R&D Technician
at Maritime Fusion — Fusion reactors for ships
What the role involves
We’re looking for an R&D Technician who loves building real hardware, getting their hands dirty, and making experiments actually work. If your happy place is a lab or shop, turning wrenches, wiring up sensors, fixing that one flaky connector, and helping bring bleeding-edge hardware to life; you’ll fit right in.
What You’ll Be Doing
Building and assembling hardware and test setups: assembling magnet test stands, power racks, cryogenic plumbing, vacuum systems, and custom fixtures using mechanical drawings and wiring diagrams.
Hands-on wiring, soldering, and instrumentation: terminating cables and connectors, building harnesses, routing and labeling wiring, soldering boards and connectors, and installing sensors (voltage taps, thermocouples, strain gauges, Hall probes, etc.).
Running experiments and collecting data: setting up and operating DAQs, power supplies, oscilloscopes, DMMs, and other lab gear; executing test procedures; logging results; and flagging anomalies for the engineering team.
Supporting cryogenic and vacuum operations: helping assemble and maintain cryostats, handling LN₂, operating vacuum pumps and gauges, leak-checking systems, and keeping an eye on “is everything actually sealed and cold?”
Standing up and organizing the R&D lab: helping bring the lab online: setting up benches, mounting equipment, organizing tools and parts, labeling everything, and keeping the lab safe, tidy, and functional.
Debugging hardware on the bench: tracking down loose connections, miswired harnesses, flaky sensors, and mechanical fit-up issues; working side-by-side with engineers to get systems from “it kinda works” to “it works every time.”
Doing whatever it takes in an early-stage startup: from uncrating equipment and assembling racks/furniture to runs to the hardware store; you will be a core part of making the lab and company actually function.
What You Bring
Hands-on build and test experience: 2+ years as a technician, mechanic, lab tech, or similar role in hardware R&D, manufacturing, automotive/EV, aerospace, electronics, or a related field. (Exceptional hobbyist/maker experience also counts.)
Comfort with tools and instrumentation: confident using hand tools, basic machine/shop tools, soldering irons, crimpers, multimeters, power supplies, oscilloscopes, and basic DAQ software.
Ability to read and follow technical documentation: comfortable working from mechanical drawings, simple CAD prints, wiring diagrams, and written procedures, and giving feedback when something does not match reality.
High ownership and reliability: you take pride in clean builds, good cable management, accurate measurements, and leaving the lab better than you found it.
Bonus points for any of the following
Experience with vacuum systems, cryogenics, or high-current / high-voltage equipment
Experience with REBCO/HTS, magnets, or power electronics
Basic familiarity with Python, LabVIEW, PLCs, or test automation
Machine shop experience (CNC, manual mill/lathe, drill press, basic fabrication)
Startup-ready mindset: willingness to get the often overlooked but critical work: assembling office furniture, unpacking crates, organizing inventory, and helping build a world-class lab from the ground up.
About Maritime Fusion
Maritime Fusion is building fusion reactors for ships and off grid energy markets. En route on this endeavor we’re commercializing High Temperature Superconducting (HTS) cable technology for power distribution while advancing the physics basis of our HTS tokamak to decarbonize global shipping. Breakeven fusion is coming soon, but the first-of-a-kind (FOAK) reactors will be costly, high maintenance, and have low capacity factors, leading to 5–10x higher electricity cost on the grid. Maritime Fusion is pursuing the most widely accepted approach to fusion, the tokamak, but specifically designed for the marine environment where the challenges that arise between breakeven and a commercially viable energy source are alleviated. The market we're targeting requires 15x less power, lower up-time, and costs the same as alternative fuels but without any emissions. Since fusion does not use highly radioactive fuels or materials – unlike fission – we sidestep the vast majority of regulatory challenges and safety risks associated with nuclear energy. Our team brings over a decade of industry and research experience in plasma physics, nuclear engineering, and electrical engineering with backgrounds at SpaceX, Tesla, Columbia University, and University of Pennsylvania.
Full Maritime Fusion profile