Divertor Plasma Physicist

Thea Energy is leveraging recent breakthroughs in stellarator physics and engineering to create a faster and simpler approach to commercialising fusion energy. The company is reinventing the stellarator using computer-controlled arrays of planar coils, replacing the intricate modular magnets required in all other stellarator architectures. This Divertor Plasma Physicist focuses on the physics design of stellarator divertors, working on Thea Energy’s toroidally continuous X-point divertor, which the company describes as a robust, high-performance exhaust solution to one of the most significant challenges in stellarator magnetic confinement. The role analyses and simulates the divertor region of stellarator magnetic fields and collaborates across disciplines to execute the divertor development programme.

Key Responsibilities

• Optimise divertor magnetic and mechanical geometry and target plates using state-of-the-art computational tools
• Analyse edge magnetic geometry and provide feedback to the stellarator optimisation and divertor engineering teams
• Develop and implement algorithms to simulate fluid plasma within complex magnetic edge topologies
• Develop and optimise divertor operation scenarios for the Eos stellarator
• Collaborate with cross-disciplinary teams to design effective stellarator divertor systems
• Perform data analysis and model validation to provide insights into the physical mechanisms governing plasma behaviour
• Prepare technical reports, presentations and publications based on simulation results and optimisation findings

Requirements

Essential:

• PhD in plasma physics or a related field with 2+ years of experience, or a master’s degree with 5+ years of experience
• Experience with the boundaries of fusion devices, particularly stellarators
• Proficiency in scientific programming languages (for example Python, Fortran, C++ or MATLAB)
• Familiarity with plasma physics simulation tools
• Excellent analytical, problem-solving and communication skills
• Ability to work independently and manage complex projects
• Strong attention to detail and commitment to advancing fusion energy research
• Willingness to collaborate effectively with diverse internal and external teams of scientists and engineers

Desirable:

• Experience with edge plasma models such as BMW, FLARE, SOLPS, UEDGE and EMC3-EIRENE
• Experience on a plasma physics experimental device, ideally a large stellarator or tokamak experiment
• Solid understanding of plasma fluid and neutral particle models
• Familiarity with plasma-material interactions
• Experience working in high-performance computing (HPC) environments

Thea Energy notes that it is not necessary to meet all of the listed skillsets and invites candidates to explain why they would still be a great fit.