The salary for this role is £64,820 (inclusive of a Specialist Allowance). Onsite working is expected for 4 days each week, however, we actively support requests for flexible working.
This role is based at the following site: 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
Are you looking for an exciting opportunity to make a difference? Join our team and contribute to the future of fusion energy. As Senior Plasma Operations Expert, you will play a pivotal role in plasma operations activities in present and future fusion devices, including fusion power plants. You will join a world class team and support MAST-U operations, advise and plan the operations of future machines such as STEP, and travel to other plasma machines around the world to learn and share operational knowledge.
The job holder is expected to build on their existing area of expertise and add to this with a general understanding of how future machines will operate in their full life cycle. Experts from various areas related to plasmas and/or tokamak operations such as (but not restricted to) plasma control, diagnostics, auxiliary heating or modelling would be ideal candidates for this role.
Key Accountabilities:
- Conduct and lead research in plasma operations and plasma physics in the experimental campaigns in UKAEA programmes, such as MAST-U or international facilities.
- Act as Responsible Officer for control or protection systems in present or future devices, as required.
- Be a member of appropriate forums, as an expert in plasma operations.
- Operate fusion devices in control room roles.
- Take part in the design and development activities for existing and new devices, such as STEP, influencing the direction and execution of plasma operations by providing specialised and deep knowledge in these fields.
- Contribute to UKAEA’s corporate strategy by providing expertise in plasma operations, leading activities where appropriate.
- Support UKAEA and the international fusion programme by acting as a plasma operations expert in collaborations with national and international partners.
- Work in and, where appropriate, lead teams of internal and external collaborators.
- As required, manage plasma operations activities, anticipating scientific needs of the projects or programmes, planning scarce resources, preparing operational rosters, and delivering reports to all relevant panels and committees. Includes coordinating pools of people in control room roles, reporting to relevant panels and committees, and organising training.
- Participate in experimental programmes (e.g. WPTE EUROfusion) as appropriate, as part of experimental teams.