NSE Job Listings
Faculty Positions
The Department of Nuclear Science and Engineering (NSE) at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, is a world leader in the generation, control and application of nuclear reactions and radiation for the benefit of society and the environment. NSE faculty educate and conduct research in fields from fundamental nuclear science to practical applications of nuclear technology in energy, security and quantum engineering. More details about the department can be found on our website.
We are seeking candidates for faculty positions starting July 1, 2025, or on a mutually agreed date thereafter. We welcome exceptional applicants broadly engaged in nuclear science and engineering, especially those pursuing theoretical, computational or experimental research in the area of fusion energy. The search is for candidates to be hired at the assistant professor level; under special circumstances, however, an untenured associate or senior faculty appointment is possible, commensurate with experience. Applications will be accepted starting September 1, 2024.
While we welcome applications from a wide range of disciplines, a commitment to excel in teaching in the Department is essential. Faculty duties will include teaching courses at the graduate and undergraduate levels, advising students, conducting original scholarly research, and developing course materials at the graduate and undergraduate levels. Applicants must have earned a doctorate in nuclear science and engineering or a related engineering or scientific field by the start of employment, and must have demonstrated excellence in research and scholarship in a relevant technical field. Employment is contingent upon the completion of a satisfactory background check, including possible verification of any finding of misconduct (or pending investigation) from prior employers.
Applications are to be submitted electronically here. Each application must include: a curriculum vitae, a two-page strategic statement of research interests, a one-page statement of teaching interests, and electronic copies of no more than three representative publications. Each candidate should also include the names and contact information for three or more references. If a candidate is invited to proceed beyond the initial application phase, their letter writers will need to submit their letter by a deadline that will be specified at the appropriate point in the application review process.
Recognizing MIT’s strong commitment to diversity in education, research and practice, minorities and women are especially encouraged to apply.
Applications received before December 20, 2024 will be given priority.
MIT is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer. We value diversity and strongly encourage applications from individuals from all identities and background. All qualified applicants will receive equitable consideration for employment based on their experience and qualifications and will not be discriminated against on the basis of race, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, pregnancy, religion, disability, age, genetic information, veteran status, ancestry, or national or ethnic origin. See MIT’s full policy on Nondiscrimination. Know your rights.
Program Scientist 3 — Nuclear Science and Engineering
The Department of Nuclear Science and Engineering seeks a Research Scientist 3. The position will be directly responsible for working with the MIT reactor lab experiments under radiation, high pressure and high temperature equipment, instrumentation and control and advanced radiation resistant sensors and microscopy equipment on topics related to nuclear fission and fusion for terrestrial and space applications. Specific computational projects include fluid flow and structural analysis utilizing commercial and in-house software and cost analysis of power plant structure, systems and components.
Duties will include: Top-level technical contributor in one or more highly specialized functions of research noted above; participate in determining the long-term strategy and financial planning/operations for the research group; serve as a key advisor to the PI and takes responsibility for some aspect of the research portfolio; initiate, formulate, direct, execute and oversee research and/or develop new capabilities, which are critical to the research program goals; interface with various internal and/or external collaborators to manage project deliverables; responsibility for formulating and improving research methods and solutions; conducting ongoing, periodic, and final analyses of data using specialized techniques and programming; oversee data monitoring, including data integrity, data collection, and protocols and procedures; review and critique reports and analyses of other researchers; author and/or co-author research results and present findings in peer review journals and other publications; prepare and presents verbal or multimedia presentations at lab meetings and departmental seminars and research conferences; make major contributions to research scientific literature and research conferences; conduct peer reviews for articles authored by external researchers; may lead in the larger group collaboration on publications and review articles; track project goals and prepares periodic progress reports on all phases of the research project; prepare all components of grant proposals, including budgets in coordination with the NSE Director of Finance and Administration; train other research or technical personnel on advanced techniques and methods; supervise undergraduate and graduate students, research staff, and visitors; manage the invitation and onboarding processes for visitors in coordination with the NSE HR Administrator; may serve as member of an MIT thesis committee; responsible for the integrity, development and tracking of lab protocols, policies and procedures; may serve on national or international conference organizing committees; serve as a key advisor to the PI, with the ability to stand in for the PI; may participate in formal classroom teaching programs; participate in scientific societies and review groups at the national level; develop patent applications; and develop and secure external funding for a complimentary but intellectually independent research program. The program scientist may serve on editorial boards for scholarly, high impact journals; may hold a leadership role for field- specific professional organizations; and may organize national and international conferences.
This position is for one year with the possibility of extension.
Qualifications & Skills:
REQUIRED Ph.D. or ScD is required in areas of nuclear engineering, mechanical engineering or material engineering; minimum 7 years of related experience in a research environment post graduate school; established evidence of original or collaborative scholarship; ability to work with the PI on complex research matters; ability to function within the realm of the PI’s mission but in a largely autonomous manner, demonstrated experimentalist in area of thermal-fluids and detection and radiation measurements; experience with mentoring students and researchers who are from acadamia; and excellent written and oral communication skills.
PREFERRED Independently performs research; demonstrates established record at high-visibility presentations at major conferences and invited talks; experience with performing heat transfer, stress analysis with commercial software; and a desire for teaching is encouraged to support the department in areas of radiation protection, detection and security as needed.
Postdoctoral Associate
Postdoctoral research scholar to enhance understanding of the climactic effects of limited nuclear wars by studying the fundamentals of how large-scale fires are initiated by nuclear explosions, their probability of their occurring, and the expected soot loading produced by such fires.
This is a full-time position The position is for one year, renewable for up to one additional year pending satisfactory performance. Salary is $80,000/year. The scholar is expected to work in residence at MIT.
Principal Duties and Responsibilities (Essential Functions):
Responsibilities include:
- Carry out literature reviews of existing work, identifying key disagreements and their origins.
- Research soot generation in limited nuclear wars, including through the use of code for modelling large-scale fires; validate findings against published research; analyze data to find to reach novel conclusions.
- Summarize research results and present findings at lab meetings and externally, including to both technical and policy audiences.
- Draft at least one technical paper for submission to a peer-reviewed journal and one book chapter to summarize key findings for a policy audience.
- Perform other related duties as required, including work performed at lower levels, when necessary.
Qualifications & Skills:
REQUIRED A doctoral degree in a relevant quantitative technical discipline (Physics, Applied Mathematics, Engineering, Environmental Science); practical experience of coding and numerical modelling; proven ability to craft research agenda, review and analyze the existing literature, and synthesize research findings; superb command of English, both written and spoken, with a demonstrated ability to structure complex technical documents and write clear and precise prose.
PREFERRED Experience in modelling large-scale fires; knowledge of nuclear weapons and their effects; experience with knowledge transfer in a public-policy setting; knowledge of the LaTeX typesetting language.
MIT is an equal employment opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment and will not be discriminated against on the basis of race, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, disability, age, genetic information, veteran status, ancestry, or national or ethnic origin. See MIT’s full policy on Nondiscrimination here
Jobs at the MIT Plasma Science and Fusion Center
The MIT Plasma Science & Fusion Center is hiring innovative, motivated, and qualified individuals to execute its mission of accelerating the development of fusion energy. A leader in fusion research, the PSFC is an idea meritocracy with a tradition of relentless innovation and lively, engaging technical discussions.The PSFC is seeking outstanding individuals with a track record of excellence across a wide variety of areas to join its team: technicians, machinists, designers, engineers (mechanical, electrical, power, cryogenic, nuclear), physicists, fiscal officers, and support staff. Successful candidates will work with a stellar team of students, scientists, engineers, and staff on one of the most challenging and important problems facing humanity: the delivery of clean, sustainable, and societal-scale energy on a timeline to combat global climate change.
Department of Nuclear Science & Engineering
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
77 Massachusetts Avenue, 24-107 (map)
Cambridge, MA 02139
nse-info@mit.edu