Project Scientist position (Fusion Energy)

University of California - Los Angeles (UCLA); Los Angeles (CA); On-site; USD 79,000 - 209,000; Full time

Job summary

University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) seeks a leader for its Fusion Simulation Center to advance steady-state tokamak concepts. You will assemble and run simulation suites, develop configurations for fusion power plants, and collaborate with experts across UCLA and national laboratories to deliver cutting-edge research.

The role requires a PhD in physics or related field with 2+ years of fusion/simulation experience, strong autonomy, and excellent teamwork, including mentorship of

Qualifications

• PhD in physics or related field with research in plasma or fusion tech.
• At least two years since PhD in plasma or fusion research with a strong simulation dimension.
• Ability to operate autonomously on highly complex technical issues.
• Excellent collaboration and people skills to work with a large team of experts.

Responsibilities

• Assemble and run integrated fusion device simulation suites and provide them to collaborators.
• Develop optimized configurations for fusion power plants and testbeds.
• Collaborate with groups across the university to integrate subsystems and plasma physics constraints.
• Perform simulation-based investigations on subsystems and plasma science questions for concept improvement.
• Write simulation code to improve models or workflows.
• Collaborate with national labs and access to high-performance computing facilities.
• Engage in validation exercises such as experimental tests on tokamaks or testbeds.
• Generate scientific deliverables including journal papers and conference talks.
• Mentor postdocs and students and oversee delegation and work planning to meet research goals.

Skills

Autonomy

Plasma physics

Fusion technology

Simulation work

Collaboration

Education

PhD in Physics

Job description

Position overview

Salary range

The posted UC salary scales set the minimum pay determined by rank and step at appointment. See Table 37B for the salary range for this position. A reasonable estimate for this position is $79,400 to 209,000. "Off‑scale salaries", i.e. a salary that is higher than the published system-wide salary at the designated rank and step, are offered when necessary to meet competitive conditions.

Application Window

Open date: October 23, 2026

Final date: Monday, Nov 30, 2026 at 11:59pm (Pacific Time)

Applications will continue to be accepted until this date.

Position description

Fusion Energy represents one of the grand challenges for humankind, offering the prospect of limitless baseload electricity, an inherently safe configuration, with no significant greenhouse gases or nuclear waste. As a thriving fusion industry develops multiple promising concepts for fusion, it is vital to look ahead to solutions for continuous energy production. Thus, UCLA seeks to pioneer the steady state tokamak as a concept in its own right, and as a tensioner to drive the development of the many constituent science and engineering components of the challenge, that will drive broader benefits to the fusion field.

To this end, UCLA is establishing a Fusion Simulation Center to develop concepts for a compact fusion power plant that integrates foundational discovery plasma science, fusion science and engineering. The explicit goal is the development of robust and cost‑effective configurations for fusion in steady state, as well as innovative approaches and advanced solutions in each of the technical fields and systems comprising a power plant. This work will thus serve as an integrating focus of a very broad range of activities across Engineering and Science at UCLA from energy extraction, blanket design, tritium breeding, and materials development to fundamental plasma science and efficient energy confining plasma configurations.

• Assembling and running integrated fusion device simulation suites, and providing these to collaborative partners in the university and beyond. Such suites will range from simplified, rapid‑to‑run codes to those that use state of art frontier computing tools.
• Using such suites to develop optimized overall configurations for fusion power plants and other testbed fusion devices, deploying scientific and technical understanding to pioneer these solutions.
• Working with expert groups from across the university to understand and integrate the constraints of many subsystems and aspects of plasma physics.
• Simulation‑based investigations to look in depth at key aspects of the system individually (such as subsystems, underlying fundamental discovery plasma science questions, techniques and behavior in fusion plasmas, blanket behavior - dependent on skillset and background of the applicant) with a view to concept improvement and understanding.
• Writing simulation code to improve models of behavior in the simulation suite, or facilitate execution of workflows.
• Establish collaborative engagement with other efforts across the United States, and particularly with access to national laboratories and heroic computational facilities.
• Potentially to engage in, or collaborate with validation exercises such as experimental tests on tokamaks or other testbed devices.
• Generate scientific deliverables including journal papers and conference talks.
• Significant aspects of these goals are expected to be achieved through support to and oversight of other personnel, such as postdocs and students, and thus a key responsibility is to oversee such delegation, work specification, oversight, tracking and mentorship to deliver research goals, and empower colleagues to personal success.

The successful candidate is expected to be able to operate with a high degree of autonomy and grapple with highly complex technical issues, distilling them down to essential understanding for a working knowledge. Specific understanding of relevant plasma science or fusion technology is essential. Excellent collaboration and people skills are required to work with and integrate a large team of experts. Some travel may be required to engage with collaborators.

Qualified candidates will have a Ph.D. in Physics or a related field, and at least two years experience since PhD in plasma or fusion technology research involving a strong simulation dimension and a demonstrated background directly applicable to the tasks, including experience with fusion simulation activities on the science or engineering side.

Qualifications

Basic qualifications

• -Ph.D. in physics or a related field
• -At least two years experience since PhD in plasma or fusion technology research involving a strong simulation dimension and a demonstrated background directly applicable to the tasks, including experience with fusion simulation activities on the science or engineering side.

Additional qualifications

• -Ability to operate with a high degree of autonomy and grapple with highly complex technical issues, distilling them down to essential understanding for a working knowledge
• -Specific understanding of relevant plasma science or fusion technology
• -Excellent collaboration and people skills to work with and integrate a large team of experts

Document requirements

• Curriculum Vitae - Your most recently updated C.V.
• Publication list - Your complete bibliography
• Statement of Research Interests and Future Research Goals - Statement of Research Interests and Future Goals
• Reference check authorization release form - Complete and upload the reference check authorization release form

Reference requirements

• 2-3 letters of reference required

Applicants will be asked to name references, and the applicant must request letters to complete their application.

Help contact: [e-mail]

About UCLA

As a University employee, you will be required to comply with all applicable University policies and/or collective bargaining agreements, as may be amended from time to time. Federal, state, or local government directives may impose additional requirements.

The University of California is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, age, protected veteran status, or other protected status under state or federal law.

As a condition of employment, the finalist will be required to disclose if they are subject to any final administrative or judicial decisions within the last seven years determining that they committed any misconduct.

• "Misconduct" means any violation of the policies or laws governing conduct at the applicant's previous place of employment, including, but not limited to, violations of policies or laws prohibiting sexual harassment, sexual assault, or other forms of harassment, discrimination, dishonesty, or unethical conduct, as defined by the employer.
• UC Sexual Violence and Sexual Harassment Policy
• UC Anti-Discrimination Policy for Employees, Students and Third Parties
• APM - 035: Aff…

Job location

Los Angeles, CA