Senior Molten Salt Engineer

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 working with policymakers and suppliers to build the energy industry of the future.

We’re in the best position to make it happen. Since 2018, we’ve raised over $2 billion in capital – more than any other fusion energy company in the U.S.

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.

Join the power movement as a Senior Molten Salt Engineer

ARC will be the first machine to produce electricity from fusion energy, serving as the cornerstone to a new industry. ARC will strongly leverage the work that’s been done for SPARC in developing HTS magnets and other key tokamak systems. However, because of its mission to deliver power to the grid, the ARC tokamak has several systems not included on SPARC. The ARC group within R&D is a growing team that is delivering key scientific and engineering results to push the technical readiness level of these new enabling technologies higher.

Salt chemistry is a known driver of corrosion, hydrogen speciation and transport, and behavior under irradiation. As the Blanket System team develops and builds larger systems, maintaining strong controls on our salt and its chemistry becomes increasingly important. The Blanket System team is looking for a Molten Salt Chemist to grow our in-house salt analytical capabilities to enable rigorously quantify and predict salt behavior. This engineer should have expertise in at least one of the following areas: radiochemistry, chemical system modeling, analytical chemistry, electrochemistry.

The Blanket System team has a strong practice of carrying engineering risk where appropriate while attentively and aggressively managing safety risk, and is looking for an engineer who will actively contribute to this culture.

This role requires compliance with U.S. laws concerning the export of controlled or protected technologies or information (collectively, “Export Control Laws"). Any offer of employment will be contingent on the need for compliance with such Export Control Laws.

What you'll do:

• Lead development of predictive models to quantify salt chemistry changes under various conditions including: response to new materials, irradiation, gas sparging, etc
• Develop benchtop testing to verify predictive modeling work, in both unirradiated and irradiated environments
• Translate benchtop test data into quantitatively-driven chemical operation windows for various salt test articles, including progressively larger systems. Own associated workflows for this analysis
• Support benchtop materials compatibility experiments and in-loop testing for salt-compatible components (e.g. pumps, valves, heat exchangers)
• Act as a technical authority on radiochemical effects, chemical system modeling, and associated diagnostic systems. In this capacity, provide input on molten salt diagnostic development
• Work closely with other CFS teams including:
• - safety team to manage chemical hazards (including beryllium) in existing and new experimental facilities
• - supply chain team to manage development of external supply chains of molten salts
• - ARC Design Team
• Work closely with external collaborators on both experimental and computational research projects

What we’re looking for:

• PhD in Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, Nuclear Engineering, Materials Science and Engineering, or a related field
• 3+ years of experience in relevant R&D
• Experience with R&D work in a chemical laboratory
• Experience in experimental design and analysis with the explicit goal of driving to higher component and system TRLs
• Experience working with safety systems for hazardous chemicals
• Ability to work effectively in a multidisciplinary team of engineers, scientists, technical staff and others
• Ability to clearly express and critique ideas
• Great communication and organizational skills
• Strong problem solving skills, ability to approach new problems with creativity

Bonus points:

• Experience with modeling tools, such as Calphad, FactSage, Comsol, or similar (preferred, not required)
• Experience with electrochemistry or electrochemical engineering
• Experience modeling chemical systems (e.g. reaction, transport, thermodynamic, radiochemical)
• Experience with radiochemistry
• Experience with molten salt systems, particularly fluoride salt systems
• Experience with high temperature and/or corrosive systems
• Experience with gas handling systems and gas analysis.
• Experience in setting up new laboratory facilities or new analysis equipment (e.g. GCs)

Essential Requirements:

• Work in a facility that contains industrial hazards including heat, cold, noise, fumes, strong magnets, lead (Pb), high voltage, high current, pressure systems, and cryogenics
• #LI-Onsite