HPC Computational Engineer

Culham, England, United Kingdom

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 groundbreaking 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.

Job Description

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.

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

UKAEA’s pay arrangements and grading structure are currently under review as part of a transformation project and proposed multi-year pay deal. UKAEA aims to introduce a new grading structure in 2024. This will enable us to lead the delivery of sustainable fusion energy and maximize the scientific and economic benefit. Now is a great time to join the Organisation and be part of the journey.

This role requires employees to complete an online Baseline Personnel Security Standard (BPSS) , including The Disclosure & Barring Service (DBS) checks for criminal convictions.

The Role

The Computing Division at UKAEA conducts research and development across diverse areas such as cloud computing, high performance computing, algorithm development, artificial intelligence, and machine learning. Our focus is on optimising research workflows and advancing computing infrastructures for fusion reactor engineering. We collaborate with academia and industry on novel computing technologies and algorithms. This role involves software development, data analysis, and user support for compute clusters, ensuring researchers have access to cutting-edge facilities. Join us to contribute to UKAEA's mission through impactful projects and engagement with users and stakeholders.

Additional Responsibilities:

Contribute to the development of existing or new codes as directed by management.

Perform detailed code analysis including performance evaluation (e.g., roofline analysis).

Define test cases for any new code development.

Support the migration of codes to new computing architectures.

Contribute to development of performant and highly scalable engineering codes.

Contribute to simulation and modelling work for a variety of fusion projects including STEP, LIBRTI, ITER and DEMO programmes.

Contribute to the development of full high fidelity physics models of future power plants and fusion systems (Digital Twins).

Qualifications

Mandatory Experience:

Proficiency in at least one compiled-level language (e.g., C++, Fortran, C, Rust) or advanced scripting language (e.g., Julia, R, Python, Swift Parallel Scripting).

Strong experience with the Linux/UNIX operating system, especially with the command line interface.

Demonstrated expertise in numerical methods and implementing numerical algorithms, including in software libraries or standalone code.

Knowledge of parallel programming techniques like MPI and OpenMP, along with experience in code profiling and optimisation tools on Linux / UNIX platforms.

Practical experience in relevant computational engineering fields such as Monte Carlo, CFD, FE methods, or computational electromagnetics.

Other Duties:

Willingness to travel within the UK and Europe for short periods (1-5 days).

Actively presenting work within the organization and at external events.

Supporting users in adopting your outputs and technologies.

Participating in group events and collaborative activities.

Additional Information

A full list of our benefits can be found here https://careers.ukaea.uk/life-at-ukaea/employee-benefits/

We welcome applications from under-represented groups, particularly individuals from black and other ethnic minority backgrounds, people with disabilities, and women. Our Executive team, supported by our 'Equality, Diversity and Inclusion' (EDI) Partner and Inclusion Ambassadors, actively promotes EDI and takes steps to increase diversity within our organization. We reinforce best practices in recruitment and selection and evaluate approaches to remove barriers to success.

Please note that vacancies are generally advertised for 4 weeks but may close earlier if we receive a large number of applications.