Research Assistant / Plasma Physics

Job Description

Job Description

Research Assistant – Plasma Physics

Position Summary
Ampera is seeking a motivated full-time Research Assistant to support work in plasma physics, computational modeling, and related areas within the Department of Nuclear Engineering. This role is well suited for an early-career researcher with a math, physics, engineering, or other hard science background who is comfortable working with technical material, learning new tools, and contributing carefully to ongoing research projects.
Candidates who have not yet graduated are welcome to apply, provided they are able to commit to full-time work during the school year. Students should be prepared to arrange their academic schedule accordingly, such as by taking time away from coursework or otherwise ensuring full-time availability.
The Research Assistant will help with literature review, data collection and analysis, model setup, simulation workflows, technical documentation, and preparation of research outputs. The specific project assignment will depend on the candidate’s background and departmental research needs.

Key Responsibilities
• Support research activities in plasma physics, fusion energy, low-temperature plasmas, plasma-material interactions, computational plasma modeling, diagnostics, or related technical areas.
• Conduct literature reviews and summarize findings for faculty, staff, and research teams.
• Assist with computational modeling, simulation setup, data processing, and results analysis.
• Help prepare figures, tables, technical notes, presentations, and draft sections of reports or manuscripts.
• Maintain organized research records, including assumptions, inputs, scripts, results, and references.
• Participate in regular research meetings and communicate progress, blockers, and findings clearly.
• Follow all applicable laboratory, computational, export control, and data handling procedures.

Required Qualifications
• Current enrollment in, or recent completion of, a degree program in engineering physics, nuclear engineering, physics, mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, materials science, applied mathematics, computer science, or another math, physics, engineering, or hard science field.
• Strong analytical and quantitative skills.
• Demonstrated first-principles thinking: the ability to break problems down to fundamental physics and reason up from there, rather than relying on convention or analogy.
• Ability to read and synthesize technical papers, reports, and documentation.
• Clear written and verbal communication skills.
• Careful attention to detail and willingness to document work thoroughly.
• Ability to work independently while staying aligned with faculty and project guidance.

Preferred Qualifications
• Coursework or research experience in plasma physics, fusion energy, electromagnetics, fluid dynamics, kinetic theory, numerical methods, scientific computing, or computational science.
• Experience with one or more programming or scripting languages, such as Python, MATLAB, C/C++, Fortran, Julia, or similar.
• Familiarity with scientific computing workflows, version control, Linux command-line tools, or high-performance computing environments.
• Experience with plasma simulation tools, particle-in-cell methods, magnetohydrodynamics, fluid plasma models, kinetic modeling, Multiphysics simulation, uncertainty quantification, diagnostics, or data analysis.
• Prior research experience, including undergraduate research, internship experience, capstone projects, or publication/presentation contributions.

Appointment Details
This is a full-time, ongoing research assistant position during the school year.

Application Materials  
Applicants should submit:
• Resume or CV
• Brief statement of interest describing relevant background and research interests
• Unofficial transcript, if applicable
• Names and contact information for one to two references, if requested
• Optional: writing sample, code sample, poster, publication, or project portfolio