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Breakthrough Energy Ventures Portfolio Company Career Opportunities

Plasma Control Expert

Commonwealth Fusion Systems

Commonwealth Fusion Systems

Devens, MA, USA
Posted on Saturday, April 30, 2022
Commonwealth Fusion Systems (CFS) has the fastest, lowest cost path to commercial fusion energy.
CFS collaborates with MIT to leverage decades of research combined with groundbreaking new high-temperature superconducting (HTS) magnet technology. HTS magnets will enable compact fusion power plants that can be constructed faster and at lower cost. Our mission is to deploy these power plants to meet global decarbonization goals as fast as possible. To that end, 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 implement this plan, we are looking to add dedicated people to the team who treat people well, improve our work by adding multifaceted perspectives and new ways of solving problems, have achieved outstanding results through a range of pursuits, and have skills and experience related to this role.
ARC will be the first machine to produce electricity from fusion energy, serving as the cornerstone to a new industry. The fusion nuclear and plasma environment of ARC will be a challenging environment for plasma diagnostics and actuators needed for plasma control. The Plasma Control Expert will own the plasma control challenge in ARC, identifying and managing technical gaps and risks. They will work to identify the minimal viable diagnostic and actuator sets that are needed for reliable plasma control. Detailed knowledge of tokamak plasma control theory is critical for this role.

This team member will:

  • Own the technical gaps and risks for plasma control on ARC
  • Collaborate with the ARC physicists and engineers responsible for the plasma control diagnostics and actuators
  • Lead planning participate in executing with the SPARC Physics and Operations team experiments on SPARC to close gaps and retire risks
  • Work with CFS R&D and Open Innovation to close gaps and retire risks
  • No supervisory responsibilities to start, eventually may supervise the ARC plasma control team

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

  • PhD in fusion or related field
  • 10 years of plasma control system experience, especially on tokamaks
  • Detailed knowledge of plasma control theory and algorithms
  • Familiar with state-of-the art plasma control simulation tools

Additional preferred experience and/or qualifications:

  • Involved in planning and executing experiments to demonstrate minimal viable diagnostic and actuator sets for plasma control
  • Ability to perform activities such as typing and sitting for extended periods of time
  • Willingness to do occasional travel and off-hours work on commissioning
  • #LI-Remote
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.