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.
If you are interested in joining our team, check out cfs.energy/careers for more information.
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.
Achieving the full potential of the SPARC tokamak will require a comprehensive, real-time plasma control system (PCS). Control of currents in poloidal field magnets, injection of fuel and impurities, auxiliary heating from ICRF antennas and more will all need to be linked in a supervisory control scheme capable of responding to normal and off-normal events. The SPARC instrumentation and control team are seeking an experienced engineer with demonstrated experience on tokamaks to lead the design and implementation of the SPARC plasma control system, in collaboration with the wider SPARC team. This individual will integrate with a comprehensive set of plasma diagnostics and be an integral tool in maximizing the science and technology output from SPARC including achieving breakeven fusion energy, sustaining burning plasmas, and demonstrating the avoidance and mitigation of disruptions. This individual will lay the foundation for the fusion control system of ARC, the first fusion power plant.
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.
This team member will:
Grow, lead and manage the plasma control system teamDefine the PCS architecture to include all functions and algorithms requires to achieve the SPARC mission, including the supervisory controller, actuator arbitration and some machine protection functionsDesign, implement, test and maintain the software framework for the PCS of SPARC through individual contributions and building and managing a small teamWork with the tokamak operations and plasma diagnostics teams to develop and test algorithms for basic and advanced plasma controlContribute to the development of a tokamak ‘flight simulator’ for PCS testing and shot-planningWork with the I&C team and SPARC system owners to ensure the desired real-time function of all systems have been identified and included in the PCSProduce or supervise production of functional and performance specifications for all parts of the PCSDefine the software quality assurance process so PCS can be relied upon to achieve SPARC mission goals on an accelerated scheduleProduction of the required design deliverables that demonstrate on-going progress of PCS developmentProduce verification and validation, testing, installation, commissioning, operations and maintenance procedures for the plasma control systemCollaborate with MIT and other leading research institutions on components, sub-systems and control algorithms for PCS, including the integration of controllers based on machine learningWork with SPARC procurement to manage suppliers of components and integrated subsystems for the PCSReport on and be accountable for progress to the head of I&CGrow, lead and manage the team which delivers the SPARC PCS. Team members include software engineers and real-time control system engineersThe ideal candidate will have most, if not all, of these requirements:
Extensive experience and understanding of fusion plasma operation in magnetic confinementReal-time control systems with deterministic control loops in the kHz rangeTechniques and measures for producing high reliability softwareLow latency network communicationSoftware development lifecycles including agile, waterfall, V-modelDefining software QA such as coding standardsVersion controlUML or other functional modelling languageC++, PythonLinuxAdditional experience and/or qualifications:
FPGAsMARTe2SimulinkPTP, White Rabbit, IEEE 802.1x, TSNMachine learningGPU computingWorking with academic institutions from a diverse range of countriesAbility to occasionally lift up to 50 lbsPerform activities such as typing for extended periods of timeDedication to safety to mitigate hazards that may include heat, cold, and noiseWillingness to occasionally travel or work required nights/weekends/on-call