FOSTER International Fellow

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, 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 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.

For a step-by-step overview of how we hire from application to offer please see our Recruitment Process page:

The salary for this role is £42,858 (inclusive of a Specialist Allowance). Onsite working is expected for 3 days a week, however, we actively support requests for flexible working.

This role is based at Culham, Oxfordshire. We will also consider Rotherham as another location.

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.

Please include a cover letter of no more than one page, explaining your relevant experience for the role.

Interviewees will be asked to provide further information about their proposal at interview.

UKAEA has launched the international fellowship scheme as part of the FOSTER programme (Fusion Opportunities in Skills, Training, Education, and Research). This is a first-of-a-kind opportunity, for a two-year post-doctoral fellowship with a unique opportunity to collaborate with another international organisation. Our ambition is for partnerships to enable post-doctoral candidates to develop their research skills and support a pathway into an industrial R&D role or an academic career.

Alongside your fellowship, a scientist from National Institute for Quantum Science and Technology (QST), Japan, will be appointed to perform a complementary role. You will support each other in an advisory capacity as well as participating in an exchange (with at least 3 months spent at QST in Japan as part of the fellowship).

Electromagnetic loads are expected to be design limiting for the core components of magnetic fusion machines, especially those generated during off-normal events. We are looking for a dynamic researcher to work at the forefront of their field leading in electromagnetic simulation of the engineering consequences of these loads, with a focus on experimental validation. This could include coupling of interfacing physics, diagnostic development and experimental design/optimisation.

We expect the fellowship to leverage a range of experimental facilities at UKAEA for the purpose of simulation validation, verification and uncertainty quantification. The fellow will develop a simulation research plan and work with experimentalists to define validation experiments and oversee the execution of those experiments, with the high-level goal to develop impactful research related to integral tests at component scales, which will become available in the UKAEA CHIMERA facility.

In this role you will be responsible for driving the direction of your research, building strong links with…