STRIDE – Advanced Specialist HPC Computational Engineer – Nuclear

Overview of Responsibilities

About us  

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 realizing fusion energy, partnering with industry and research organisations to achieve ground-breaking advancements. Our goal is to bring fusion electricity to the grid by developing the power stations of tomorrow and the skilled workforce to deliver them.  

About the job 

Join UKAEA’s Computational Materials and Engineering team and help advance the modelling and simulation capabilities that support the development of future fusion energy systems. This role combines technical leadership, scientific computing and cutting-edge research, enabling you to shape innovative computational solutions while working with world-leading technologies and collaborators. It’s an opportunity to apply your expertise to complex real-world challenges with impact across both science and engineering.

What You’ll Be Doing

• Lead modelling, simulation and uncertainty quantification activities that support fusion research and engineering programmes.
• Develop and apply novel numerical methods and algorithms for advanced computational challenges.
• Lead the design, development, testing and maintenance of scientific software and perform code reviews to maintain quality.
• Drive the evaluation, deployment and optimisation of emerging computing architectures and technologies.
• Develop computational approaches that support digital twins of current and future fusion systems.
• Deliver high-impact research outputs, including peer-reviewed publications and conference presentations.
• Contribute to research funding proposals and identify opportunities for new technical collaborations and projects.
• Support and coordinate international research activities with academic, industrial and programme partners.
• Oversee the technical output of small teams and ensure delivery of agreed project milestones.
• Provide specialist technical guidance and contribute to capability development across the wider team.

What You’ll Bring

• A doctorate in a computational, mathematical or physical science discipline, with a strong publication record, significant software contributions, or equivalent commercial or research experience.
• Demonstrable experience leading technical projects, research activities or software development teams.
• Significant experience developing software in at least one compiled language such as C++, Fortran, C or Rust, or an advanced scripting language such as Julia, R or Swift Parallel Scripting.
• Strong expertise in computational engineering, numerical analysis and scientific computing, evidenced through research outputs or software development contributions.
• Significant experience using high-performance computing systems and working within UNIX environments, including command-line tools.
• Proven experience delivering computational research or engineering solutions through software development, modelling and simulation activities.
• Experience in nuclear physics or nuclear engineering would be a bonus!

UKAEA is an onsite organisation, and this role requires regular onsite presence (usually between 3-5 days in any given week) in line with business needs. We actively support flexible working arrangements where this is compatible with the role.

Benefits 

We have a generous range of benefits (see the full list here) and highlights include:   

• A salary of £57,117 (inclusive of a £5,800 specialist allowance)   
• Up to 7% corporate performance bonus
• Final salary defined benefits pension scheme with an equivalent of 21.5% employer pension contribution  
• 25 days annual leave plus 2.5 ‘privilege’ days; 8 Bank Holidays
• Additional 3 days of site closure over Christmas break  
• Flexible working options plus family-friendly leave provisions  

Our commitment to ED&I 

UKAEA’s mission is clean energy for all, and we welcome talented people from all backgrounds to help us achieve this goal. We are committed to equality, diversity, inclusion and accessibility, and strive to ensure fair representation across our workforce. 

Please email talent@ukaea.uk if you have any questions or require adjustments to help you participate fairly in our recruitment process, for example changes to the way we interview or share information. As a Disability Confident Employer, we are committed to providing an inclusive and accessible recruitment experience for all candidates. 

We particularly encourage applications from groups currently underrepresented in STEM, including women and people from diverse ethnic backgrounds. All appointments are made on merit and further information can be found here.