Experimental Scientist

Fusion Energy Base; Everett (WA); On-site; USD 85,000 - 115,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, Dental, and Vision plans

31 Days of PTO

10 Paid holidays

Up to 5% employer 401(k) match

Short-term and long-term disability insurance

Paid parental leave

Annual wellness stipend

Job summary

Fusion Energy Base in Everett, WA, is seeking an Experimental Scientist to support the development and operation of plasma diagnostics for fusion generators. The role involves troubleshooting, calibration, and collaboration with various engineering teams.

Ideal candidates will hold a Ph.D. with relevant hands-on experience and a proven background in plasma diagnostics. The company offers a variety of benefits, including health plans and generous PTO policies.

Qualifications

• Ph.D. in physics, electrical engineering, aerospace engineering, or related discipline focused on plasma science.
• Relevant hands-on experience with plasma systems and advanced laboratory environments.
• Experience with the design and operation of plasma diagnostics.

Responsibilities

• Support design and calibration of plasma diagnostic systems.
• Contribute to troubleshooting of plasma diagnostics.
• Collaborate with various engineering teams on diagnostic readiness.
• Establish methods for pre-ionization plasma diagnostics.
• Analyze data to identify trends and support experimental interpretation.
• Document experimental procedures and results for consistency.

Skills

Hands-on experience with plasma systems

Autonomous operation on technical tasks

Critical thinking

Education

Ph.D. in physics or related discipline

Tools

Interferometry

Spectroscopy

Langmuir probes

High-vacuum systems

Job description

About Helion

Helion is a fusion power company based in Everett, WA, building the world's first fusion power plant.

What You Will Be Doing

Helion is hiring an Experimental Scientist to support the development, deployment, calibration, and operation of plasma diagnostics for Helion's fusion generators.

Responsibilities

• Support the design, build, deployment, calibration, and commissioning of plasma diagnostic systems for Helion's fusion generators, operating with autonomy on defined tasks and workstreams while escalating technical risks or tradeoffs when appropriate.
• Contribute to the operation and troubleshooting of plasma diagnostics used to evaluate plasma parameters such as density, temperature, current profiles, and other key performance indicators.
• Work cross-functionally with plasma physics, machine operations, controls, mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, and data science teams to support diagnostic readiness for experimental campaigns and testbeds.
• Develop hands-on expertise in pre-ionization plasma diagnostics, helping establish consistent methods and practices that support next-generation fusion device development.
• Analyze diagnostic data to identify trends, support experimental interpretation, and inform operational tuning, hardware improvements, or follow-up testing.
• Document experimental procedures, calibration methods, test results, and lessons learned to improve consistency, reliability, and knowledge sharing across Helion's experimental programs.

Required Skills

• Ph.D. in physics, electrical engineering, aerospace engineering, or a related discipline, with a focus on plasma science, diagnostics, or high-vacuum instrumentation.
• Relevant hands-on experience with plasma systems, advanced laboratory environments, high-vacuum systems, pulsed-power systems, or complex experimental hardware.
• Experience supporting the design, build, calibration, troubleshooting, or operation of plasma diagnostics such as interferometry, spectroscopy, Langmuir probes, magnetic coils, electrostatic diagnostics, optical diagnostics, or related measurement systems.
• Ability to operate autonomously on day-to-day technical tasks, apply critical thinking across multiple inputs, and escalation of issues appropriately when technical risk, scope, or priority requires broader alignment.

Benefits

• Medical, Dental, and Vision plans for employees and their families.
• 31 Days of PTO (21 vacation days and 10 sick days).
• 10 Paid holidays, plus company-wide winter break.
• Up to 5% employer 401(k) match.
• Short-term disability, long-term disability, and life insurance.
• Paid parental leave and support (up to 16 weeks).
• Annual wellness stipend.

Helion is an equal opportunity employer and values diversity at our company. We do not discriminate based on race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status. If you need assistance or an accommodation during the interview process, please let us know.