Wavefront Scientist (Fusion Energy)

Location: Greater Munich, Germany, with occasional travel to research facilities worldwide.

Company

hirify.global is a fusion energy startup developing laser-driven fusion technology for clean, safe, and abundant energy.

What you will do

• Develop and maintain wavefront propagation and beam transport simulation models for high-power laser systems.
• Analyze optical aberrations, beam quality, diffraction effects, and system tolerances.
• Support the design and optimization of beam transport architectures, pulse compression systems, and frequency conversion stages.
• Plan and execute laboratory experiments using optical diagnostics for wavefront characterization, beam-quality measurement, and alignment verification.
• Correlate experimental results with simulations to improve models and guide engineering decisions.
• Support commissioning, troubleshooting, documentation, and continuous improvement of experimental beamlines and optical subsystems.

Requirements

• Master’s degree or PhD in Physics, Optical Engineering, Laser Engineering, Photonics, or a related field.
• Strong experience with wave optics, laser beam propagation, Fourier optics, and optical system modeling.
• Hands-on experience with experimental optical setups, laser laboratories, or beam diagnostics.
• Proficiency with simulation and programming tools such as Python, MATLAB, Zemax, BeamXpert, CODE V, VirtualLab, or similar.
• Understanding of optical aberrations, wavefront sensing, adaptive optics, or beam-quality characterization.
• Strong analytical, problem-solving, communication, and interdisciplinary collaboration skills.

Nice to have

• Experience with high-power or ultrafast laser systems.
• Familiarity with deformable mirrors, adaptive optics, or phase retrieval.
• Experience with pulse compression, nonlinear optics, or frequency conversion.
• Knowledge of GPU-based simulation or high-performance computing.
• Industrial R&D or large-scale scientific facility experience.

Culture & Benefits

• Purpose-driven work addressing fusion energy and clean power generation.
• Collaboration with scientists, engineers, and entrepreneurs in the fusion field.
• Work within a growing startup with teams across Munich and Colorado.
• Occasional travel to research facilities worldwide.