Real Time Controls Engineer

over 1 year ago
Full time role
Devens, MA, US... more
Devens, MA, US... more

Job Description

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 Real Time Controls Engineer position will develop, test, and evaluate the real-time control algorithms for the SPARC tokamak control system, pioneering control solutions for a new industry of clean fusion power.  This position will develop control algorithms and architectures to control a 100 million degree plasma using powerful superconducting magnets, megawatts of radio frequency heating, and fuel injection systems with measurements from thousands of individual sensors, balancing the goals of high fusion power with protecting the machine from damage.  They will work alongside software engineers, physicists, and instrumentation teams to address this multidisciplinary challenge involving cutting edge control theory, simulation, plasma physics, software, and hardware.  While we love to hear from candidates with plasma and fusion experience, we specifically encourage candidates who have worked on similarly difficult problems in aerospace, aviation, automotive, and robotics to apply.

Come be part of a team working at the cutting edge of real time controls and working toward a clean energy future!


This team member will:

  • Design, simulate, implement, debug, and test control algorithms for magnets, fueling, heating and other actuators on the SPARC tokamak
  • Develop control-oriented models of the SPARC tokamak in collaboration with the physics team, tokamak operators, and the engineering design team
  • Work with software engineers to implement, test, and calibrate control algorithms in simulation and in the tokamak
  • Develop tools to evaluate the performance of the implemented control algorithms

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

  • A bachelor’s degree in engineering or a closely related field
  • Experience developing low-latency, high-reliability, fast (1kHz+) control systems
  • Experience in linear systems analysis, stability, and classical controller design
  • Experience with MIMO/state space control, optimal control, and state machines.
  • Experience developing control-oriented models for complex systems
  • Comfortable working in a cutting-edge engineering space with high uncertainty
  • Strong communication and teamwork skills
  • Experience with Python
  • Experience with C/C++

Additional preferred experience and/or qualifications:

  • Experience in developing control using high-dimensional sensor data or computer vision (e.g. 3D or 2D reconstructions from images, point clouds, or fluid dynamics)
  • Experience with Kalman filters and/or model predictive control 
  • Experience in motion planning and trajectory optimization
  • Perform activities such as typing or sitting for extended periods of time
  • Dedication to safety to mitigate hazards that may include strong magnets
  • Willingness to travel or work required nights/weekends/on-call occasionally
  • #LI-Onsite

CFS team members thrive in a fast-paced, dynamic environment and have demonstrated exceptional results through a range of different pursuits. We all tightly align with our company values of integrity, execution, impact and self-critique. As we grow, we are looking to add talented people who are mission driven and bring diverse perspectives and new ways of solving problems.

At CFS, we deeply value diversity and are an equal opportunity employer by choice. We consider all qualified applicants equally for employment. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, ancestry, citizenship status, protected veteran status, religion, physical or mental disability, marital status, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, or any other basis protected by law, ordinance, or regulation.

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