Head of Diagnostics Physics - Imaging and Spectroscopy
About the job
- An MS in Physics, Electrical Engineering, or a closely related field.
- At least 10 years of experimental experience in imaging, spectroscopy, laser experiments, plasma diagnostics, or development of complex optical, X-ray, or neutron diagnostic systems.
- Deep experience with simulation tools for beam propagation, laser-matter interaction, radiation transport, nonlinear optics, and diagnostic performance modeling.
- Experience designing, executing, and analyzing complex imaging, spectroscopic, or fusion experiments.
- Demonstrated leadership of multidisciplinary scientific or research and development organizations.
- A proven track record of mentoring, developing, and guiding high-performing scientific teams.
- A strong publication record and recognized scientific contributions.
- The ability to thrive in a fast-moving organization transitioning from startup to industrial scale.
- The ability to balance hands-on scientific leadership with high-level strategic and organizational responsibilities.
- Must be a U.S. citizen or national, U.S. permanent resident, or lawfully admitted as a refugee or granted asylum.
- Build, lead, and scale the Diagnostics Physics department, including hiring, onboarding, mentoring, and developing exceptional scientific talent.
- Learn and maintain a system-wide understanding of program-defined diagnostic requirements across laser science and engineering, target design, pulsed power, nuclear science, manufacturing, operations, and systems architecture.
- Build and maintain scientific models, analysis tools, simulation frameworks, and validation infrastructure supporting all imaging and spectroscopy activities.
- Ensure all imaging and spectroscopy systems establish accurate calibration standards, verified response functions, and traceable performance metrics throughout their lifecycle.
- Drive design requirements that guarantee diagnostic instruments can survive and operate reliably in expected environments, including high-radiation fields, electromagnetic interference, neutron bombardment, vacuum conditions, and mechanical and thermal loads.
- Partner with Controls and data acquisition teams to enable robust remote configuration, command, synchronization, and data readout for all diagnostic systems.
- Maintain awareness of emerging opportunities in optical, X-ray, neutron, and plasma diagnostics; identify promising academic or laboratory technologies; and collaborate with program leads to mature selected technologies for integration into program activities.
- Contribute to technical collaborations with national laboratories, universities, external vendors, and testing facilities, and oversee off-site validation campaigns prior to installation in company facilities.
- Establish departmental scientific best practices, documentation standards, design review processes, and quality expectations appropriate for industrial diagnostic systems.
- Own the organization’s validated knowledge and collaborate with engineering and manufacturing to deliver diagnostic systems that are scalable, repeatable, and suitable for next-generation fusion operations.
- Identify key scientific and technical risks associated with diagnostic equipment and drive mitigation strategies that ensure reliable operation and support long-term scalability.
- Support troubleshooting, root-cause investigations, and analyses of anomalies across experimental operations and development environments.
- A Ph.D. in Physics, Electrical Engineering, or a closely related field.
- Experience in nonlinear optics.
- Experience in X-ray imaging and spectroscopy.
- Experience in neutron diagnostics and detection systems.
- Background in gas kinetics, plasma kinetics, and related simulations.
- Experience building interferometric diagnostic systems.
- Experience developing industrial optical, X-ray, or neutron diagnostic equipment.
- Experience with research-grade free-space pulsed laser systems.
- Experience with vacuum systems.
- Familiarity with phase optics, precision optical manufacturing, and metrology.
About the company
Xcimer Energy develops inertial fusion energy technology aiming to generate fusion-powered electricity. Its system uses a 10+ megajoule KrF laser to ignite a hydrogen fusion target inside a HYLIFE-style liquid-wall chamber, which absorbs fusion energy and shields reactor walls for long life. The approach combines a high-energy laser, a consumable fusion target, and a liquid-wall chamber to pursue scalable, laser-driven inertial confinement fusion for power generation. The company’s goal is to make commercial fusion power a reality for utilities within the next decade.
Company Size
51-200
Company Stage
Grant
Total Funding
$148.3M
Headquarters
Denver, Colorado
Founded
2021
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Simplify's Take
What believers are saying
- Xcimer raised $100 million in June 2024 and nearly $200 million total.
- The company expanded Denver in May 2026 and planned to double headcount.
- DOE funding, June 2026 approval, and RTX backing improve financing and recruiting access.
What critics are saying
- Vulcan site selection slipped past 2025; further delays push commercialization beyond 2035.
- Athena needs multi-megajoule lasers, tritium breeding, and grid integration before any revenue.
- Any Phoenix-to-Anvil performance miss would strand Xcimer’s capital-intensive laser platform.
What makes Xcimer Energy unique
- Xcimer’s June 2026 DOE-approved Athena roadmap validates its KrF inertial-fusion architecture.
- Phoenix started operations June 3, 2026, proving 1-kJ excimer amplification and 38-meter SBS compression.
- RTX partnered September 9, 2026, giving Xcimer defense-market validation beyond fusion alone.
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Benefits
Health Insurance
Dental Insurance
Vision Insurance
Life Insurance
Disability Insurance
401(k) Company Match
Paid Vacation
Paid Sick Leave
Paid Holidays
Company Equity
Growth & Insights and Company News
6 month growth
-3%1 year growth
-3%2 year growth
-3%Denver-based Xcimer Energy has secured an additional $30.5 million from the US Department of Energy's Milestone-Based Fusion Development Program. This brings the company's total potential DOE milestone funding to $39.5 million, with an additional $4 million previously received from ARPA-E in 2024. The laser fusion company is developing excimer laser technology designed for commercial fusion power plants. Unlike conventional solid-state approaches, Xcimer's architecture uses cost-effective gas lasers and a two-beamline configuration. In June, Xcimer launched Phoenix, the world's largest privately owned laser system. The company recently partnered with RTX to develop directed-energy air defence systems, with RTX also making an investment in Xcimer. Xcimer targets putting electricity on the grid by the mid-2030s. The company has raised approximately $200 million from investors including Breakthrough Energy Ventures and Lowercarbon Capital.
RTX Ventures has made a minority investment in Xcimer Energy Corporation to support development of scalable pulsed-laser technologies. Xcimer has raised nearly $200 million from investors including Hedosophia and Breakthrough Energy Ventures. The companies signed a teaming agreement to explore integrating Xcimer's laser technology into RTX's defence systems for defeating airborne threats. Xcimer's fusion pilot power plant design was approved by the US Department of Energy in June as part of the Milestone-based Fusion Development Program. The excimer laser system aims to deliver longer-range performance at lower cost than current directed energy systems. Xcimer expects to deliver fusion energy to the grid by the mid-2030s. RTX's chief technology officer Juan de Bedout said the partnership will explore integrating Xcimer's technology with RTX's expertise in advanced sensing and air defence.
Xcimer Energy has secured US Department of Energy approval for its preconceptual design and technology roadmap for Athena, its fusion power plant architecture. The milestone, part of the DOE's Fusion Milestone Development Program, positions the Denver-based startup amongst frontrunners to commercialise fusion energy. Xcimer's 724-page submission detailed plant performance targets, economics, engineering requirements, safety analyses and development pathways. Athena integrates the company's proprietary excimer laser platform with target delivery, fusion chamber, tritium breeding and power generation systems designed for industrial scale. The approval follows Xcimer's launch of Phoenix, the world's largest privately owned laser system, at its 74,000-square-foot Denver facility. Founded in 2022, Xcimer is developing laser fusion technology targeting costs under $100 per joule with a chamber design requiring no first-wall replacement.
Fusion startup Xcimer Energy has activated its Phoenix laser system, which the company claims is the world's largest privately owned laser. The system uses excimer amplification to generate over one kilojoule of energy through a 38-metre-long krypton-fluoride laser core. Xcimer's approach mirrors the National Ignition Facility, which in December 2022 demonstrated a controlled fusion reaction producing more power than required to ignite it. The company aims to improve upon this concept using more powerful, less complex lasers that compress fuel targets in nanoseconds rather than microseconds. Phoenix represents an early step towards a commercial fusion power plant, which Xcimer estimates would require lasers exceeding 12 megajoules. The company plans to complete a prototype by 2028 and build its first commercial-scale power plant in the mid-2030s.
Xcimer Energy has hired Doug Kunzman as Vice President of Defence as the Denver-based fusion startup scales towards commercial operations. Kunzman brings extensive military and aerospace experience, including commanding US Navy warships and leading operations at Blue Origin and Astra. The company, which now employs nearly 200 people, plans to double its workforce over the next year to advance Vulcan, its next-generation laser fusion facility. Xcimer is developing excimer-laser architecture for scalable inertial fusion energy with applications in energy resilience and national security. Recent leadership additions include Brad Appel as Chief Engineer for Vulcan, previously CTO at Ursa Major and SpaceX; Justin Brynestad as Senior Vice President overseeing Vulcan programme execution; and Rachel Konrad as Senior Vice President of Strategic Communications. Founded in 2022, Xcimer has secured Department of Energy funding.