Staff Scientist - Plasma Material Interaction

About Commonwealth Fusion Systems:

Commonwealth Fusion Systems is on a mission to deliver the urgent transition to fusion energy.

Combining decades of research, top talent, and new technologies, we’re designing and building commercially viable fusion power plants. And we're working with policymakers, suppliers, and many others to build the energy industry of the future.

We’re in the best position to make it happen. Since 2018, we’ve raised $4 billion of capital, making us the largest and leading fusion company in the world.

Now we’re looking for more thinkers, doers, builders, and makers to join us. People who’ll bring new perspectives, solve tough problems, and thrive as part of a team.

If that’s you and this role fits, we want to hear from you.

The plasma facing components (PFCs) in SPARC and ARC are the hardware interface between high performance burning plasmas and the entire tokamak. Due to the extreme plasma conditions needed for fusion, the PFCs will see heat and particle loads that far exceed most other domains of science and engineering. The Scientist
- Plasma Material Interaction (PMI) provides a critical interface between plasma physics, materials science, and nuclear engineering. The Scientist will be organizationally based in the Plasma Physics Department with designated technical contacts in the Materials Science and Nuclear Engineering Departments. By connecting computational plasma physics models, engineering models, neutronics models, and material models, the Scientist will enable predictive modeling of the coupled evolution of PFC materials and the plasma, across timescales ranging from seconds to years.

The ultimate objective of these coupled workflows is to inform the design and operation of the plasma facing components for ARC, a 400MWe fusion power plant to be delivered in the early 2030s. In order to validate and verify the workflows, the Scientist will oversee test campaigns at experimental facilities around the world, exploring PMI and neutron loading. Additionally, the Scientist will have access to Deuterium-Tritium experimental data from the SPARC tokamak, and the predictive workflows will be benchmarked using this CFS data.

It is expected that through the aforementioned efforts the Scientist will develop a deep understanding of the material degradation associated with plasma loading and fusion neutron irradiation, and will represent CFS as a world expert in this domain.

• Build computational workflows to predict PFC material degradation under plasma loading conditions, and subsequent impact on plasma performance
• Build computational workflows to predict PFC material degradation under neutron irradiation
• Support ARC design team by running predictive models to inform PFC material lifetime estimates, component shaping, and consequences of overloading
• Conduct experimental tests of candidate ARC materials at test facilities around the world, including PMI, heat loads, and neutron irradiation
• Leverage SPARC experimental data to benchmark predictive models used for ARC design and optimization
• Develop interpretive models used to infer PFC material state from power plant relevant diagnostics
• Serve as a bridge between the Plasma Physics Department, Materials Science Department, and Nuclear Engineering Department at CFS
• Manage collaborations with universities, national labs, and private companies, around the world
• Present scientific results at technical conferences and in a peer reviewed publications

• PhD or equivalent in plasma physics, materials science, nuclear engineering, or related, with demonstrated research in plasma material interactions
• Working knowledge of plasma…