Plasma-Material Interaction (PMI) Manager

About Thea Energy:

Thea Energy is leveraging recent breakthroughs in stellarator physics and engineering to create a faster and simpler approach to commercializing fusion energy. The company is reinventing the stellarator using computer-controlled arrays of planar coils thereby replacing the intricate, complex modular magnets required in all other stellarator architectures. Thea Energy is on a mission to create a limitless source of zero emission energy for a sustainable future.

Position Overview:

We are seeking an experienced Plasma-Material Interaction (PMI) Manager to lead the development of high-performance plasma-facing materials and components (PFCs) for our Eos and Helios stellarators. In this role, you will bridge plasma physics, materials engineering, and component integration to address high heat-flux management, surface erosion, and hydrogen isotope retention in quasi-axisymmetric, planar-coil stellarator architectures. You will direct in-house experimental campaigns, oversee specialized test facilities, and manage key external research and procurement partnerships to de-risk wall environments for steady-state fusion operations.

Key responsibilities:

• Direct the research, design, and qualification of plasma-facing materials—including first-wall armor and divertor target materials for Eos and Helios stellarators.

• Oversee the preparation, execution, and analysis of PMI experiments on the Eos stellarator and dedicated in-house test facilities.

• Act as the technical lead for external collaborations with national laboratories, university research groups, and commercial vendors for material synthesis, neutron irradiation testing, surface diagnostics, and PFC component procurement.

• Lead the computational efforts to simulate erosion, redeposition, and thermal shock degradation in real time.

• Work closely with mechanical design and physics modeling teams to translate PMI simulation and experimental data into validated inputs for plasma transport and engineering designs.

Required Experience & Skillsets:

Required Qualifications

• Education: Ph.D. in Materials Science, Plasma Physics, Nuclear Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or a closely related discipline.

• Experience: 8+ years of technical experience in plasma-surface interactions, high-temperature materials, or magnetic confinement fusion engineering, with at least 3+ years managing technical projects or multidisciplinary teams.

• Technical Expertise:

• In-depth understanding of edge plasma dynamics, sputtering, redeposition, helium ash/hydrogen isotope retention, and high heat flux behavior.

• Practical experience designing, building, or operating plasma-facing test rigs or boundary diagnostics on magnetic confinement devices (stellarators or tokamaks).

• Strong knowledge of materials testing, characterization methods, and procurement workflows for high-temperature and plasma-exposed materials.

• Leadership & Communication: Track record of driving complex R&D initiatives, managing external vendor and research contracts, and working against tight engineering deadlines.

Preferred Qualifications

• Direct exposure to fusion plasma physics, stellarator configurations, or fusion plasma divertor concepts such as X-point divertors.

• Experience with computational modeling tools, including coupled plasma-transport and surface kinetics codes (SOLPS, UEDGE, EMC3-EIRENE, ERO2.0, WallDYN), BCA tools (SDTrimSP, RustBCA, TRIM), and FEA thermomechanical software (ANSYS, COMSOL).

Company Benefits:

• Salary range $130,000-$165,000

• Comprehensive health benefits (e.g. medical/dental/vision)

• Employee equity stock options

• 20 days PTO