Principal RF Plasma Heating Scientist (Tokamak)

Commonwealth-Fusion-Systems-5; Harvard (MA); On-site; USD 150,000 - 225,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Equity

Health insurance

13 company holidays

Flexible vacation days

401(k) with employer matching

Professional growth opportunities

Job summary

Commonwealth Fusion Systems is seeking a Principal Scientist – Radio Frequency Plasma Heating to advance SPARC and ARC technologies. You will simulate RF antennas, test components, and help implement RF controls while preparing commissioning procedures for high‑power plasmas.

The role demands a PhD in plasma physics and 7+ years in RF heating with hands‑on tokamak experience, plus hardware development skills and FE tool proficiency. On‑site work with a path toward leadership and impact.

Qualifications

• PhD in plasma physics or related field required.
• 7+ years post‑degree experience in RF heating, current drive or discharge cleaning in fusion plasmas.
• Experience running experiments on tokamaks or similar devices.

Responsibilities

• Simulate SPARC ICRH antennas and RF network to inform commissioning and operation.
• Test ICRH/ICDC components and contribute to RF control interfaces.
• Develop commissioning and operation plans for ICRH/ICDC systems.
• Commission SPARC ICRH/ICDC into early plasmas and operate during high power DT plasmas.
• Study RF wave physics in SPARC and support ARC design through modeling.
• Collaborate with multi‑institutional teams across universities and national labs.

Skills

RF heating experience

Tokamak experiments

Hardware development

Python programming

Practical problem solving

Team collaboration

Education

PhD in plasma physics or related

Tools

COMSOL

ANSYS HFSS

CST

Job description

Commonwealth Fusion Systems is seeking a Principal Scientist – Radio Frequency Plasma Heating to advance SPARC and ARC technologies. You will simulate RF antennas, test components, and help implement RF controls while preparing commissioning procedures for high‑power plasmas.

The role demands a PhD in plasma physics and 7+ years in RF heating with hands‑on tokamak experience, plus hardware development skills and FE tool proficiency. On‑site work with a path toward leadership and impact.