Diagnostic Engineer

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.
The design of the SPARC facility is continually advancing, including the design of instrumentation that will be used to control the plasma and deliver the scientific data necessary to inform the design of ARC. The SPARC Diagnostic system is comprised of over forty sub-systems that use a variety of proven techniques to encode information from a tokamak plasma into measurable signals; active laser based measurements, passive and active analysis of microwave-band emission, spectroscopy of plasma emission from the x-ray to infrared, characterization of neutrons produced from fusion reactions, and a wide variety of wired sensors and probes integrated into the vacuum environment. Techniques have been demonstrated by decades of government-sponsored fusion research, and CFS is looking for multidisciplinary engineers who can contribute to innovative design and engineering solutions to endure these concepts can be integrated into the SPARC tokamak. Candidates that have design, build, or analysis skills in the mechanical civil, or aerospace engineering disciplines are encouraged to apply. The SPARC diagnostic team welcomes engineers looking for a career transition who want to join a team with diverse backgrounds and can solve challenging problems in the growing fusion energy industry. Candidates will work alongside CFS staff, MIT-PSFC partners, and fusion community collaborators from around the world to design and build the tools that will measure net energy from a tokamak for the first time. 

This team member will:

• Support the Diagnostic System Owners in the design of components by applying multi-discipline engineering and design skills to a variety of diagnostic design problems
• Contribute to strong safety culture while helping to commission and operate SPARC diagnostics
• Grow expertise that helps CFS build a core competency in fusion measurement tools that can deliver future tokamaks optimized for power production

Project areas can range over multiple topics including design, analysis and testing of:

• Sensors inside the vacuum vessel and the integration of their cabling with high-density, custom electrical feedthroughs
• Mirrors and vacuum windows for optical emission, microwaves and lasers
• Piping and wiring components that can interface sensors and beamlines from the tokamak to the laboratory space, as well as the large structural supports for these systems
• Support and interfacing structures for scientific measurement tools that use a ~375 m^2 dedicated laboratory space next to the SPARC tokamak
• Radiation shielding to help increase lifetime of sensitive equipment

Scope and depth of required work is adjustable based on aptitude and experience but can cover:

• Detailed component design and layout in CAD
• Structural/thermal analysis
• Developing and executing benchtop tests of prototypes at CFS facilities and external vendors
• Development of assembly and installation procedures for SPARC diagnostics
• Supporting the resolution technical issues that arise during the manufacturing of SPARC diagnostics
• Providing hands-on support for diagnostic assembly and calibration, providing feedback on the impact of field changes during installation

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

• At least a bachelor’s degree in a relevant engineering field (mechanical, civil, nuclear, or aerospace) 
• Demonstrated record of design of structural assemblies requiring high strength and/or complex assembly operations
• Understanding of design for manufacture principles for relevant manufacturing methods such as machining, welding, concrete fabrication, or lifting/rigging
• Experience with rapid prototyping, and failure testing used to debug and improve designs
• Familiarity with