Science & Engineering Innovation Year in Industry 2026/27 - Engineering Physics in Burgess Hill

Empowering people and enabling solutions for a more sustainable future. If you’re passionate about science and engineering and want to get a head start in your career, then a Year in Industry placement at Edwards and the Atlas Copco Group could be for you! We’re looking for outstanding students with curiosity and commitment to make a real difference.

Our world of technology is full of opportunities, and we can’t wait to explore it with you. We create some of the purest vacuum environments on earth for widescale use in industry and research. We take pride in our globally recognised position as the number one technology partner and supplier of vacuum process solutions in support of our customers’ environmental and productivity targets. Our caring culture and cutting‑edge technology enable us to innovate for a sustainable future, and we believe that passionate people make it happen. One of our greatest strengths is the diversity of our workforce – we believe this is key to success and that everybody should feel valued and able to reach their full potential.

What is our Year in Industry programme all about? Vacuum is one of the hidden secrets behind many of the products you rely on every day. Our products enable scientific research, food preservation, the manufacture of smart devices and electric vehicles, as well as preventing the release of greenhouse gases into the environment. It’s a fast‑moving market with new applications emerging all the time, so we’re looking for bright, innovative and forward‑thinking people to join us.

Our Year in Industry programme provides students who are undertaking a relevant degree in physics or a relevant combined honours or degree with a physics specialisation at university the opportunity of working in a global R&D function. You could be working in our labs developing new innovative concepts for our customers or researching new breakthrough technologies. It’s an amazing insight into life inside an organisation that is growing and developing at an incredible rate. The paid placement lasts for 12 months and is an exciting development opportunity in the field of science and engineering innovation. Here you can put the theory you have learnt in an academic environment into a practical application in the workplace.

In this role you will work with a multidisciplinary team of subject matter experts in vacuum systems and solutions that enable technologies such as high‑energy physics, surface analysis and medical diagnostic applications to name a few.

As Part Of Our Team, You’ll Be:

• Working on real technology projects at the cutting edge of the field that have real value to the business.
• Developing your lab skills working in a professional research lab designing experiments or test solutions.
• Conducting research into the state of the art in technologies and applications, using knowledge gained to develop and innovate solutions to different projects.
• Growing skills and experience in a technical environment enabling you to gain valuable business knowledge and delivering important innovation projects.
• Experiencing working within a truly global multidisciplinary organisation.
• Learning vacuum and abatement science and understanding our customers’ applications.
• Developing new innovative technologies and solutions for deployment in future products or customer systems.
• Using or developing advanced simulation tools to optimise product design and application solutions.
• Designing, testing and evaluating solutions and making suggestions for improvements.
• Writing technical reports and presenting results to team members and project sponsors.
• Gaining exposure to intellectual property, engineering processes and other disciplines.
• Provided opportunities to pursue learning and development in technology areas of interest.

Location: You will be based at our Vacuum Technique Business global headquarters in Burgess Hill, Sussex, a short journey from the vibrant and diverse seaside city of Brighton and Hove.

To Succeed, You Will Need:

• To be studying Physics (or relevant combined degree with a focus on physics) at university and undertaking a year in industry, sandwich year or deferring for work placement, achieving an average of 2.1 or above.
• A genuine passion for working in a scientific/technical environment, with the ability to work with clients and internal stakeholders.
• A good understanding of the fundamentals of physics and the ability to implement them to solve practical problems and develop solutions.
• Curiosity, creativity and commitment to push and innovate at the forefront of technology.
• Good communication skills, with the ability to communicate with and work effectively as part of a specialist team.
• A keen interest in researching and developing solutions across a wide technology arena, utilising advances in engineering, science, software and digital technology.

In return, we offer you: An annual salary of £24,000.00 on a fixed‑term contract of 12 months. This is a development opportunity where you will have access to online learning modules and on‑the‑job technical and business training. Our Early Careers Community provides you with a network of peers in a similar stage of their careers and on‑site we offer various health and wellbeing initiatives along with continuous support and coaching.

Selection process: The closing date for this role is midnight, Friday 30th January 2026. However, if we receive a high volume of applications we may close for applications sooner. If you’re successful in progressing to the next stage, you’ll be asked to complete an online competency assessment. The final stage of the process will be an in‑person selection day to be held in February or March in Burgess Hill.

About Edwards: Edwards is a leading developer and manufacturer of sophisticated vacuum products, exhaust management systems and related value‑added services. Edwards solutions are integral to manufacturing processes for semiconductors, flat panel displays, LEDs and solar cells. They are also used within an increasingly diverse range of industrial processes including power, glass and other coating applications; steel and other metallurgy; pharmaceutical and chemical; and for scientific instruments in a wide range of R&D applications. Edwards has over 4,000 employees worldwide engaged in the design, manufacture and support of high‑technology vacuum and exhaust management equipment. Edwards has state‑of‑the‑art manufacturing facilities in Europe, Asia and North America.