Plasma-Material Interaction (PMI) Manager

Thea Energy Inc.; Kearny, Northern (NJ, KY); Hybrid; USD 130,000 - 165,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Salary range $130,000-$165,000

Comprehensive health benefits

Employee equity stock options

20 days PTO

Job summary

Thea Energy Inc. is seeking an experienced Plasma-Material Interaction (PMI) Manager to lead development of high-performance plasma-facing materials for the Eos and Helios stellarators.

You will bridge plasma physics, materials engineering, and component integration to address heat-flux, erosion, and isotope retention while guiding PMI experiments and external collaborations. You will direct in-house campaigns, manage test facilities, and coordinate with vendors and labs to de-risk wall

Qualifications

• Ph.D. in Materials Science, Plasma Physics, Nuclear Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or closely related field.
• 8+ years on plasma-surface interactions, high-temperature materials, or magnetic confinement fusion engineering, with 3+ years leading projects or teams.
• Edge plasma dynamics, sputtering, redeposition, isotope retention, and high heat flux behavior.
• Experience designing or operating plasma-facing test rigs or boundary diagnostics on stellarators or tokamaks.
• Strong materials testing/characterization and procurement workflow knowledge.

Responsibilities

• Direct research, design, and qualification of plasma-facing materials for Eos and Helios.
• Oversee PMI experiments on Eos and in-house test facilities.
• Lead external collaborations with labs, universities, and vendors for material synthesis and testing.
• Lead simulations of erosion and thermal shock in real time.
• Translate PMI data into inputs for plasma transport and engineering designs.

Skills

Edge plasma dynamics

Sputtering/redeposition

High-heat materials

Boundary diagnostics

R&D leadership

External collaborations

Education

Ph.D. in Materials Science

Tools

SOLPS

UEDGE

EMC3-EIRENE

ERO2.0

WallDYN

SDTrimSP

RustBCA

TRIM

ANSYS

COMSOL

Job description

About Thea Energy:

Thea Energy is leveraging recent breakthroughs in stellarator physics and engineering to create a faster and simpler approach to commercializing fusion energy. The company is reinventing the stellarator using computer-controlled arrays of planar coils thereby replacing the intricate, complex modular magnets required in all other stellarator architectures. Thea Energy is on a mission to create a limitless source of zero emission energy for a sustainable future.

Position Overview:

We are seeking an experienced Plasma-Material Interaction (PMI) Manager to lead the development of high-performance plasma-facing materials and components (PFCs) for our Eos and Helios stellarators. In this role, you will bridge plasma physics, materials engineering, and component integration to address high heat-flux management, surface erosion, and hydrogen isotope retention in quasi-axisymmetric, planar-coil stellarator architectures. You will direct in-house experimental campaigns, oversee specialized test facilities, and manage key external research and procurement partnerships to de-risk wall environments for steady-state fusion operations.

Key responsibilities:

• Direct the research, design, and qualification of plasma-facing materials—including first-wall armor and divertor target materials for Eos and Helios stellarators.
• Oversee the preparation, execution, and analysis of PMI experiments on the Eos stellarator and dedicated in-house test facilities.
• Act as the technical lead for external collaborations with national laboratories, university research groups, and commercial vendors for material synthesis, neutron irradiation testing, surface diagnostics, and PFC component procurement.
• Lead the computational efforts to simulate erosion, redeposition, and thermal shock degradation in real time.
• Work closely with mechanical design and physics modeling teams to translate PMI simulation and experimental data into validated inputs for plasma transport and engineering designs.

Required Experience & Skillsets:

Required Qualifications

• Education: Ph.D. in Materials Science, Plasma Physics, Nuclear Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or a closely related discipline.
• Experience: 8+ years of technical experience in plasma-surface interactions, high-temperature materials, or magnetic confinement fusion engineering, with at least 3+ years managing technical projects or multidisciplinary teams.
• Technical Expertise:
• In-depth understanding of edge plasma dynamics, sputtering, redeposition, helium ash/hydrogen isotope retention, and high heat flux behavior.
• Practical experience designing, building, or operating plasma-facing test rigs or boundary diagnostics on magnetic confinement devices (stellarators or tokamaks).
• Strong knowledge of materials testing, characterization methods, and procurement workflows for high-temperature and plasma-exposed materials.
• Leadership & Communication: Track record of driving complex R&D initiatives, managing external vendor and research contracts, and working against tight engineering deadlines.

Preferred Qualifications

• Direct exposure to fusion plasma physics, stellarator configurations, or fusion plasma divertor concepts such as X-point divertors.

• Experience with computational modeling tools, including coupled plasma-transport and surface kinetics codes (SOLPS, UEDGE, EMC3-EIRENE, ERO2.0, WallDYN), BCA tools (SDTrimSP, RustBCA, TRIM), and FEA thermomechanical software (ANSYS, COMSOL).

Company Benefits:

• Salary range $130,000-$165,000
• Comprehensive health benefits (e.g. medical/dental/vision)
• Employee equity stock options
• 20 days PTO

Diversity and Inclusion:

Thea Energy is an equal opportunity employer committed to creating a company of diverse backgrounds. By creating a diverse environment, we will bring new ideas and approaches to solving some of the world’s hardest (and most important) problems. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, family or marital status, age, disability, veteran’s status, or other characteristic protected by applicable laws and regulations.