Physicist/Scientist - X-Ray Source Modeling

Location: Benicia, California, United States; onsite role with approximately 10% travel. Relocation eligible.

Salary: $120,000–$165,000 per year.

Company

hirify.global develops materials science and engineering equipment for semiconductor manufacturing and advanced display technologies.

What you will do

• Own physics modeling for X-ray source performance, including electron optics from cathode to target, thermal behavior, X-ray generation, transport, and detector response.
• Build coupled electrothermal and multiphysics models covering beam power deposition, heat transfer, radiative exchange, transient loading, distortion, and spot performance.
• Quantify model uncertainty through convergence studies, sensitivity analysis, material-property evaluation, and geometric-tolerance analysis.
• Design and interpret experiments that distinguish competing physical hypotheses and validate simulation results against measurements.
• Translate sensitivity results into drawing tolerances, alignment budgets, manufacturing process windows, and customer-facing technical guidance.
• Script and version simulation workflows for reproducible parametric studies, and mentor junior physicists and engineers.

Requirements

• MS or PhD in physics, applied physics, electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, nuclear engineering, or a related field, plus approximately 5+ years applying simulation to physical hardware.
• Ownership of at least two areas: charged particle optics; thermal and structural analysis under high thermal load; or X-ray generation and optics.
• Fluency in finite element methods and their limitations, plus working knowledge of another numerical approach such as boundary element, particle-in-cell, Monte Carlo radiation transport, or ray tracing.
• Experience with multiphysics tools such as COMSOL, Opera, CST, ANSYS, Lorentz, FEniCS, or comparable tools through scripting interfaces.
• Programming experience with Python, C, or C++ for pre- and post-processing, data reduction, and optimization; version control experience is required.
• Track record of comparing models with measurements, diagnosing disagreements, solving complex problems, and communicating technical conclusions.

Nice to have

• Monte Carlo radiation transport with Geant4/TOPAS, PENELOPE, or EGSnrc; X-ray optics simulation; or dynamical diffraction calculations.
• Knowledge of cathode and emission physics, high-vacuum practice, high-voltage breakdown, accelerator or beamline physics, electron microscopy, vacuum electronics, X-ray tubes, e-beam lithography, or semiconductor metrology.
• Experience with design of experiments, numerical optimization, surrogate or reduced-order modeling, and mechanical CAD model preparation.

Culture & Benefits

• Supportive environment focused on learning, development, and technical growth.
• Comprehensive employee benefits and programs supporting health and wellbeing.
• Potential eligibility for bonus and stock award programs, as applicable.
• Opportunity to work on semiconductor and advanced-display technologies used in next-generation electronics.