Experimental Physicist

Experimental Physicist

Magdrive

Harwell, United Kingdom

As an Experimental Physicist at Magdrive, you will be investigating the physical processes of thrust generation and propellant refuelling in the Magdrive thruster. You’ll design and run your own experiments to study these processes in the new DEEP facility at Magdrive and work closely with the rest of the experimental team carrying out other research. In addition you’ll collaborate with colleagues running FEM simulations to iterate designs of thruster components. This is a hands-on role, planning and delivering experiments to help push our propulsion technology to higher performance and improve its longevity.

What you will be doing

• Working with other members of the Experimental Physics team on experiments to investigate and improve the performance of Magdrive thrusters;
• Testing refuelling of the Magdrive thruster with recycled metallic propellant;
• Collaborate with other teams to interpret requirements and plan and conduct experiments to answer their questions;
• Utilising computational analysis tools to analyse results from experiments;
• Interpreting and reporting results from experiments to the team and company;
• Maintaining a tidy, well-organised laboratory environment and ensuring safe working practices are followed.

What we are looking for

Essential

• PhD in Plasma Physics or Electric Propulsion or similar OR Degree in Physics or Engineering and 4 years’ experience applying experimental physics in industry;
• An enquiring problem solving mindset with an appetite for practical experimental work;
• Experience planning, conducting and analysing results of experiments.

Desirable

• Experience of using simulation to support experimental research;
• Practical working knowledge of electronics to support experimental design;
• Experience with vacuum systems & optical diagnostics;
• Experience with Python for computational data analysis and/or hardware control;
• Knowledge of existing electric propulsion technologies;
• Experience with pulsed power or high voltage;
• Experience with simulation tools for electromagnetics (e.g. FEM with e.g. COMSOL) or circuits (e.g. CASTLE or LTSpice).