🚀 Experimental Physicist (Vulcan Program)

p>Experimental Physicist (Vulcan Program) at Xcimer Energy Corporation.

This role is at the forefront of inertial fusion research, leading the design, execution, and interpretation of experiments essential to demonstrate wall‑plug breakeven for Xcimer’s Vulcan fusion program.

Base pay range

$200,000.00/yr - $250,000.00/yr

Success in This Role Looks Like

• Physics‑based, data‑driven path to risk retirement established for all critical Vulcan physics risks
• Diagnostic and facility requirements fully traceable to physics needs
• Measurable experimental validation milestones integrated into the FPP roadmap
• External collaborations leveraged strategically, with internal capability and ownership growing over time

Responsibilities

• Own development of the Vulcan test plans, defining the sequence of experiments required to validate subsystems, diagnostics, and integrated facility performance
• Translate program‑level physics risks into measurable experimental objectives and milestones
• Design, execute, and analyze experiments that provide data to retire specific risks identified in the physics basis (e.g., symmetry control, LPI mitigation, target survivability, hohlraum performance)
• Ensure experimental validation criteria are quantitative, data‑driven, and aligned with modeling results
• Partner with theory and modeling teams to close the loop between simulation predictions and experimental validation
• Own diagnostic requirements for Vulcan and precursor experiments; coordinate with systems engineers on resolution and accuracy requirements
• Integrate diagnostics early in the facility design; coordinate with optical, target, and chamber teams to ensure diagnostic integration
• Represent the experimental physics perspective in Vulcan facility planning, ensuring capability maps onto the physics roadmap
• Interface with Vulcan systems team, target factory, and injector groups to ensure data acquisition, repetition rate, and diagnostic access align with experimental needs
• Partner with target fab, injector, and laser teams to ensure subsystem interfaces and tolerances meet experimental requirements
• Build experimental partnerships with national labs and universities; serve as technical lead for collaborative shots and campaigns
• Mentor future hires in diagnostics, data systems, and experimental design
• Contribute to publications and presentations that establish Xcimer as a leader in inertial fusion experimentation

Qualifications

• Ph.D. in Physics, Engineering, or a related field, with specialization in inertial confinement fusion, HED physics, or laser‑plasma interactions
• Demonstrated experience designing and executing experiments on major HED facilities (OMEGA, NIF, or equivalent)/
• Expertise in one or more diagnostic domains: x‑ray imaging, neutron time‑of‑flight, charged particle spectrometry, VISAR, or optical backscatter
• Proven ability to define quantitative experimental success metrics and extract them from data
• Strong written and verbal communication skills; ability to synthesize results for executives, engineers, and external partners
• Must be a U.S. citizen or national, U.S. permanent resident, or lawfully admitted into the U.S. as a refugee or granted asylum

Equal Employment Opportunity

Xcimer Energy is proud to be an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer and is committed to attracting, retaining, and developing a highly qualified, diverse, and dedicated workforce. We support the establishment and maintenance of a workplace that fosters trust, equality, and teamwork, in which all employees recognize and appreciate the diversity of individual team members. All qualified applicants and employees are given equal opportunities for hiring, promotion, and employment terms and conditions, in accordance with applicable federal, state, and local laws.

Benefits

Benefits: Medical, dental, vision, basic and supplemental life insurance, paid parental leave, short‑ and long‑term disability, 401(k) with up to 6 % company match, paid time off (15 days per year, 10 paid sick days, 13 company holidays). Equity will be granted to eligible employees.

We may use artificial intelligence tools to support parts of the hiring process. These tools assist our recruitment team but do not replace human judgment; final hiring decisions are made by humans.