Turbulence Modeller in Abingdon

Overview of Responsibilities

The salary for this role is £48,290 (inclusive of a Specialist Allowance). Onsite working is expected for 3 days a week; however, we actively support requests for flexible working. This role can be based at any of the following sites: Culham, Oxfordshire. This role requires employees to complete an online Baseline Personnel Security Standard (BPSS), including Disclosure & Barring Service (DBS) checks for criminal convictions and possibly a search of open source data.

The role involves developing and applying advanced computational tools to model turbulence and transport in high beta burning plasmas, focusing on creating and refining reduced (quasilinear) models to capture key physics of turbulent transport efficiently, providing essential insights for optimising next‑generation fusion pilot plants (FPP). This work is integral to UKAEA’s ambitious STEP programme and supports the research on the MAST‑U device. The plasma regimes envisaged for FPPs like STEP push beyond the range of validity of reduced models of turbulent transport, requiring further development. UKAEA collaborates with UK universities and international programmes.

Key Responsibilities

• Exploit codes that include physics required to model turbulence in high beta burning plasmas, e.g. fast alpha fusion products, electromagnetic fluctuations, flows etc.
• Build and refine reduced models to describe the turbulent transport obtained from higher‑fidelity models.
• May propose and participate in relevant experiments on MAST‑U or other devices.
• Exploit and/or develop advanced computational tools (e.g. flux‑driven transport calculations using gyro‑kinetic simulations and/or reduced models) and use these simulations to: improve reduced transport models, predict turbulence and transport in conceptual high beta burning plasmas, predict performance and explore routes to optimise reactor designs.
• Report results regularly via reports and presentations both internally and to collaborators.
• Disseminate outputs at conferences and in journals where appropriate.
• Collaborate with turbulence modellers, developers and experimentalists based at UKAEA and in external collaborating organisations.

Qualifications

• PhD (or equivalent experience) in a relevant field.
• Experience in numerical modelling and/or validation of plasma turbulence models.
• PhD level knowledge of plasma turbulence transport.
• Interest in model validation by testing models against experiment.
• Experience in a high‑level programming language (e.g. Python, MATLAB).
• Self‑driven researcher.
• Good team player.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills.
• Relevant publications.

Additional Information

A full list of our benefits can be found here, but the core benefits include pension and other outstanding perks. UK Atomic Energy Authority is committed to equality, diversity and inclusion, encouraging applications from under‑represented groups. We are accessible; please email talent@ukaea.uk if you require adjustments or have questions. Vacancies are generally advertised for 4 weeks but may close earlier if we receive many applications.