Intern - Materials Test Engineer - Summer 2027

Commonwealth Fusion Systems•Devens, MA

3d•$25 - $38•Onsite

About The Position

Commonwealth Fusion Systems is seeking a Materials Test Engineering Intern to support development and testing of advanced materials used in key tokamak systems, including plasma-facing components, the vacuum vessel, and high-field magnets. The intern will work with the Materials Team in a collaborative, fast-paced R&D environment focused on fusion energy. The internship runs for 13–18 weeks and involves 40–50 hours per week. Opportunities are available on site in Devens, Massachusetts; interns working on site are responsible for their own transportation and housing. Project assignments and technical skill requirements will vary according to the team’s needs. The program is open to currently enrolled college students at all levels from bachelor’s degree through PhD. Interns must be authorized to work in the United States for any employer. The hourly rate is $25–$38, based on year in school: $25–$32 for bachelor’s interns and $35–$38 for master’s and PhD interns. Benefits listed for full-time interns include 40 hours of sick time, health, dental, and vision insurance, a 401(k) with employer matching (enrollment requires age 21 or older), professional growth opportunities, and team-building activities. The role may require occasional travel or work at night, on weekends, or on call. The work involves potential exposure to industrial hazards, including heat, cold, noise, fumes, strong magnets, lead, high voltage, and cryogenics. Employment offers are contingent on compliance with applicable U.S. export control laws.

Requirements

Be currently enrolled in college, pursuing an engineering degree focused on Materials Engineering or Mechanical Engineering.
Be authorized to work in the United States for any employer.
Be willing to travel or work required nights, weekends, or on-call occasionally.
Be able to perform activities such as typing, standing, or sitting for extended periods.
Demonstrate dedication to safety in environments that may involve heat, cold, noise, fumes, strong magnets, lead, high voltage, and cryogenics.
Have experience with FTIR, optical and SEM imaging, polishing, and sample preparation.
Show high self-motivation, drive to execute quickly, and excellent troubleshooting and problem-solving skills.
Demonstrate exceptional results through a range of different pursuits.

Nice To Haves

Interest or experience in materials science, metallurgy, mechanical engineering, mechanical testing, electrical engineering, physics, chemistry, nanoscience, microscopy, engineering lab work, or instrumentation.
Hands-on or engineering project experience, or hands-on experience with materials testing and characterization equipment and testing procedures.

Responsibilities

Support Materials Test Lab operations and test development, including sample preparation, test execution, data collection, and analysis.
Work with engineers and technicians to evaluate material performance for critical fusion components.
Contribute to custom test development projects.
Potentially commission a vacuum furnace.
Potentially design and test polishing and etching recipes for novel materials.
Potentially troubleshoot test equipment to enable testing campaigns.
Potentially develop methods to extract grain-size, inclusion, or other data from SEM or optical images.
Potentially work with FTIR.