, e.g. C, FORTRAN, IDL, Python
• Proven ability to conduct independent physics research
• Good oral and written communications skills
• Excellent team-player with an outward facing work-ethos as you will work closely with scientists from around the world
• PhD or equivalent experience with expertise in experimental physics
• Experience in developing and/or overseeing diagnostics systems in complex scientific environment
• Excellent oral and written communication skills
• Proficiency with data analysis software and IDL or Python languages
• Professional approach to operation and safety
• Ability to work effectively in a large team

UKAEA's mission is clean energy for all, and we welcome talented people from all backgrounds who want to help us achieve our mission. We are under-represented from some groups and so want to encourage applications in particular from women in STEM, people from Black British Caribbean and African backgrounds and from Pakistani and Bangladeshi British backgrounds. Our Executive team, supported by our 'Head of Equality, Diversity and Inclusion' (EDI) and Wellbeing and our EDI Networks actively promote Inclusion and takes steps to increase diversity within our organization. We reinforce best practices in recruitment and selection and evaluate approaches to remove barriers to success.

UK Atomic Energy Authority is committed to being accessible. Please email [e-mail] if you have any questions or require help or adjustments to compete on a fair basis, for example, changes to the way we interview or share information.

Please note that vacancies are generally advertised for 4 weeks but may close earlier if we receive a large number of applications.

As an employee of UKAEA you will benefit from:

• Outstandingdefined benefit pension scheme,details of which can be found at the end of this advert.
• Corporatebonus schemeup to7%and aRelocationallowance (if eligible).
• Flexible working optionsincluding family friendly policies.
• Employee Assistance Programmeand trained Mental Health First Aiders,
• Generous annual leaveallowance starting with 25 days, plus 3 days Christmas closure and 2.5 privilege days, in addition to UK bank holidays
• A vibrantculturecommitted to equality and being fullyinclusive

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What can I expect from the application process at UKAEA?

Once you have submitted a formal application via our website, all CVs will be reviewed shortly after the closing date of the advert.

By 2050, the planet could be using twice as much electricity compared to today. Are you interested in contributing and helping to shape the future of the world’s energy? If so, read on.

Fusion, the process that powers the Sun and stars, is one of the most promising options for generating the cleaner, carbon-free energy that our world badly needs.

UKAEA leads the way in realising fusion energy, partnering with industry and research for groundbreaking advancements. Our goal is to bring fusion electricity to the grid, supported by tomorrow's power stations. In pursuit of our mission, UKAEA embraces core values: Innovation, Commitment, Trust, and Collaboration.

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