Head of LIBRTI Experiments

Job Description

About us

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 organisations to achieve ground-breaking advancements. Our goal is to bring fusion electricity to the grid by developing the power stations of tomorrow and the skilled workforce to deliver them.

About the job

• Build relationships with senior stakeholders (commercial and technical) in fusion companies, supply chain companies and international fusion research entities towards delivering multiple £1M+ contracts for large experiments with Japan, Korea, Germany, Canada, AWE etc. within the decade.
• Shape and communicate the rationale, technical trajectories, targets for data and model outputs for these multimillion-pound investments by managing the interface across the Programme, between Engineering, Operations, Digital Science and the Customer-User. This is a deep network impacting ~80 UKAEA staff and requires complex integration at the level of a Junior Start-Up CTO.
• Towards each large experiment, identify the upfront science knowledge required and then create the portfolio of ramp-up research activities to close these gaps (~£2M/year through the Programme lifetime).
• Own results dissemination and defense, ensuring a world leading standard of engineering-decision-making output from LIBRTI to justify this £200M+ taxpayer investment.
• Directly drive user-customer investment towards a target of £10M/annum when the Facility is live from 2030, supporting the LIBRTI SRO with a commercial exploitation model for LIBRTI and engaging with Japan’s £300M METI funding, Germany’s EUR300M BMFTR Programme etc.
• Develop and execute strategies for building and exploiting UKAEA-generated IP in LIBRTI (e.g. the £12M NEURONE steel programme outputs, the ~£25M H3AT-ENI tritium handling know-how, the £8M LIBRTI Competitive Award ceramic breeder outputs) so that UK and UKAEA draw direct benefit from LIBRTI’s first mover status in global fusion research.
• Align customer-user strategies to UK Government priority bilaterals (USA, Japan, Germany etc.), working with DESNZ and their international counterparts to deliver meaningful collaborations to national fusion strategies.
• Maintain a state-of-the-art knowledge in fusion devices, neutron generation, fuel cycle, irradiated materials.
• Act as senior line manager and technical manager, coaching and coordinating a team of LIBRTI scientists to support the derisking, design, delivery and dissemination of LIBRTI Experiment and outcomes.
• Ensure alignment of opportunity and integration of LIBRTI effort with relevant UKAEA programmes (JDR, STEP, H3AT, UKRI Research, with respect to R&D on neutron monitoring and tritium breeding technologies and materials.
• Leverage the wider UKAEA capabilities in the Tritium, Technology, Robotics, Computing and Materials divisions to the benefit of LIBRTI.
• Promote LIBRTI internationally, representing UKAEA in international forums such as conferences, investment workshops, IAEA-type technical committees and trade fairs.

What You’ll Be Doing

• Lead the LIBRTI experimental programme, defining the scientific rationale, technical objectives and expected data and modelling outputs for major partner-led experiments.
• Build and manage strategic relationships with fusion companies, supply chain organisations, international research institutions and government partners to secure multi-million-pound experimental collaborations.
• Coordinate the delivery of experiments across engineering, operations, digital science and customer teams, ensuring that designs, facilities, research activities and user requirements are aligned.
• Identify scientific knowledge gaps and commission targeted research and development activities to prepare for major experiments and strengthen their technical foundations.
• Oversee experimental outcomes, data interpretation and dissemination, ensuring results provide robust evidence for engineering decisions and future fusion powerplant design.
• Drive commercial investment in LIBRTI, developing customer engagement and exploitation strategies to support a target of £10 million in annual customer investment once the facility becomes operational.
• Develop and implement strategies to protect, exploit and commercialise UKAEA intellectual property, maximising the value of UK fusion research and LIBRTI's international position.
• Align experimental partnerships with UK Government international collaboration priorities, working with DESNZ and international counterparts to support national fusion strategies.
• Lead and develop the LIBRTI scientific team, overseeing research delivery, budgets, project progress and technical risks while maintaining a strong publication and innovation record.
• Represent UKAEA at international conferences, technical committees, investment workshops and industry events, while coordinating expertise across UKAEA divisions and relevant fusion programmes.

What You’ll Bring

• PhD Scientist and Subject Matter Expert in a fusion related field (own publication / patent portfolio)
• Portfolio of evidence for coordinating activity across science, engineering and business stakeholders to deliver commercialisable outputs for major industry sectors (aerospace, defense, energy).
• Portfolio of evidence for engaging senior stakeholders in industry, defense, academia to contracted new projects in fusion.
• Demonstrable success in creating and managing an applied science R&D team with strong publication trajectory (average one paper/patent per person per year).
• Portfolio of evidence for managing budgeted work and team (e.g. budget recons, progress to plan, control of risk).
• Demonstrable success in personally generating successful ~£1M grants.
• Portfolio of evidence of building relationships and networks with other Research Institutes / Boards / Bodies to contracted collaborations.
• Experience representing UK / UKAEA in an external STEM Board / Panel / Committee.
• Proven ability to interact efficiently with people in a variety of different work situations to solve problems
• Fluent written and spoken English
• MS Office literacy (WORD, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook and Project)

UKAEA is an onsite organisation, and this role requires regular onsite presence (5 days in any given week) in line with business needs. We actively support flexible working arrangements where this is compatible with the role.

Benefits

We have a generous range of benefits (see the full list here) and highlights include:

• A salary of £94,758 (inclusive of a 8,000 specialist allowance)

• Up to 7% corporate performance bonus

• Final salary defined benefits pension scheme with an equivalent of 21.5% employer pension contribution

• 25 days annual leave plus 2.5 'privilege' days; 8 Bank Holidays

• Additional 3 days of site closure over Christmas break

• Flexible working options plus family-friendly leave provisions

• Our commitment to ED&I

• UKAEA's mission is clean energy for all, and we welcome talented people from all backgrounds to help us achieve this goal. We are committed to equality, diversity, inclusion and accessibility, and strive to ensure fair representation across our workforce.