Member of Technical Staff, Experimental Plasma Physics Princeton, NJ

Zenithon AI, Inc.; Princeton (NJ); On-site; USD 120,000 - 170,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Relocation support

Job summary

Zenithon AI, Inc. is seeking a founding experimental physicist to build and lead the plasma etch program.

You will own the setup, measurements, and data used to validate our models, working with colleagues in London and San Francisco. The role requires a PhD and hands-on experience with plasma diagnostics and dry etch equipment.

Qualifications

• Hands-on experience running experiments on dry etch reactors is preferred.
• Strong knowledge of plasma diagnostics and measurement techniques.
• Experience leading experimental campaigns or projects with outside partners.
• Proficiency in Python for instrument control and data analysis.

Responsibilities

• Lead the build of the experimental capability from setup to diagnostics and workflow.
• Own the experimental program with modelers: campaigns, measurements, and sequencing.
• Make precise plasma and process measurements: probes, optical emission, VI probes, etch rates.
• Work with vacuum, gas, and RF hardware to keep experiments stable and repeatable.
• Automate experiments and data capture in Python to accelerate learning.
• Lead joint campaigns with external partners from planning to results.
• Help hire and shape the experimental team as the work grows.

Skills

Python

Experiment control

Plasma diagnostics

Team leadership

Data analysis

Clear communication

Education

PhD in plasma physics or related field

Job description

About Zenithon

Zenithon is an applied frontier lab for extreme physics. We build foundation models that simulate plasmas, so engineers can explore far more of the design space before they build anything.

The role

Experiments are central to where Zenithon is going, and this is a founding role. You’ll start out working in semiconductor plasma etch, from standing up the capability to deciding where it goes next. You’ll own how experiments are set up and run and which measurements matter, and you’ll tie our models to real plasmas. The data you produce will test our models and, over time, teach them. You’ll work closely with our modelers in London and San Francisco, and you’ll set the standard for how Zenithon measures physics.

What you’ll do

• Lead the build of our experimental capability from the start: the setup, the diagnostics and the way we work.
• Own the experimental program with our modelers: which campaigns we run, which measurements matter, and in what order.
• Make careful plasma and process measurements: probes, optical emission, ion energy analyzers, VI probes and etch rates.
• Get hands‑on with vacuum, gas and RF hardware, and keep experiments stable and repeatable.
• Automate experiments and data capture in Python, so we learn faster with every run.
• Lead joint campaigns with external partners, from planning through to results.
• Help hire and shape the experimental team as the work grows.

What you’ll bring

• A PhD in plasma physics, applied physics, or electrical, chemical or mechanical engineering, or a related field.
• Hands‑on experience running experiments on dry etch reactors and helping improve them. You know what a good chamber, a stable process and a trustworthy dataset look like.
• Depth in plasma diagnostics.
• Experience leading experimental work from plan to result, such as a thesis campaign, a tool bring‑up or a project with outside partners.
• Python for instrument control and analysis.
• Clear communication with modelers, engineers and partners.

This role suits someone early in their career or a few years past their PhD who is ready to lead and wants far more ownership than a large company would give them.

Bonus points

• Industry etch experience at an equipment maker or a fab.
• Etch chemistries or plasma‑surface interactions.
• Time‑resolved diagnostics, pulsed plasmas or large designed experiments.
• Close work with simulation codes such as HPEM.
• You’ve built or rebuilt your own apparatus, brought up a new tool, or worked at a startup.

How we work

We’re a small team that works hard, moves fast and holds a high bar. Two principles guide everything we do: intellectual ambition in what we attempt, and empirical precision in how we measure it. You’ll own real problems from your first week, and your work will shape what the company becomes.

What we offer

Competitive salary and meaningful equity, plus relocation support. You’ll be on site in Princeton at least three days a week, so you’ll live within easy reach. You must be authorized to work in the US.

Zenithon is an equal opportunity employer. We welcome applicants of every background.