Electronic Systems (FPGA) Physicist– Laser-Plasma Diagnostics

Who we are

Founded in 2019, Marvel Fusion is Europe’s leading fusion energy company, uniting 120 scientists, engineers, and entrepreneurs acrossour locations in Munich and Colorado. 

Backed by over €385 million in public and private funding, we’redriven by a shared mission: to deliver clean, abundant energy to the world. 

Why Marvel Fusion

By joining us, you will be:

• Solving one of the most complex technological challenges known to humanity, harnessing Fusion on Earth
• Part of a highly purpose-driven team working on providing the world with clean, safe and abundant energy
• Working alongside world-leading scientists and entrepreneurs in the field of Fusion
• Part of a start-up where growth on a company and individual level is the default

We are seeking an experienced Electronic Systems FPGA Physicist to establish and lead the electronics development stream for advanced particle and radiation diagnostics used in ultrashort-pulse laser-matter interaction experiments. This role focuses on detector and camera systems for ion, electron, neutron, and X/gamma-ray measurements that must operate reliably in high-field experimental environments, where strong electromagnetic pulses and demanding operating conditions render standard analogue and passive instrumentation unreliable.

This role establishes a new technical capability within the company and offers the opportunity to shape it from the outset. Beyond the initial development programme, the successful candidate will continue to develop the next generation of camera and detector systems for harsh experimental environments, extend them towards higher repetition rates and reactor-relevant conditions, and support the wider team across the full diagnostics portfolio. There are clear opportunities to grow the electronics activity into a dedicated sub-team and to take a leading role in the transition of diagnostics from experimental prototypes to deployable, industry-ready systems.

Your responsibilities

• Investigate, evaluate, and select readout, data link, and processing architectures for detectors operating in harsh interaction environments; own the resulting system architecture and document the trade-offs behind it.
• Design and implement readout electronics for imaging and particle detectors, including CMOS/CCD sensor interfacing, high-speed serial data links, and FPGA-based data acquisition.
• Develop FPGA firmware (VHDL/Verilog, Vivado/Vitis or equivalent) together with host-side acquisition, control, and visualisation software.
• Develop robust triggering and gating schemes with sub-nanosecond timing accuracy, including fibre-optic trigger and data distribution, synchronised to laser operation at repetition rates up to 10 Hz and beyond.
• Engineer EMP- and EMI-resilient electronics: grounding and isolation topologies, shielding concepts, cable and connector selection, and mitigation of coupling paths into in-chamber and near-chamber electronics.
• Specify and qualify components and subsystems for sustained, long-lived operation in the experimental environment; define and run the associated test and validation campaigns.
• Identify, evaluate, and manage external partners - specialist component suppliers, design houses, and research institutes - where capability is best sourced externally, and integrate their deliverables into our systems.
• Engineer diagnostics as transportable, beamtime-ready packages, and support their commissioning and field deployment at remote experimental facilities including the communication path from device to database storage
• Collaborate closely with IT, mechanical engineers, physicists to ensure networking, electronics, enclosure, cooling, and vacuum concepts are developed as one system.
• Participate in experimental preparation and execution alongside the rest of the scientific team
• Provide electronics and readout expertise across the wider diagnostics portfolio of the team.

What you bring

• M.Sc. or Ph.D. in Physics, Electrical Engineering, or a closely related discipline.
• 5 years or more of hands-on experience developing scientific or industrial electronic systems.
• Demonstrated experience with FPGA firmware development in VHDL or Verilog, including vendor toolchains, IP integration, and timing closure.
• Practical experience with image sensor or detector readout, including differential high-speed inter-faces (LVDS/SLVS) and sensor configuration and control.
• Board-level design or design specification experience covering high-speed digital signalling, signal integrity, and power delivery.
• Software proficiency in C/C++ and Python for instrument control, data acquisition, and analysis.
• Ability to independently scope open technical questions, conduct structured technology evaluations, and make and defend design decisions with incomplete information.
• Confident use of laboratory instrumentation for debugging high-speed and mixed-signal systems (oscilloscopes, logic analysers, JTAG tooling). 
• Ability to work independently in both laboratory and remote deployment settings, with strong communication skills and a collaborative, problem-solving mindset.
• Professional working proficiency in English.

Nice to have

• Experience with detector or DAQ electronics developed at accelerator, laser, fusion, or space research facilities.
• Experience mitigating electromagnetic pulse and interference effects in pulsed-power or high-field environments.
• Experience selecting and qualifying electronics intended for long operational lifetimes in ionising environments.
• Familiarity with fibre-optic data and timing distribution, including link budgeting and long-term degradation effects.
• Experience with gated imaging and precise shot-synchronised acquisition timing.
• Experience with on-chip image processing, high-level synthesis, or SoC-based designs combining programmable logic with embedded processors.
• Track record of deploying self-contained instrument packages at host facilities, for example in test-beam or external campaign settings.
• Familiarity with spectrometer types such as Thomson parabola, time-of-flight systems, or scintillator-based detectors.
• German language skills.

What we offer

Our mission is motivation enoughfor many. But we also support our team with benefits that foster wellbeing and growth: 

• Public Transport Subsidy
• Employee Incentive Program
• Phone Bill Reimbursement
• Wellpass or Complimentary Private Health Insurance
• Professional Learning & Development Budget
• Relocation Support
• Company Pension Plan
• 30 Days of Vacation plus additional half day on 24. & 31.Dec.
• Modern Office in the center of Munich 
• Healthy office snacks 
• Regular Team Events

For more information on how we process your application data, please review our privacy notice.

For more information on how we process your application data, please review our privacy notice.