Only applicants who are eligible to work in New Zealand and meet our requirements will be considered for this position.

This position is available between November 2024 and January 2025 - there will be a long lead time for applications, so please do not be disheartened if you do not hear back from us immediately.

Equal Opportunity Statement - Applicants from diverse backgrounds and experiences are encouraged to apply. OpenStar Technologies is committed to fostering an inclusive environment where innovation thrives.

Who are we?

OpenStar Technologies is on a mission to repeat the feats of Maui and capture the power of the Sun. By mastering fusion, the process that powers the stars, we can generate safe, clean, carbon free, baseload electricity in a way that is economically scalable to the challenge of mitigating climate disaster and giving birth to the next industrial revolution. The team is currently made up of 42 talented engineers and physicists, based in Te Whanganui-a-Tara (Wellington), Aotearoa.

Culture Comment: At OpenStar Technologies, our culture is founded on a commitment to making a positive impact on the world. We empower every member of our team with meaningful responsibility, fostering an environment where creativity and innovation thrive in pursuit of our collective mission.

Job Description

The successful candidate will join OpenStar’s subsystems team.

OpenStar needs to design and build specialised high-temperature superconducting power supplies and components for driving HTS magnets.

OpenStar is looking to explore new and improved techniques to increase the performance and efficiency of our HTS power supplies. The candidate will work on both traditional electrical materials as well as superconducting components with the aim of improving key metrics related to improve on our power supply technology.

Depending on the stage of the project, the day-to-day will involve some hands-on programming of temperature controllers, handling HTS materials, and working around hot plates (up to 200 degrees) as well as cold temperatures (liquid nitrogen) and conduction cooling. The candidate will prepare methodical testing regimes to quantify and use the results to make recommendations on the improves to make in future power supplies.

Both creativity and execution are needed for success in this role.

Responsibilities

Your responsibilities will be :

• Rapid prototyping of HTS power supplies
• Developing and testing new methods for making HTS joints
• Iterating on new control schemes to improve power supply efficiency

Requirements

Must have - Applicants must have completed at least their 3rd year of study in an undergraduate programme in any one of the following disciplines: electrical engineering, mechatronics engineering, physics, electronics engineering.

Applicants must have basic programming experience, and exposure to either experimental or engineering work environments.

Nice to have - Sensor integration (current and temperature measurement), Matlab/Python programming skills. HTS materials experience.

Employment Details

Employment Type: Fixed-term internship.

Compensation:.

• $27.80 per hour - 400 hours.
• 3% employer kiwisaver contributions.
• 8% pay-as-you-go holiday pay.

Location: This internship must be undertaken at OpenStar Technologies' facilities in Ngauranga, Wellington, New Zealand. Candidates must be able to work on-site to fully engage with our team and technology.