Physics Intern - Spring/Summer 2027

About the role

Thea Energy is seeking motivated interns to work with the physics team on projects relevant to stellarator optimization, toroidal plasma confinement, plasma divertor and edge physics, plasma-materials interactions, and fusion neutronics. Interns will take ownership of a dedicated research project within one of these core physics areas, guided by a senior physicist mentor.

Responsibilities

• Conduct literature reviews to guide initial project specifications.
• Run simulations or analyze data to inform Thea Energy's stellarator design.
• Collaborate directly with cross-functional teams of mechanical and electrical engineers.
• Support engineering design reviews by translating physics modeling and simulation results into specifications.
• Utilize project management tools to track tasks and long-term research goals.
• Present findings and project outcomes to the broader technical team at the conclusion of the internship.

Requirements

• Ability to occasionally lift up to 50 lbs.
• Ability to perform activities such as typing, standing, or sitting for extended periods of time.
• Ability to work in a facility that contains industrial hazards including heat, cold, noise, fumes, strong magnets, high voltage, high current, pressure systems, and cryogenics.

Qualifications

• Pursuing undergraduate, masters, or PhD degrees in physics.
• Experience in plasma magnetohydrodynamic modeling, plasma gyrokinetic modeling, stellarator equilibrium and coil optimization, plasma control, energetic particle modeling, plasma fluid modeling, neutral particle Monte Carlo simulation, plasma diagnostics, plasma-material interaction, neutron transport Monte Carlo simulation, scientific computing, high-performance computing systems, nonlinear constrained optimization, machine learning, data science, Git version control, Python programming language.

Skills

• Scientific computing
• High-performance computing systems
• Nonlinear constrained optimization
• Data science
• Git version control
• Python programming language

Benefits

• Compensation: $18-25/hr for undergraduates and $26-30/hr for post-graduates.