---
title: 'Senior Thermal Analyst at Xcimer Energy'
canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/senior-thermal-analyst-xcimer-energy-denver-y978v74dnnj9'
type: 'job'
last_seen: '2026-09-13'
---

# Senior Thermal Analyst at Xcimer Energy

- **Company:** Xcimer Energy
- **Location:** Denver, CO
- **Compensation:** $155k–$180k
- **Employment:** full-time
- **Work type:** onsite
- **Posted:** 2026-08-31
- **Last confirmed live:** 2026-09-13
- **Apply:** https://jobs.lever.co/xcimer/ed881c77-1795-4793-ae67-a3e0a09de33d

## Job description

Xcimer Energy builds on decades of research in Inertial Fusion Energy (IFE), combined with a groundbreaking new laser architecture, to accelerate the deployment of fusion power plants. Our mission is to deliver clean, limitless fusion energy fast enough to meet global decarbonization goals. Xcimer has assembled a world-class team spanning tough tech, fusion science, and advanced manufacturing, with a proven track record of rapid execution. Backed by leading investors, we are uniquely positioned to bring inertial fusion power from prototype to reality. Join us in powering a better world with fusion. This is a full-time, onsite role based at our headquarters in Denver, CO. As Senior Thermal Analyst, you will lead the thermal and CFD analysis across Xcimer’s Energy and Defense programs. You will evaluate cooling architectures, analyze steady‑state and transient heat loads, and provide thermal insight that drives system‑level design decisions. You will work closely with design engineers and fellow analysts to ensure thermal behavior is fully integrated into cross‑disciplinary workflows including component design, architecture trades, performance optimization, and experimental validation. You will generate traceable analysis documentation, participate in peer reviews, and provide analysis guidance to design engineers and junior analysts.  As hardware progresses from prototype to integrated testing you will support troubleshooting, test correlation, and rapid iteration. We are looking for engineers who enjoy building systems from concept through commissioning and thrive in fast-paced manufacturing environments.

## Responsibilities

- Lead thermal and CFD analyses for cooling systems, gas‑flow pathways, and fusion chamber components.
- Build and maintain transient and steady‑state thermo‑fluid models including conduction, convection, radiation, turbulent flow, and compressible gas dynamics.
- Validate CFD and thermal models using analytical techniques, experimental data, and multi‑physics correlations.
- Produce clear, accurate, and traceable analysis documentation for design reviews, architecture trades, and test readiness.
- Conduct peer reviews of thermal/CFD analyses from other analysts; maintain best practices for modeling, assumptions, margins, and documentation.
- Collaborate with analysts and design engineering teams to ensure thermal results are fully integrated into component and system designs.
- Support prototype builds and test operations by diagnosing thermally‑related issues, supporting root‑cause investigations, and recommending corrective actions.
- Contribute to the development of internal thermal/CFD workflows, correlation standards, and analysis verification/validation processes.

## Qualifications

- Education: B.S. in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, Nuclear Engineering, or related field.
- Experience: 8+ years of thermal‑fluid, CFD, or heat‑transfer analysis experience supporting engineered hardware (Energy, Aerospace, Laser Systems, HVAC.).
- Expert proficiency with commercial CFD tools (e.g., STAR‑CCM+, Ansys Fluent) and experience with CFD verification/validation.
- Demonstrated experience with turbulent flow modeling, compressible and incompressible fluids, convection and radiation heat transfer, and cooling system design.
- Strong fundamentals in classical heat transfer and thermo‑fluids, including hand calculations and closed‑form thermal analysis methods.
- Demonstrated experience supporting hardware test campaigns, thermal instrumentation, flow diagnostics, and correlating models with experimental data.
- Must be a U.S. citizen or national, U.S. permanent resident (Green Card holder), or lawfully admitted into the U.S. as a refugee or granted asylum.

Desired

- M.S. or advanced degree in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, Nuclear Engineering, or related field.
- Hardware selection and/or design experience: fans, pumps, heat exchangers, piping, and other supporting equipment.
- Experience developing multi‑physics simulation environments involving thermal, flow, mechanical stress using simulation tools (SimCenter, COMSOL, Abaqus, etc.).
- Experience with high‑temperature systems, transient pulsed heat deposition, gas lasers, or fusion‑related thermal environments.
- Familiarity with engineering materials, manufacturing processes, cooling strategies, and how they affect thermal performance and reliability.
- Familiarity with scripting languages (Python, MATLAB, VBA) for automating workflows and post‑processing results. CAD/PLM experience (NX, Teamcenter).

## Equal Employment Opportunity

Xcimer Energy is proud to be an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer and is committed to attracting, retaining, and developing a highly qualified, diverse, and dedicated work force. Xcimer Energy hires and promotes people on the basis of their qualifications, performance, and abilities. We support the establishment and maintenance of a workplace that fosters trust, equality, and teamwork, in which all employees recognize and appreciate the diversity of individual team members. We provide all qualified applicants for employment and employees with equal opportunities for hire, promotion, and other terms and conditions of employment, regardless of their race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin/ethnicity, age, physical or mental disability, genetic factors, military/veteran status, or any other status or characteristic protected by federal, state, and/or local law. Xcimer Energy will consider for employment qualified applicants with criminal histories in a manner consistent with applicable federal, state, and local laws. For more information on “EEO Is the Law,” please see here and here.

## Benefits

Xcimer offers a comprehensive benefits package designed to support employee health, well-being, and long-term success. Benefits include medical, dental, and vision coverage; basic and supplemental life insurance; short- and long-term disability; paid parental leave for employees at the time of birth or adoption; and a 401(k) with a company match of up to 6%. Eligible employees also receive equity, allowing them to share in the company’s long-term success. Xcimer operates under a flexible Paid Time Off (ATO) approach. Rather than a fixed number of vacation days, employees are trusted to take the time they need to rest and recharge while meeting the expectations of their role and team. In addition, employees receive paid sick time, 13 company-paid holidays, and an annual paid company shutdown. Benefits are available to regular employees, including part-time and fixed-term roles, as well as interns, with eligibility varying by benefit.

## About Xcimer Energy

## Company Overview
- **One-liner**: Xcimer Energy is building the world’s most powerful excimer lasers to commercialize inertial fusion energy, delivering safe, affordable, and effectively limitless power while also strengthening national security.
- **Entity Type**: Private (Series A; total funding ~$200M)
- **Headquarters**: Denver, Colorado, United States (with manufacturing operations in Tucson, Arizona)
- **Founded**: 2022
- **Founders**: Conner Galloway (CEO, CSO) and Alexander Valys (President, CTO)

## Core Business
- **Primary industry/industries**: Fusion energy (inertial confinement fusion), laser systems, national security/defense
- **Target customers**: B2B / B2G (utilities, government, defense contractors, national laboratories)
- **Mission or purpose statement**: “Transform decades of scientific progress into commercial fusion plants to deliver safe, affordable, and effectively limitless energy—while improving air defense and national security.”

## Products & Services
- **Phoenix (2026)**: Prototype system demonstrating core laser technology and laser architecture in Denver.
- **Anvil (2028)**: 200 kJ, two-sided inertial fusion energy (IFE) excimer beamline demonstrator using Argos laser modules – the largest laser amplifiers in the world.
- **Vulcan (2031)**: Engineering (wall-plug) breakeven demonstration – world’s largest laser, combining many Argos modules to achieve 4 MJ of laser energy on target, upgradeable to 12 MJ.
- **Athena (2035)**: First commercial laser fusion power plant, delivering 400 MW of electricity to the grid.
- **National Security Applications**: Nuclear Weapons Effects Testing (NWET), stockpile stewardship, and directed energy systems.

## Market Standing
- **Valuation/Market Cap**: Not publicly available
- **Key Metric**: Total funding – “nearly $200 million” per FAQ page; “more than $150M raised” per media page (conflicting reports, both cited)
- **Notable Investors/Partners**: Hedosophia, Breakthrough Energy Ventures, Lowercarbon Capital, Prelude Ventures, Emerson Collective, Starlight Ventures, Wireframe Ventures, Leitmotif Ventures, Gigascale Capital. Also partners with Los Alamos National Laboratory, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Naval Research Laboratory, MIT, University of Rochester, General Atomics, Westinghouse.
- **Growth Signals**: Headcount of 109 employees (+45.6% YoY), plans to double the team over the next year, 32 open positions across 5 departments, largest laser fusion award from U.S. Department of Energy’s Milestone-Based Fusion Development Program.

## Competitive Advantages
- **Excimer laser architecture (KrF)**: 30x lower cost per joule than the solid-state lasers used at NIF; technology is commercially proven in semiconductor lithography.
- **Scientifically validated approach**: Only fusion method that has achieved scientific breakeven in the laboratory (NIF ignition).
- **Aggressive but grounded roadmap**: Wall-plug breakeven by 2031, grid power by 2035 – one of the fastest timelines in the industry.
- **Dual-use technology**: Fusion energy platform also serves critical national security applications, opening additional funding and partnership avenues.

## Strategic Focus
- Complete Phoenix and Anvil milestones to de-risk laser architecture.
- Hire and scale the team (targeting double the current headcount).
- Secure site for Vulcan and prepare for engineering breakeven demonstration.
- Advance commercial fusion power plant (Athena) design and regulatory pathways.
- Expand defense and government partnerships.

## Why Work Here
- **Culture highlights**: Values precision, creativity, collaboration, and questioning assumptions. Team includes top talent from fusion, energy, defense, aerospace, semiconductor lithography, and academia.
- **Work environment**: Primarily onsite in Denver, CO (engineering roles); flexible work environment, dog-friendly office, free lunch Tuesdays and Thursdays.
- **Notable perks**: Competitive wages, equity compensation plan, comprehensive health/dental/vision insurance, 401k with employer match, up to 12 weeks paid parental leave, 13 paid holidays, generous sick leave and vacation, relocation package, professional growth opportunities.
- **Internship program**: Highly competitive, hands-on experience in fusion science and engineering; strong track record of converting interns to full-time hires.

## Sources
1. [xcimer.energy/company](https://xcimer.energy/company/)
2. [xcimer.energy/careers](https://xcimer.energy/careers/)
3. [xcimer.energy/faq](https://xcimer.energy/faq/)
4. [xcimer.energy/media](https://xcimer.energy/media/)
5. [linkedin.com/company/xcimer-energy-corporation](https://linkedin.com/company/xcimer-energy-corporation)

## Other roles at Xcimer Energy

- [Summer 2027 Internship - Physics](https://feeny.ai/job/summer-2027-internship-physics-xcimer-energy-denver-rxez3syb9xhx) — Denver, CO
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- [Summer 2027 Internship - Computational and Software Engineering](https://feeny.ai/job/summer-2027-internship-computational-and-software-engineering-xcimer-energy-t32p0nv8kyvy) — Denver, CO
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