Inertia · 2 days ago
Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) Scientist
Livermore
Full-time
Onsite
Mid, Senior LevelInertia is a company focused on commercializing fusion energy through advanced scientific methods. They are seeking multiple Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) Scientists to develop and apply advanced CFD simulations to understand gas flow dynamics in fusion systems, collaborating with physicists and engineers to inform design decisions.
Clean EnergyEnergy ManagementPower GridRenewable Energy
Responsibilities
Develop, run, and interpret CFD simulations of fluid flow across a wide range of operating conditions
Model and optimize transient and pulsed flow phenomena, thermal and mechanical performance, and associated systems
Analyze the impact of chamber gas dynamics on a range of fusion relevant systems, including:
Final optics performance and survivability
Thermal management in high power and in pulsed systems
Target injection trajectories, stability, and survival
Debris transport and chamber clearing
Chamber geometry, gas response, and surface interactions
Build CFD workflows in industry-standard software and research codes, including mesh generation, boundary condition definition, solver configuration, and post-processing pipelines
Couple CFD results with other physics models (for example radiation transport, thermomechanics, particle transport, optical ray tracing) in collaboration with the broader simulation team
Run large-scale simulations and contribute to scalable, efficient computational workflows
Validate CFD models using experimental data, analytic estimates, and cross-code comparisons where available
Communicate results clearly through reports, visualizations, and design reviews to support engineering decision-making
Qualification
Required
PhD or Master's degree in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, Physics, Applied Mathematics, or a related field
Strong experience developing and running CFD simulations for compressible, transient, turbulent, or high-speed flows
Proficiency with one or more CFD tools, such as OpenFOAM, ANSYS Fluent/CFX, STAR-CCM+, SU2, or similar
Hands-on experience running CFD workloads on high performance workstations, cloud computing, or large-scale HPC systems, including parallel solvers and job schedulers
Strong data analysis and visualization skills
Preferred
Experience in fusion energy, high-energy-density physics, plasma physics, aerospace propulsion, or similarly extreme flow environments
Familiarity with radiation-driven flows, rarefied gas dynamics, or non-equilibrium thermodynamics
Experience modeling shock waves, unsteady flows, turbulence, multiphase phenomena, forced convection or transition flows
Experience coupling CFD with other multiphysics models (e.g., radiation transport, particle transport, thermomechanics)
Experience with Structural-Thermal-Optical-Performance (STOP) analysis or predicting the optical performance of laser or imaging systems
Experience in developing and validating thermo-optical models for the simulation of laser amplifier performance (wavefront, birefringence, etc.)
Experience using open-source CFD tools and contributing to solver or model development
Experience running simulations in cloud-based HPC environments
Benefits
Medical
Dental
Vision plans
Company-paid holidays
Matching 401k
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Company
Inertia
Inertia is a fusion-energy company that builds and generates commercialized fusion powers.
Founded in 2024
11-50 employees
Funding
Current Stage
Early StageCompany data provided by crunchbase