Senior Core Transport and Turbulence Modeller

The salary for this role is £57,117 (inclusive of Specialist Allowance). Onsite working is expected for 3 days each 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 The Disclosure & Barring Service (DBS) checks for criminal convictions and possibly a search of open source data.

The Role

As Senior Core Transport and Turbulence Modeller, you will play a pivotal role in leading, proposing, and conducting turbulence and transport analysis using advanced transport codes and integrated modelling frameworks like JINTRAC and TRANSP, while exploiting state‑of‑the‑art core turbulence and gyrokinetic codes. The postholder will carry out such analyses for a range of existing and future tokamaks, including MAST‑U and the conceptual high‑β spherical tokamak power plant, STEP. Additionally, you will direct, propose, and execute experiments on MAST‑U, aiming to validate and guide the development of reduced transport models, ultimately enhancing confidence in predictive simulations of core transport.

Key Responsibilities

• Provide scientific leadership and guidance in developing and validating turbulence models to produce predictive simulations of the core plasma transport in support of the UK’s STEP programme.
• Maintain and guide the development of Prokinetics, the Python library used for gyrokinetic code analysis.
• Direct, propose and execute experiments on MAST‑U, especially in the area of the role.
• Act as the scientific point of contact for core plasma modelling on MAST‑U.
• Nurture and grow existing collaborations, and seek new opportunities for national and international collaborations.
• Provide guidance and expertise, directing the future of development of transport and turbulence analysis at UKAEA.
• Report results at science and other regular progress meetings. Disseminate results through presentations, conferences, and peer reviewed journal papers.
• Guide and mentor Early Career researchers in areas relating to turbulence and transport modelling.

Qualifications

• PhD level research experience in plasma physics or in a related discipline and post‑doctoral experience in plasma modelling.
• Proven ability to conduct independent research.
• Demonstrable high‑quality outputs in areas very relevant to the role, e.g., track record of publications in one or more of:
• Core turbulent transport models based on gyrokinetics and/or reduced quasilinear models.
• Heat, particle and momentum sources.
• Transport analysis and integrated modelling of tokamak plasma scenarios.
• Ability to interact with physicists and understand their requirements.
• Good oral and written communication skills.
• The post‑holder must be a good team‑player with an outward facing work‑ethos as they will work closely with scientists from around the world.

Benefits

• Outstanding defined benefit pension scheme, details of which can be found at the end of this advert.
• Corporate bonus scheme up to 7% and a relocation allowance (if eligible).
• Flexible working options including family friendly policies.
• Employee Assistance Programme and trained Mental Health First Aiders.
• Generous annual leave allowance starting with 25 days, plus 3 days Christmas closure and 2.5 privilege days, in addition to UK bank holidays.
• A vibrant culture committed to equality and being fully inclusive.

Equality and Diversity

UKAEA’s mission is clean energy for all, and we welcome talented people from all backgrounds to help us achieve this goal. We are committed to equality, diversity, and inclusion and strive to ensure fair representation across our workforce. We particularly encourage applications from groups currently underrepresented in STEM, including women and individuals from diverse ethnic backgrounds, while ensuring all appointments are made on merit.

Contact

If you have any questions or require help or adjustments to compete on a fair basis, for example, changes to the way we interview or share information, please email.

Please note that vacancies are generally advertised for 4 weeks but may close earlier if we receive a large number of applications.