Lead Scientist, Data-Driven Engineering

Yarnton

Job Description

Role Purpose

We are looking for a highly skilled and experienced lead scientist to develop our magneto-inertial fusion target and hydrodynamic amplifier technology. The position is available at the Lead Scientist level with potential for management responsibility for a small team (initially 1-2 scientists) for the right candidate.

You will lead the design, simulation and development of fusion targets for FLARE, including both magneto-inertial compression and laser driven ignition components. You will have the domain knowledge necessary to drive this work, particularly deep understanding of magneto-hydrodynamics driven liner implosions. You will perform simulation-led design using our in-house developed hydrocodes, accelerated using latest AI & ML tools, in collaboration with a highly skilled team of physicists and engineers. Additionally, you will further develop the team’s pre- & post-processing simulation and AI/ML tools, improving the development cycle.

First Light Fusion operates with its own experimental and manufacturing facilities, enabling us to move quickly and innovate. This will allow your ideas to progress from a basic concept to a working experiment over a short period of time. To facilitate this, you will collaborate across the technical team, using your expertise to ensure that targets are designed, manufactured, and fielded on experiments in a way that maximises performance. You will also act as a source of knowledge and experience, that other scientists within the company can draw on when pursuing their own ideas.  You will have the opportunity to communicate your research at scientific conferences and in peer-reviewed publications.

Accountabilities and deliverables

Use our in-house radiation-hydrodynamic and magneto-hydrodynamic codes to investigate and develop target designs, enabling both isolated validation of key physical concepts and integrated test campaigns. Run radiation-magneto-hydrodynamic simulations to understand in-depth the dynamics and physical processes at work within our targets. 
Run radiation-magneto-hydrodynamic simulations to understand in-depth the dynamics and physical processes at work within our targets.
Provide specialist technical support and training, aiding other scientists at First Light to develop target designs and interpret their results.  
Contribute our shared modelling framework software used to set up & analyse our simulations.
Use AI/ML tools to analyse results of ensembles of simulations, identify trends and perform numerical optimisation.

Core skills, knowledge and attributes

Essential

PhD in a STEM subject, or equivalent industry experience. 
Successful track-record of planning and developing the design of high energy density platforms and/or ICF targets
Proven track record of using simulation tools to design and develop complex, multi-physics based systems. 
Experience using High Performance Computing systems
Strong communication and interpersonal skills.   
Programming experience in one of Python, C++ or Fortran. 
Ability to influence, collaborate and negotiate with all levels of an organisation

Desirable

Experience developing fusion target designs for experiments on international facilities.
Experience in Magneto Hydro Dynamics (MHD) simulation and modelling.
Line management experience
Experience with machine learning and other advanced optimisation methods. 
Knowledge of software engineering good practice.   
Understanding of the numerical methods used in hydrodynamics codes.  
Knowledge of software development best practice