Plasma Microwave Modelling Physicist (ECRH, Gyrotrons)

Proxima Fusion is hiring an Alpha Plasma Microwave Modeler in Munich to own the physics simulation pipeline connecting our gyrotron sources to plasma performance. You will model the propagation, polarization and absorption of millimeter waves in the Alpha stellarator, running ray-tracing and beam-tracing codes such as TRAVIS and RAYTRAX and validating against W7-X experimental data to drive the design of the Alpha ECRH launcher. You will model Electron Cyclotron Current Drive and build Python post-processing pipelines. It suits physicists with hands-on experience of an EC propagation or absorption code.

WHAT YOU WILL DO

• Run ray-tracing and beam-tracing simulations of EC wave propagation and absorption using codes such as TRAVIS, RAYTRAX and more complex beam or full wave model codes
• Develop an integrated modeling framework that couples wave deposition to transport codes, enabling temperature and density profile optimization and validation of the heating scenario performance
• Build and maintain Python-based post-processing pipelines to automate scenario scanning and interface simulation outputs with the Alpha integrated design framework
• Model Electron Cyclotron Current Drive (ECCD) and assess its ability to modify rotational transform and equilibrium in the Alpha quasi-isodynamic configuration
• Contribute to design reviews, interface control documents, and technical reports to ensure simulation results are traceable and actionable

WHO YOU ARE

• PhD (or equivalent demonstrated expertise) in plasma physics, applied physics, or a related field, with a focus on plasma-wave interactions or RF heating of magnetically confined plasmas
• Hands-on experience with at least one EC propagation or absorption code (TRAVIS, TORBEAM, C3PO, IPF-FD3D, or similar)
• Proficiency in Python for simulation scripting, data analysis, and visualization; comfort reading and modifying legacy Fortran or C/C++ code
• Systems-thinking mindset: able to translate physics outputs into engineering requirements and hardware constraints
• Strong team player, comfortable working across physics and engineering disciplines and with external academic partners
• Understanding of quasi optical propagation of millimeter waves; ray tracing and where it breaks down.

BY JOINING OUR TEAM YOU’LL GET TO

• Build the machine that builds the machine. Join TechOps at the forefront of advanced manufacturing, we’re building the production system that will enable commercial fusion. The Production lines, tooling, and processes are being developed from the ground up; you'll create the ways of working, not inherit them.
• Work at the frontier of manufacturing technology. Bring your creativity to evaluate, qualify, and deploy processes with no industry playbook, every component you build and every process you shape goes directly into the core of the stellarator magnet technology.
• Do work that matters, and see it grow. The hardware you build is the product and your career grows with it, from prototyping and process development through quality and industrialization, alongside exceptional colleagues from around the world.
• Make an impact you can point to. In a small, fast-moving team, your calls on equipment, quality, and process directly shape how a world-class deep-tech company produces superconducting magnets with results visible on the shop floor, not buried in a slidedeck.

WHO WE ARE

Proxima Fusion is Europe’s fastest-growing fusion company and the continent’s best-funded fusion player, as well as the first spin-out from the Max Planck Institute for Plasma Physics (IPP). Backed by over €650M and powered by a growing team across Munich, Zurich, and Oxford, we are developing the hardware and infrastructure needed to deliver the world’s first commercial stellarator fusion power plant.

Our concept advances the most mature fusion technology out there, the Wendelstein 7-X stellarator, through two next-generation machines: Alpha and Stellaris. Our work combines stellarator optimization, advanced computation, machine learning, and high-temperature superconducting magnets to unlock higher-performance designs that were previously out of reach.

Turning these designs into a functioning fusion power plant requires excellence and ownership across every discipline, from physics and engineering to software, manufacturing, law, and business functions.

INTERVIEW PROCESS

• Recruiter Interview (30-60 min)
• Technical Screening (30 min)
• Technical Panel (3x60 min)

*This role sits at "PF2" of our framework, please inquire during the recruitment process for further information.

At Proxima Fusion, our mission is bold: making limitless clean energy a reality. To get there, we need a high-performing, diverse team that brings different perspectives, challenges assumptions, and builds together with purpose. We know that diversity of thought and experience leads to better ideas, stronger execution, and a more resilient team. We don’t look at how you identify, what you look like, who you choose to worship or what ethnicity you are. We care about what you can bring to the table.