Vacatures supervisor

PhD Position in the field of fusion exhaust plasma diagnostics

DIFFER conducts leading fundamental research in the fields of fusion and chemical energy, in close partnership with academia and industry.

At the Dutch Institute for Fundamental Energy Research (DIFFER) we work on a future in which clean energy will be available to everybody, anywhere in the world. DIFFER’s mission is to perform leading fundamental research on materials, processes, and systems for a global sustainable energy infrastructure.

Our research focuses on two major energy themes: fusion energy as a clean, safe and sustainable energy source and chemical energy. We work in close partnership with (inter)national academia and industry. DIFFER is one of the ten research institutes of the Dutch Research Council (NWO).

Within our institute physicists, chemists, engineers, and other specialists work together in multidisciplinary teams to accelerate the transition to a sustainable society. DIFFER’s workforce is currently composed of ~160 scientists (of which 60 guests and interns), supported by ~40 technicians and ~40 support staff members.

The global nature of the energy challenge is apparent from the international representation of our employees, who originate from over 30 different countries. To strengthen our commitment to diversity, we formed a task force to design, implement, and monitor diversity and gender equality initiatives.

Differ is looking for a

PhD candidate who is interested in improving fusion plasma exhaust emission diagnostics through experiments at Magnum-PSI.

In a fusion reactor the divertor heat and particle loads must be mitigated and actively controlled. The number of diagnostics available to inform real-time control using actuators such as hydrogen or impurity (Ne, Ar) injection is limited. Visible light spectrometers will play an important role, capturing emission signatures from the hydrogen fuel and impurities which can be used to probe heat and particle loss processes. However, from present day experiments it is clear that our understanding of the underlying collisional-radiative processes is incomplete, which inhibits our capability to accurately sense the plasma state.

At DIFFER, we find ourselves in a unique position to address some of the outstanding questions. Our linear machine Magnum-PSI can create present-day tokamak and reactor relevant exhaust plasmas. New active spectroscopy diagnostics (TALIF, CARS) provide previously unavailable measurements of H and vibrationally resolved H2 densities and are complemented with a new multispectral imaging system MANTIS, which provides spatially resolved emission recordings. Together with an already extensive set of previously installed diagnostics this allows for validation of exhaust plasma codes used to design heat load mitigation strategies and control approaches.

To advance these efforts, we are opening a PhD position in the Plasma Edge Physics and Diagnostics (PEPD, group lead and main supervisor: Ivo Classen, daily supervision: Tijs Wijkamp).

Position and requirements

Responsibilities of the PhD candidate:

• Perform experimental characterization (MANTIS, Thomson, TALIF, CARS) of exhaust-relevant plasmas at Magnum-PSI.
• Use an exhaust code to replicate Magnum-PSI measurements in collaboration with the Integrated Modelling group (group lead: Sven Wiesen). The focus will be on identification of modelling gaps in plasma‑chemical processes to inform exhaust-model and MANTIS analysis routine improvements.
• Use the improved MANTIS analysis routines to perform (exhaust) plasma characterization in experiments run by collaborators.
• Use the obtained physics insights to improve visible light spectroscopy methods used to inform active controllers in collaboration with DIFFER’s Energy Systems & Control group (group lead: Matthijs van Berkel).
• Supervise student projects on related topics.
• Follow the mandatory PhD‑trainings provided by our parent organization NWO.
• Present project progress at (international) conferences.
• Produce a PhD thesis (with associated peer reviewed papers) within four years.

To get started on this PhD position, it is important that the candidate has:

• A master’s degree in (applied) physics or a closely related field, with a demonstrated interest in diagnostic development and/or analysis.
• Basic knowledge of plasma physics, and preferably of nuclear fusion energy.
• Experience with scientific computing in Python, or has demonstrated coding‑skills in another language and is willing to follow training courses.
• Experience with managing one’s own scientific research project (FAIR data management, research planning, communication with stakeholders).
• The ability and motivation to work in a collaborative, multidisciplinary research institute and community.
• Proficiency in written and spoken English.

Terms and conditions

This position is for 1 FTE, will be for a period of 4 years and is graded in pay scale PhD (19). The position will be based at DIFFER (www.differ.nl) and the working location will be at TU Eindhoven. The planned start date is 1 August.

When fulfilling a position at DIFFER, you will have an employee status at NWO. You can participate in all the employee benefits NWO offers. We have a number of regulations that support employees in finding a good work‑life balance. At DIFFER we believe that a workforce diverse in gender, age and cultural background is key to performing excellent research. We therefore strongly encourage everyone to apply. More information on working at NWO can be found at the NWO website (https://www.nwo-i.nl/en/working-at-nwo-i/jobsatnwoi/).

To apply for this position, please click the button underneath:

May 31, 2026

Job details

Title

PhD Position in the field of fusion exhaust plasma diagnostics

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