Design Physicist

We have multiple openings for Design Physicists

We are seeking exceptional Physical Scientists and Engineers with backgrounds in fields such as plasma physics, radiation transport, atomic physics, nuclear physics, physical chemistry, condensed matter physics, computational physics, or hydrodynamics. Our national-security mission encompasses aspects of computational, theoretical, and experimental physics associated with the complex processes of nuclear explosives. Under limited direction, you will be responsible for advancing our understanding and developing methodologies for important national-security challenges. This position is in the Design Physics Division within the Weapons and Complex Integration (WCI) Directorate.

This position will be filled at either level based on knowledge and related experience as assessed by the hiring team. Additional job responsibilities (outlined below) will be assigned if hired at the higher level.

In this role you will

• Assess the complex physics interactions that take place in nuclear explosion.
• Design and provide analysis of experiments exploring the physics of nuclear explosives.
• Simulate weapons phenomena and perform weapons assessment and certification tasks using physical models in computer codes.
• Define and implement stockpile stewardship for specific weapons systems.
• Present and disseminate research results at scientific conferences and in peer-reviewed publications, in both open and classified environments, internal and external to LLNL. Responsibilities may also include interacting with external stakeholders, both at DOE/NNSA and across the broader interagency, as well as via offsite assignments.
• Develop expertise in interrelated fields of physics important to weapons assessment and certification.
• Travel minimally or substantially based on needs of projects.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Additional job responsibilities at the SES.3 Level

• Independently develop, assess and provide in depth analysis of the complex physics interactions that take place in nuclear explosion where problems may not be well defined.
• Work as technical expert on multidisciplinary team.
• Guide the analysis and lead the design of experiments exploring the physics of nuclear explosives.