Senior Scientist

By 2050, the planet could be using twice as much electricity compared to today. Are you interested in contributing and helping to shape the future of the world’s energy? If so, read on. Fusion, the process that powers the Sun and Stars, is one of the most promising options for generating the cleaner, carbon-free energy that our world badly needs. UKAEA leads the way in realizing fusion energy, partnering with industry and research for ground-breaking advancements. Our goal is to bring fusion electricity to the grid, supported by tomorrow's power stations. In pursuit of our mission, UKAEA embraces core values: Innovative, Committed, Trusted, and Collaborative.

As an employee of UKAEA you will benefit from:

• Outstanding defined benefit pension scheme.
• Corporate bonus scheme up to 7% and a Relocation allowance (if eligible).
• Flexible working options including family friendly policies and the right to request flexible working from the start of your employment.
• 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.
• Wide range of career development opportunities.
• A vibrant culture committed to equality and being fully inclusive.

The salary for this role is £57,117 (inclusive of a Specialist Allowance). Onsite working is expected for 5 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.

Are you looking for an exciting opportunity to make a difference? Join our team and contribute to the future of fusion energy. As a Senior Scientist, you will play a leading role in delivering a major £1m+ LIBRTI campaign, working with customers and partners to develop and demonstrate fusion breeding technologies. You will help scope and de-risk the campaign through experiments and modelling, work closely with engineers on facility adaptation, safety and experimental design, and contribute directly to campaign operations. This is an opportunity to work across a multidisciplinary team and help deliver proof of blanket concepts for future fusion powerplants.

Additional Responsibilities:

• Lead and coordinate projects (Project >£100k), managing scope, funding, procurement and resources for testing, modelling and research activities.
• Deliver high-quality, novel research and engineering in nuclear materials, applying technical expertise to address complex challenges.
• Lead the preparation and presentation of results through technical reports, internal meetings and high-impact publications.
• Define materials requirements for fusion power plant operation, working closely with internal teams and building strong links with academic, industry and fusion and fission partners.
• Lead and support small teams of materials scientists and PhD students, providing direction and coordinating work across projects, experiments and modelling activities.
• Manage relationships with external collaborators and customers, working with universities, research organisations and industry to strengthen UKAEA’s capability.
• Lead the development of UKAEA’s technical knowledge, design rules and practices in materials and nuclear physics research.
• Lead bids and secure funding for new projects (Project >£100k), aligned with UKAEA priorities and programmes such as STEP, EUROfusion and EPSRC.
• Represent UKAEA at UK and international conferences, technical meetings and other relevant events.
• Contribute to national and international working groups in specialist areas of nuclear science, including standards, benchmarking and collaborative research programmes.

Essential Requirements:

• PhD in a relevant subject, or equivalent knowledge and experience gained through an HNC, apprenticeship, undergraduate degree and relevant work experience.
• Significant research experience in a laboratory, materials research group or experimental campaign.
• Effective teamwork and communication skills, with the ability to explain complex technical information clearly to both specialist and non-specialist audiences.
• Ability to deliver high-quality results to tight timescales and within budget.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills in English.
• Digital literacy and confidence in using Microsoft Office, including Outlook, Word, Excel and PowerPoint.

Desirable Requirements:

• Experience in materials processing, development, analysis or qualification for engineering applications.
• Good understanding of nuclear environments and irradiation damage.
• Experience with high-resolution analytical techniques, such as XRF, TEM or STEM, or with engineering design codes.
• Strong publication record in a relevant technical or scientific field.
• Experience preparing funding and grant applications.

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.

UK Atomic Energy Authority is committed to being accessible. Please email [email protected] 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.