Scientist

Commonwealth Fusion Systems (CFS) has the fastest, lowest cost path to commercial fusion energy.
CFS is collaborating with MIT to leverage decades of research combined with new groundbreaking high-temperature superconducting (HTS) magnet technology. HTS magnets will enable compact fusion power plants that can be constructed faster and at lower cost. The mission is to deploy fusion power plants to meet global decarbonization goals as fast as possible. CFS has assembled a team of leaders in tough tech, fusion science, and manufacturing with a track record of rapid execution. Supported by the world’s leading investors, CFS is uniquely positioned to deliver limitless, clean, fusion power to combat climate change. To execute this plan, we are looking to add talented people to the team who are mission-driven and treat people well, improve our team by adding diverse perspectives and new ways of solving problems, have demonstrated exceptional results through a range of different pursuits, and have skill sets and experience that relate to this role.
Generating net energy plasmas in the SPARC tokamak will involve a skilled team of physicists and engineers designing, building, and operating the tokamak and its many systems.  Candidates will work as part of a combined physics and engineering team to support the final design of SPARC, as well as performing the calculations and developing the tools needed for plasma operations, with an emphasis on early campaigns.  There are many potential areas of focus for this position, including but not limited to: developing flattop plasma scenarios for commissioning and performance, developing startup and ramp-down scenarios, analyzing disruptions and disruptivity, developing integrated operation scenarios for confinement mode transitions and ELMy regimes, contributing to the creation of a ‘flight simulator’ for SPARC plasmas, developing particle control schemes for fuel and impurities, analyzing ICRH wave physics and informing antenna design, and others.  The candidate will be a key member of the team that operates SPARC, performing analysis on net fusion energy plasmas in order to optimize SPARC performance. 
This position is open to recent graduates, post-docs, early career, and more senior scientists, and CFS is expecting to hire multiple positions.  Opportunities for leadership and management are available for more experienced candidates.

This team member will do one or a few of the following:

• Perform various plasma physics analyses and simulation as needed to inform the on-going design and operational planning for SPARC and ARC
• Translate physics calculations to engineering requirements in a mission-driven environment
• Coordinate various disruption-related functions of the SPARC tokamak, including prediction, avoidance, and mitigation
• Develop a range of integrated plasma scenarios that are compatible with SPARC magnet systems and plasma facing components, including startup, flattop, and ramp down.
• Analyze other dynamic plasma phenomena in SPARC, such as plasma fueling, confinement transitions and the response to ELMs, informing control system requirements and operational planning
• Analyze ICRH wave physics and inform antenna and control design
• Work closely with the plasma control system and diagnostics teams
• Contribute to the creation of a ‘flight simulator’ for SPARC plasmas for pre-shot planning as part of a multidisciplinary team.
• Prepare for, operate, and analyze data from SPARC in order to produce and learn from the world’s first net energy fusion plasma
• Depending on the candidate’s experience, direct reports may include junior members of the SPARC tokamak operations team.  Senior candidates may also supervise work completed by collaborators providing input to SPARC design and physics analysis

The ideal candidate will have most, if not all, of these requirements:

• A PhD in plasma physics or a closely related field 
• Experience working with and/or operating tokamaks
• A drive toward practical solutions to integrated physics and engineering challenges
• Skill with the state-of-the-art tools in the topical area for which the candidate is applying
• A general knowledge of the physics and engineering governing tokamak plasma generation and control
• A desire for active participation in tokamak design and operations
• Experience with Python

Additional experience and/or qualifications:

• A working knowledge of electrical power systems, tokamak magnet systems, and tokamak fuelling systems
• Familiarity with tokamak plasma control systems
• Ability to do activities such as typing or sitting for extended periods of time
• Willingness to travel or work required nights/weekends/on-call occasionally when asked

CFS team members thrive in a fast-paced, dynamic environment and have demonstrated exceptional results through a range of different pursuits. We all tightly align with our company values of integrity, execution, impact and self-critique. As we grow, we are looking to add talented people who are mission driven and bring diverse perspectives and new ways of solving problems.
At CFS, we deeply value diversity and are an equal opportunity employer by choice. We consider all qualified applicants equally for employment. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, ancestry, citizenship status, protected veteran status, religion, physical or mental disability, marital status, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, or any other basis protected by law, ordinance, or regulation.