Staff Scientist, Plasma Materials Interaction

Socket.dev; Harvard (MA); On-site; USD 140,000 - 190,000; Full time

Job summary

Commonwealth Fusion Systems is seeking a Staff Scientist - Plasma Material Interaction to drive predictive modeling of plasma-facing component materials for ARC and SPARC. You will connect plasma physics, materials science, and nuclear engineering to assess material evolution from seconds to years, guiding design and operation of fusion power plants.

You will oversee test campaigns, benchmark models with experimental data, and collaborate across departments and with external labs and

Qualifications

• PhD or equivalent in plasma physics, materials science, nuclear engineering, or related field.
• Demonstrated research in plasma-material interactions and PMI diagnostics.
• Experience designing and executing test campaigns at plasma-material exposure devices or high heat flux facilities.

Responsibilities

• Build computational workflows to predict PFC material degradation under plasma loading conditions and under neutron irradiation.
• Support ARC design team by running predictive models for material lifetime estimates and design decisions.
• Conduct experimental tests of ARC materials at test facilities worldwide and benchmark predictive models against experimental data.
• Present results at conferences and in peer-reviewed publications.

Skills

Plasma physics

Materials science

Nuclear engineering

Python

C++

HPC

Git

PMI knowledge

Education

PhD or equivalent in plasma physics, materials science, nuclear engineering

Tools

Python

C++

Git

Slurm

Job description

Commonwealth Fusion Systems is seeking a Staff Scientist - Plasma Material Interaction to drive predictive modeling of plasma-facing component materials for ARC and SPARC. You will connect plasma physics, materials science, and nuclear engineering to assess material evolution from seconds to years, guiding design and operation of fusion power plants.

You will oversee test campaigns, benchmark models with experimental data, and collaborate across departments and with external labs and