Alpha Plasma Microwave Modeler

Job description

WHO WE ARE Proxima Fusion is Europe’s fastest-growing fusion company and the continent’s best-funded fusion player, as well as the first spin-out from the Max Planck Institute for Plasma Physics (IPP). Backed by over €650M and powered by a growing team across Munich, Zurich, and Oxford, we are developing the hardware and infrastructure needed to deliver the world’s first commercial stellarator fusion power plant. Our concept advances the most mature fusion technology out there, the Wendelstein 7-X stellarator, through two next-generation machines: Alpha and Stellaris. Our work combines stellarator optimization, advanced computation, machine learning, and high-temperature superconducting magnets to unlock higher-performance designs that were previously out of reach. Turning these designs into a functioning fusion power plant requires excellence and ownership across every discipline, from physics and engineering to software, manufacturing, law, and business functions. WHY JOIN PROXIMA FUSION - You will get to work on some of the most complex tech challenges to bring abundant, safe, clean energy to the world. - You'll get to join and learn from an exceptional selection of accomplished and driven individuals. - Do your life’s best work and enjoy the journey. - Get to show that big things are possible in Europe when you assemble the best talent. YOUR IMPACT As the Alpha Plasma Microwave Modeler, you will own the physics simulation pipeline that connects our gyrotron sources to plasma performance. You will model the propagation, polarization, and absorption of millimeter waves in the Alpha stellarator guiding the design choices that determine how effectively we heat the plasma. You will sit at the interface between plasma physics, RF engineering, and systems design, working closely with the ECRH design lead, electromagnetic engineers, and academic partners to ensure that simulation insight drives hardware decisions. You will establish the simulation baseline by running ray-tracing and beam-tracing codes across the Alpha operating space, validating these against W7-X experimental data so that the results can drive the design of the Alpha ECRH launcher and gyrotron designs. WHAT YOU WILL DO - Run ray-tracing and beam-tracing simulations of EC wave propagation and absorption using codes such as TRAVIS, RAYTRAX and more complex beam or full wave model codes - Develop an integrated modeling framework that couples wave deposition to transport codes, enabling temperature and density profile optimization and validation of the heating scenario performance - Build and maintain Python-based post-processing pipelines to automate scenario scanning and interface simulation outputs with the Alpha integrated design framework - Model Electron Cyclotron Current Drive (ECCD) and assess its ability to modify rotational transform and equilibrium in the Alpha quasi-isodynamic configuration - Contribute to design reviews, interface control documents, and technical reports to ensure simulation results are traceable and actionable WHO YOU ARE - PhD (or equivalent demonstrated expertise) in plasma physics, applied physics, or a related field, with a focus on plasma-wave interactions or RF heating of magnetically confined plasmas - Hands-on experience with at least one EC propagation or absorption code (TRAVIS, TORBEAM, C3PO, IPF-FD3D, or similar) - Proficiency in Python for simulation scripting, data analysis, and visualization; comfort reading and modifying legacy Fortran or C/C++ code - Systems-thinking mindset: able to translate physics outputs into engineering requirements and hardware constraints - Strong team player, comfortable working across physics and engineering disciplines and with external academic partners INTERVIEW PROCESS - Recruiter Interview (30-60 min) - Technical Screening (30 min) - Technical Panel (3x60 min) *This role sits at Level 2 of our framework, please inquire during the recruitment process for further information. At Proxima Fusion, our mission is bold: making limitless clean energy a reality. To get there, we need a high-performing, diverse team that brings different perspectives, challenges assumptions, and builds together with purpose. We know that diversity of thought and experience leads to better ideas, stronger execution, and a more resilient team. We don’t look at how you identify, what you look like, who you choose to worship or what ethnicity you are. We care about what you can bring to the table.