Computational Physicist

Reports To: Director, Accelerator Physics

xLight is building the world's most powerful laser to revolutionize semiconductor lithography, metrology, and other critical applications. Our approach is to harness the power of free-electron lasers by building on accelerator technology currently used at scientific facilities around the world. In extending this technology, we are developing industrial-grade light sources, engineered for continuous operation to meet the sophisticated demands of next-generation patterning, metrology, and inspection applications.

Join us in this new revolution!

At xLight, we hire exceptional talent and exceptional means more than a strong résumé. How we achieve results is just as important as the results themselves, which is why attitude and character matter as much as technical skill. We believe great talent is widely distributed and not confined to a particular school or background. We seek individuals who demonstrate ownership, a spirit of collaboration, technical curiosity, and a genuine willingness to learn and grow - guided by our core values of Respect, Integrity, Creativity, and Engineering Excellence.

We don't just hire for what someone can do today; we hire for who they are and who they are becoming.

The Computational Physicist will develop and apply computational models to understand, predict, and optimize the behavior of particle beams, electromagnetic fields, accelerator components, and Free Electron Lasers.

This role will work closely with accelerator physicists, FEL scientists, RF engineers, controls engineers, and experimental teams to turn theoretical models into practical engineering solutions. The ideal candidate combines strong fundamentals in physics with advanced numerical modeling, scientific computing, and a hands‑on approach to solving complex problems.

• Develop computational models and simulations of particle accelerator and FEL systems.
• Perform beam dynamics simulations, including particle tracking, longitudinal and transverse dynamics, and collective effects.
• Model and analyze electromagnetic fields, RF structures, accelerator components, and beam–field interactions.
• Develop simulations for Free Electron Laser physics, including electron–photon interactions, gain, bunching, and FEL performance.
• Conduct numerical studies to optimize accelerator and FEL parameters and system performance.
• Develop physics‑based models to investigate system sensitivity, stability, tolerances, and sources of performance degradation.
• Implement and improve computational methods for large-scale numerical physics problems.
• Analyze simulation and experimental data and establish correlation between computational predictions and measured system performance.
• Build automated simulation and optimization workflows to accelerate engineering and scientific design cycles.
• Work with experimental teams to define measurements and experiments that validate computational models.
• Communicate simulation results, assumptions, limitations, and recommendations to both technical and cross‑functional teams.
• Contribute to the development of internal computational tools, simulation frameworks, and physics models.
• Document models, methodologies, simulation results, and technical conclusions.
• Stay current with advances in accelerator physics, FEL technology, computational physics, and scientific computing.

• Ph.D. in Physics, Computational Physics, Accelerator Physics, Applied Physics, or a closely related field; or equivalent advanced research experience.
• Strong foundation in classical mechanics, electromagnetism, accelerator physics, and numerical methods.
• 5+ years experience developing computational models for complex…