Plasma Operations Physicist

Plasma Operations Physicist

Culham Science Centre, OX14 3DB
Abingdon, Oxfordshire, United Kingdom

Employees work in a hybrid mode. Full-time. Salary: £43,702 (inclusive of Specialist Allowance) + excellent benefits, including outstanding pension.

Division:
Plasma Science and Fusion Operations. Site

Location:

UKAEA Culham, Oxfordshire. Confirmed Grade:
Grade

E. Department:
Plasma Physics.

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 ground‑breaking 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:
Innovative, Committed, Trusted, and Collaborative.

As an employee of UKAEA, you will benefit from:

• Outstanding defined benefit pension scheme, details of which can be found at the end of this advert.
• Corporate bonus scheme up to 7% and a Relocation allowance (if eligible).
• Flexible working options, including family‑friendly policies and the right to request flexible working from the start of your employment.
• Employee Assistance Programme and trained Mental Health First Aiders.
• Generous annual leave allowance, starting with 25 days, plus 3 days’ Christmas closure and 2.5 privilege days, in addition to UK bank holidays.
• Wide range of career development opportunities.
• A vibrant culture committed to equality and being fully inclusive.

For a step‑by‑step overview of how we hire from application to offer, please see the Recruitment Process page on our website.

Salary for this role is £43,702 (inclusive of a Specialist Allowance). Onsite working is expected for 4 days each week; however, we actively support requests for flexible working.

This role can be based at any of the following sites:
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.

As a Plasma Operations Physicist, you will play a pivotal role in plasma operations activities in present and future fusion devices, including fusion power plants. You will join a world‑class team and support MAST‑U operations, contribute to the operations of future machines such as STEP, and travel to other plasma machines around the world to learn and share operational knowledge.

The job holder is expected to develop an area of expertise with tokamaks and plasma operations while also developing a general understanding of how future machines will operate in their full life cycle. Experience in areas such as (but not restricted to) plasma control, diagnostics, auxiliary heating, plasma physics, modelling or other operational areas (e.g. accelerators, intense lasers) would be ideal candidates for this role.

• Conduct research in plasma operations and plasma physics in the experimental campaigns in UKAEA programmes, such as MAST‑U or international facilities.
• Support the Responsible Officers of control or protection systems in present or future devices, as required.
• Attend appropriate forums as an expert in plasma operations.
• Learn and perform operational control room roles.
• Work together with UKAEA specialists in the design and development activities for existing and new devices, such as STEP.
• Support experts in providing advice on plasma operations that influence UKAEA’s corporate strategy.
• Support plasma operations activities led by the plasma operations experts and internal UKAEA committees and panels.
• Take part in external collaborations where appropriate.
• Participate in experimental programmes (e.g. WPTE EURO fusion) as appropriate, as part of experimental teams.

• PhD (or equivalent experience)…