Head of Scientific Software

If youre excited about turning complex physics into robust production-grade systems this role is for you.Thishead of scientific softwarewilllead thedesigndevelopmentmaintenance ofRealtaFusionssoftwarestack.This is ahands-on leadership role spanning plasma diagnostics software data acquisition pipelines simulation infrastructure analysis frameworks and control system integration. You will work at the intersection ofcutting-edgeplasma physics and rigorous software engineering shaping how the company collects processes andlearnsexperimentaldata and simulation results.You will partner closely with physicists engineers and program management to translate scientific requirements into robust maintainable software systems.

This work will include a key focus onvalidation of computational models with experimental data from the currently operating Wisconsin HTS Axisymmetric Mirror (WHAM) at the University of Wisconsin-Madison proposing new plasma diagnostics to be fielded on WHAM to aid in validation efforts and using computational modelling to guide the design of future axisymmetric mirror devices atRealtaFusion called Anvil andHammir.

Realta Fusion is a rapidly growing start-up developing compact magnetic mirror fusion energy systems to address the biggest challenge of our time tackling global climate change while ensuring a sufficient energy supply for at least ten billion people on (and off) earth. We are building a team with diverse talents dedicated to making fusion energy a real solution to humanitys most pressing problem.

Responsibilities

• Lead the architecture and development of scientific software acrosscomputational physics experimental physics and engineering functional areas.
• Collaborate with experimental physicists to co-developanalysis frameworks for plasmameasurementsincluding magnetics spectroscopy interferometry Thomson scattering and other diagnostics. Ensure software designand function serves evolving experimental priorities and analysis needs.
• Build andmaintainreal-time and post-shot data pipelines for processing experimental plasma dataworking with other members of the DAQ team.
• Serve asprimarytechnical bridgebetween scientific software and hardware control systems - includingheating systems (i.e.ECH NBI ICRH) fuel injection systems limiter and end ring biasing and active plasma feedback control systems. Ensuring software architecture reflects both physics requirements and engineering constraints and control systems changes arepropagated intoanalysisworkflows.
• Driveand propagatesoftware engineering best practices: version control testing documentation reproducibility and code review culture.
• Dive iterative feedback loops betweentheRealTwinplasma simulation suite and engineering design suite of software toolsand streamline iterative design loops working with both the computationalphysicsteamsand engineering teams.
• Establishand enforcestandards for data management provenance tracking and long-term archival of experimental dataworking with others on the DAQ team.
• Support technical program management through software project planning milestone trackingcompute resource and cost management andrisk identification.

Required Qualifications

• PhDor equivalent experience in plasma physics computational physics applied mathematics or a closely related field.
• 5 years of experience in scientific software development.
• Demonstrated experience building data acquisition or real-time data processing systems in a laboratory or experimental physics environment.
• Strong understanding of plasma diagnostics and the physical interpretation of experimental measurements.
• Experience designing software systems that interface with hardware DAQ systems or embedded controllers.
• Track recordof delivering reliable maintainable software in a fast-paced research or startup environment.
• Excellent communication skills across technical and non-technical audiences.

Preferred Qualifications

• Direct experience with magnetic confinement fusion devices ( tokamaks stellarators)
• Familiarity withExtended-MHD andkinetic simulation codes( VPICWarpX TRANSP)
• Experience with control system frameworks (EPICS LabVIEW or similar)and feedback control hardware (e.g.FPGAs) and algorithms (e.g. PID LQGetc)
• Background in machine learning or statistical methods applied to experimentaldata and simulation results
• Experience scaling scientific software teams and processes in a startupenvironment
• Contributions to open-source scientific software communities

Compensation & Benefits

What we are working on is hard and hugely important.RealtaFusion is assembling a talented team bound together by a passion to solve humanitys biggest challenge with first-of-a-kind technology.AdditionallyRealtaoffers:

• Competitive compensation package including equity stock options.
• Comprehensive benefits including health dental and vision insurance plus a retirement savings plan.
• Flexible paid time off (PTO) to support work-life balance.
• Work and live in Madison Wisconsin one of Americas most livable and vibrant cities.

We value diversity as a critical factor in innovation and believe a diverse team is necessary to solve the toughest problems. We aim to create an inclusive environment that unleashes the full creativity of our team members from a wide variety of backgrounds and experiences. Weprovideequal employment opportunities to all individuals based on merit and without regard to race color religion sex sexual orientation gender identity national origin disability veteran status or any other protected status under applicable laws.