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Research Scientist 1
  • Job Number: 25675
  • Functional Area: Research - Scientific
  • Department: Plasma Science and Fusion Center
  • School Area: VP Research
  • Pay Range Minimum: $72,000
  • Pay Range Maximum: $92,000
  • Employment Type: Full-Time
  • Employment Category: Exempt
  • Visa Sponsorship Available: Yes
  • Schedule:
  • Pay Grade: No Grade


Posting Description

RESEARCH SCIENTIST 1, Plasma Science and Fusion Center (PSFC), 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. The duties involve working as a member of the newly established Data Science division at MIT’s PSFC, in collaboration with the Magnetic Fusion Experiments (MFE) and the Theory & Computing divisions and conducting research in alignment with the PSFC Disruptions Group. Immediate responsibilities include the development of ML-driven use cases for the DOE sponsored programs, under direct supervision of the PI, either in the Tokamak Research program or in support FIRE collaboratives, and contributions to the development of Disruption Prevention, Avoidance, and Mitigation strategies for SPARC and ARC.

Job Requirements

REQUIRED: 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; two 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; and ability to deal with confidential information and/or issues using discretion and judgment. PREFERRED: Familiarity with large-scale data management, and FAIR data principles.

This position will be 100% on-campus at MIT in Cambridge, MA.

4/29/2026