PhD Intern - Experimental Physics

26 days ago
Internship
In-person · Fremont, CA, US... more

About Pacific Fusion 

Pacific Fusion was founded in 2023 with the mission to power the world with abundant, affordable, clean energy.

We are rapidly designing and building a pulsed magnetic fusion system to achieve net facility gain (more fusion energy output than stored energy input). In parallel, we are developing the key components required to build affordable fusion systems.

Our plans are ambitious. We have raised over $900M so far from incredible investors, resourcing us to deliver on these plans. We are bringing together the best scientists, engineers, and operators from the fusion community, hard tech industry, and other sectors. We are united by a shared sense of urgency to provide clean power for the world, particularly managing climate change while meeting growing global energy demand. You can read more about us in this letter from our founders

About the Role

Job Overview:

Pacific Fusion is seeking an exceptional research intern to join our team and create the path to commercial fusion energy. You will work with our Experiments team and contribute to the development of key diagnostics for our high-gain fusion facility. We are looking for candidates interested in a 12-16 week, paid, in-person internship based in one of our Bay Area offices.

Responsibilities:

The main responsibility of an Experimental Physics Intern is to complete a research project under the supervision of a Pacific Fusion mentor. Examples of impactful projects include:

  • Contributing to the design of nuclear, x-ray, or optical diagnostics for our high-gain fusion facility.

  • Advancing our computational tools, which include Monte Carlo modeling of our diagnostic suite and synthetic data generation.

  • Development of laboratory capabilities for test and calibration of key diagnostic components.

  • Participating in external experiments at MA-scale university pulsed power facilities.

You will be expected to participate in team meetings and communicate the results of your work through oral presentations and written reports.

Qualifications:

  • Enrolled in a PhD program in Physics, Engineering, or a related field.

  • Experience in physics measurement methodologies including nuclear, x-ray, and optical diagnostics.

  • Experience using high-level programming languages such as python to perform numerical modeling or data analysis.

  • Able to work independently with limited guidance and proactively seek out the resources needed to complete the project.

  • Able to clearly communicate verbally and in writing.

Actual base salary offered will be determined by: experience, skills, and work location. This range is for base salary, our total compensation includes equity and benefits. We welcome you to apply even if your expectations are outside our listed range. 

Pacific Fusion is committed to creating a diverse environment and is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, genetics, disability, age, or veteran status.

Pacific Fusion is committed to providing reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals with disabilities in our job application procedures and throughout employment. If you need assistance or any accommodation, please let us know. 

Pacific Fusion does not accept unsolicited resumes from recruiters or employment agencies without a fully executed recruitment agreement in place. In the absence of such agreement, Pacific Fusion reserves the right to pursue and hire any candidates without an obligation to pay fees. Agencies are requested not to contact Pacific Fusion hiring managers or employees regarding recruiting services.