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Join our Team
Are you a fresh graduate dreaming about an exciting STEM career, or an experienced professional who is looking for the next challenge at the cutting-edge of science, technology and engineering?
Join our vibrant and multi-disciplinary team of scientists, engineers, and support staff to help facilitate research that aims to expand our fundamental understanding of the world around us and tackle pressing societal challenges impacting health, security, energy and climate change.
An engine for innovation
“Characterisation and verification techniques, such as [those at] the CLF, are key to enabling new IP and manufacturing techniques to be further developed and protected for future products”
Feedback from users
“There have been many scientific discoveries that could not have been done anywhere else, as well as key auxiliary advancements in laser development.”
Feedback from users
“The CLF supports areas of science where the activation barrier is high, but the impacts are too. They have kept cost per scientific output low though, thanks to the staff who are well trained and technically proficient.”
Feedback from users
“The CLF allows us to take science in directions that wouldn’t be possible anywhere else.”
CLF science
“Techniques developed at the CLF have had a range of applications, from verifying pharmaceuticals, to detecting explosives and narcotics”
Professor Mark Thomson, Executive Chair of STFC and UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) and Champion for Infrastructure from 2018-2024,
“The Central Laser Facility has been a driving force behind discoveries that have advanced our understanding of diverse areas from the fundamental properties of matter under extreme conditions to the formation of stars and planets. To keep this world leading facility at the forefront of science and to make new breakthroughs for the benefit of society, it is essential that we invest in the development and deployment of advanced high-power laser technology. The Vulcan 20-20 programme will keep the Central Laser Facility at the cutting edge of the highest-power laser science and enable entirely new experiments in crucial areas such as renewable energy research.”
Skills, knowledge and inspiration
“The CLF is good at engaging young audiences, they have a visitor centre set up with videos and displays to teach young people about lasers. You don’t see that at other high-power laser facilities.”
Skills, knowledge and inspiration
“The CLF definitely supports personal development of soft skills as well, such as public speaking, negotiations, and networking skills.”
Skills, knowledge and inspiration
“Training programmes are key – all of my students have benefited from them.”
UK competitiveness and reputation
“They are absolutely world leading in high-power lasers, which will only be helped by the upcoming developments
at the CLF.”
UK competitiveness and reputation
“In terms of leadership in the field, nothing has changed. The CLF are the leaders and an ideal entity to partner with.”
UK competitiveness and reputation
“The CLF is globally leading, talk to anyone in the high power laser community. Also, UK groups have become globally leading through it, as the facilities have underpinned the research for these groups.”
UK competitiveness and reputation
“There are not many other places around the world like the CLF. Other facilities don’t have the same breadth of capabilities.”
George Freeman, then Science Minister (2023),
“Reestablishing Britain as home to the world’s most powerful laser is an exciting opportunity to explore the unexplored in astronomy and physics, stride towards new clean energy sources for the good of our planet and much more. By investing £85m to give our research community the edge in leading crucial scientific discoveries, we are also delivering hundreds of highly skilled jobs in science and engineering that boost the UK science sector and grow our economy.” STFC and CLF are currently recruiting for a range of roles to support the Vulcan 20-20 upgrade programme including engineers, technicians, and project managers. Full details about the programme and these roles can be found on the CLF careers website.”