Research Scientist 2 – Data Science Division

Job Description

Plasma Science and Fusion Center (PSFC) is seeking a research scientist to conduct fundamental and applied research in the areas of Disruptions, MagnetoHydroDynamics (MHD) stability and control, and Machine Learning (ML) applications to fusion science and technology.

Will work in a leadership role as part of the newly established Data Science division at MIT’s PSFC, liaising with the Magnetic Fusion Experiments (MFE) and the Theory & Computing divisions. The research scientist will lead or co-lead research topics in the PSFC Disruptions Group (https://disruptions.mit.edu/) and be involved in the management of several sponsored collaborations, in both publicly and privately funded programs. Will have the freedom to pursue their own research interests in plasma physics and fusion; take on the supervision of graduate students and postdoctoral associates; contribute original research to the PSFC program; and produce work for publication in scientific journals and present at scientific conferences. It is expected that some research efforts will be dedicated to the development of ML-driven use cases for the DOE sponsored programs, either in the Tokamak Research program or in support FIRE collaboratives, and to the development of Disruption Prevention, Avoidance, and Mitigation strategies for SPARC and ARC.

Required Qualifications

• Ph.D. Physics, Nuclear Engineering, Plasma Science, or a related field.
• Experience with plasma physics, MHD stability, or fusion energy research.
• Experience with experimental planning, experimental data analysis, and model development and deployment in control systems.
• Familiarity with Machine Learning and data science applications.
• 4 years of experience post PhD conducting original scientific research as well as publishing in scientific journals.
• Demonstrated skills in scientific programming (Python preferred), and common open-source software development practices.
• Strong communication and collaboration skills, with the ability to work effectively in a multi-institutional environment, including staff and students from MIT, other universities, national laboratories, and private industry.
• Commitment to mentoring and outreach in support of a diverse research community.
• Deals with confidential information and/or issues using discretion and judgment.

Preferred Qualifications

• Familiarity with large-scale data management, and FAIR data principles.

Other important information

• This position is eligible for visa sponsorship.
• Employment is contingent upon the completion of a satisfactory background check.