Senior CFD Engineer - Plasma Specialist at Physicsx

Who We’re Looking For

As a Senior CFD Engineer – Plasma Specialist, you are a problem solver passionate about creating practical solutions that help customers make better engineering decisions. You bring deep expertise in plasma physics and excel at working directly with customers, often on-site to build high-fidelity computational models integrated into AI tools that are both useful and used.

We are seeking a skilled Senior CFD Engineer with expertise in plasma physics applied to semiconductor manufacturing, including plasma etching, deposition, and surface processing. We are particularly interested in candidates with a strong background in computational plasma modeling, covering areas such as plasma chemistry, sheath dynamics, ion energy distribution, and plasma-surface interactions. Awareness of machine learning in physics-based simulation workflows is a plus.

You are independent, adaptable, and experienced, able to engage rapidly with semiconductor customer teams and tackle highly niche engineering challenges without needing to learn the industry from scratch. Strong communication skills are critical, as you'll work closely with clients to define challenges, present results clearly, and co-develop solutions.

If you have Plasma experience in other industries, we'd still love to hear from you!

This Role

In this role, you will work closely with our Data Scientists, Machine Learning Engineers, and customers to understand and define the plasma-related engineering challenges we are solving.

You will play a crucial role in delivering high-fidelity simulations by:

• Building and owning computational plasma models for semiconductor manufacturing processes, including plasma etching, CVD/ALD deposition, and ion-driven surface interactions.
• Working directly with semiconductor customers - often on-site - to scope engineering challenges, design modelling strategies, and present results in a way that drives real process decisions.
• Selecting and applying the right simulation tools and fidelity level for each problem (e.g. COMSOL, HPEM, VizGlow, CFD-ACE+), and validating outputs against experimental or industrial process data.
• Collaborating closely with PhysicsX Data Scientists and ML Engineers to integrate your simulation work into AI-powered workflows.
• Operating independently on open-ended, highly specialised problems - scoping, executing, and delivering with minimal oversight.
• 3–5 years of industry experience (post-PhD), ideally within or directly supporting the semiconductor manufacturing industry.
• Proficiency in Python (or similar) for workflow automation, data handling, and integration with simulation tools.
• Combining project leadership with a strong commitment to mentoring junior colleagues, contributing to a culture of collaboration, growth, and shared success.
• Traveling globally (North America, Europe, Asia, Oceania) for an average of 3-4 weeks per quarter to work side-by-side with customers in building solutions on-site.

As the role evolves, there are opportunities for growth as an individual contributor or technical lead, especially if you want to own increasingly complex semiconductor plasma projects and help guide the direction of future solutions. We operate on a hybrid model, with around three days per week based in our Shoreditch office.