Student Placement - Physics

Company Background

What if there was a limitless, safe, clean, low-cost energy source, providing much needed global energy security? What if that energy source could also help reduce climate change? We believe that’s fusion energy. Tokamak Energy is a leading global commercial fusion energy company based near Oxford, UK. We are taking established science and building on it by pioneering the use of spherical tokamaks in conjunction with high temperature superconducting magnets.

The company, founded in 2009 as a spin-off from the Culham Centre for Fusion Energy, currently employs a growing team of over 180 people with talent from the UK and around the world including expert scientific, engineering, industrial and commercial capabilities. The company has more than 55 families of patent applications and has raised over £100m of private investment.

Once realised, fusion energy will be a key enabler for meeting world energy requirements and climate policy goals. Come and be a part of a dynamic and innovative team who are striving to provide a solution to one of humanity’s greatest challenges: clean and sustainable energy for all.

Overview of the role

Tokamak Energy are pleased to be offering a number of Summer placement opportunities to undergraduates who are studying a relevant degree and seeking experience within a commercial Fusion organisation. Our Summer placements offer a fantastic opportunity to work with highly talented individuals and teams, focusing on a focused project or series of small projects and tasks to support our mission and goals.

This opportunity will not only be a great way to apply some of your learnings from your studies, but also be part of a commercial Fusion working environment combining R&D with Programme delivery and learning to work in a collaborative and innovative workplace. You will have the opportunity to apply your skills and abilities within a variety of areas including communication, teamwork, project management and much more!

Our Physics placement opportunities include working on one of the following projects:

• Predictive profile modelling: Taking a transport code like ASTRA, and simple models for the heat fluxes, sources, and alpha-induced heating, the student could develop a predictive model of the profiles valid for a simple beta << 1 device. The student should then use this model to examine how stiffness of the turbulent fluxes interacts with the transition to a burning plasma.

• Numerical methods: Kinetic codes for the plasma edge are still in development, and computing numerical methods are available. Recent in-house work suggests that a numerical method that is conservative and guarantees positivity would be desirable. The student could attempt to implement an attractive positivity-preserving numerical method by Filbet (2001) in toy codes to test the viability of the method.

• Basic Alfvenic physics in Tokamaks: Alfvenic modes are well known to be excited by fast particles, but understanding the mechanisms behind Alfvenic modes appearing in gyrokinetic codes is complicated. The student will attempt to reproduce the high-n Alfvenic eigenmode calculation in simple geometry and try to compare to the results from a gyrokinetic code.

Requirements

• Studying a relevant Degree or Masters
• Good knowledge in any of the project areas described above
• Motivated and enthusiastic with ability to work independently
• Good communication skills with ability to work collaboratively with team members
• Good planning and organisation skills

Benefits

• 25 days holiday pro-rata (plus bank holidays) per annum

No terminology in the advert or job description is intended to discriminate on the grounds of a person’s gender, marital status, race, religion, colour, age, disability or sexual orientation. Every candidate will be assessed only in accordance with their merits, qualifications and abilities to perform the duties of the job.

Important information for candidates

Pre-employment screening

Please note that the appointment of the successful candidate will be subject to standard pre-employment screening, as applicable to the post. This will include right-to-work, proof of identity and references.

Data privacy

Please note that any personal data submitted to Tokamak Energy as part of the job application process will be processed in accordance with the GDPR and related UK data protection legislation, for more information regarding GDPR please see: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/guide-to-the-general-data-protection-regulation.

Equality of opportunity

Entry into employment with the Tokamak Energy and progression within employment will be determined only by personal merit and the application of criteria which are related to the duties of each post and the relevant salary structure. In all cases, ability to perform the job will be the primary consideration. No applicant or member of staff shall be discriminated against because of age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage or civil partnership, pregnancy or maternity, race, religion or belief, sex, or sexual orientation.

Working arrangements

Please note this role does offer hybrid working, our model sets out a minimum 60% onsite / 40% home working split.

Part time working or job share options will be reviewed on an individual basis.