STRIDE-Computational Scientist

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 

High-performance particle simulations targeting exascale computing will play a key part in the modelling of future fusion reactors, spanning a wide range of use cases, including plasma modelling, reacting gas flows, and particle-surface interactions. 

The successful candidate for this role will primarily be working on the development of novel software and methods for performance-portable simulations based on the UKAEA particle library NESO-Particles. They will bring a combination of a good understanding of high-performance computing methods and tools, such as parallel and GPU programming, and knowledge of statistical and numerical methods for particle modelling (e.g. Particle-In-Cell, Direct Simulation Monte Carlo, etc.). This role is based in the Computing division at UKAEA, but a successful candidate would be expected to engage with colleagues across divisions (e.g. plasma physics), so basic knowledge of plasma physics and/or related disciplines is desirable, though not essential. 

As well as working with peers on the development of high-performance simulation software, the role holder will assist with deploying and testing them on state-of-the-art systems like the SUNRISE supercomputer, which is soon to be stood up by UKAEA and Cambridge. 

What You’ll Be Doing

Technical:

• Apply computational or numerical methods to scientific problems independently or as part of a team with oversight from senior computational scientists.
• Develop robust, maintainable software for use modelling aspects of tokamak plasmas.
• Ensure software meets user requirements, is well-tested and versioned and properly documented.
• Work with domain specialists to deploy computational models for research and development purposes.
• May advise colleagues on their area of expertise.

Communication & Influencing:

• Communicates technical concepts, methods, and results clearly and effectively to colleagues within and beyond their immediate team.
• Produces high‑quality technical reports, documentation, and contributions to journal publications, taking a leading role for outputs related to their work.
• Presents their work and that of their immediate team at organisational workshops.

People Management:

• May mentor junior team members (graduates and apprentices) on technical skills or supervise doctoral students.

Organisational Knowledge:

• Understands the context of their research within the wider landscape of fusion energy research. Computational scientists are expected to collaborate internally and externally with partners working in closely related areas.

What You’ll Bring

• A degree in a scientific, engineering, or technical subject + PhD or experience working in an academic or industrial research environment.  
• Demonstrable experience in at least one modern programming language relevant to plasma modelling (C++, Fortran, Python, Julia)
• Familiarity with  modern software engineering practices.
• Ability to write efficient, comprehensible and maintainable code independently.
• Familiarity with common numerical methods for simulation of relevant physical systems.
• Ability to learn and apply new technologies, communicate technical work clearly to diverse audiences, manage time effectively to meet project deadlines and quality standards, and work collaboratively while taking ownership of assigned responsibilities.

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 £43,702(inclusive of a £3,300 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
• 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.