Computational Physicist

As a computational physicist at Proxima, you will play a central role in developing and applying state-of-the-art numerical models that characterise the behaviour of fusion plasmas. This is a deeply hands-on technical role to design, implement, and validate simulation tools and numerical methods to answer research questions at the frontier of plasma physics. This role is specifically tailored for someone who will spend the majority of their time building, improving and validating such simulation tools, rather than primarily running existing codes and workflows. You will leverage modern software engineering practices—including the effective use of large language models (LLMs) as development aids—to accelerate code development, refactoring, testing, and documentation, while retaining full ownership of scientific correctness and numerical integrity. The production-quality simulation tools that you build will inform critical design and physics decisions for future fusion power plants.

Responsibilities

Design, implement and extend workflows that characterise plasma performance; Write high performance scientific code both lightweight integrated models, and high fidelity HPC simulations; Apply modern development tools and workflows, including LLM-based assistants, to improve development velocity, code readability, and testing coverage; Communicate your results, and collaborate with integrated modellers and engineers to ensure stellarator designs correctly meet the requirements for effective plasma confinement and control; Validate and benchmark models against theory, and experimental data where relevant.

Requirements

Hold a PhD or Masters in physics, mathematics, or computational physics; Proven experience, building numerical tools from first principles, taking problems from governing equations through numerical formulation, implementation, and validated simulation results; Proficient in one or more of: Python, Julia, C++, Fortran; Comfortable using LLM-based development tools as part of a modern scientific software workflow, with a clear understanding of their limitations and failure modes; Proficient in modern software development workflows, and HPC; Proactive in framing problems, as well as proposing and interrogating solutions; Motivated to work with and cultivate a diverse team of physicists, numerical modellers, and engineers.

Benefits

Work on some of the most complex tech challenges to bring abundant, safe, clean energy to the world; Join and learn from an exceptional selection of accomplished and driven individuals; Do your life’s best work and enjoy the journey; Get to show that big things are possible in Europe when you assemble the best talent.