Will Davis Email & Phone Number

Gloucester, Gb

Gloucester, England, United Kingdom

Started my own company to provide engineering design services for instrumentation and control systems of fusion research facilities around the world. From July 2021 to August 2022 I led the I&C team for the SPARC project before transitioning to CFS as a full-time employee in this role.

Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States

Working closely with leading plasma and fusion scientists and engineers on the plasma control and data systems for SPARC, at the MIT Plasma Science and Fusion Centre.

Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States

Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States

I am the most senior I&C engineer at CFS, leading the I&C architecture development and engineering. I work across the organisation, with the teams for I&C, software, operations, systems engineering, the system owners as well experts from MIT, suppliers and other partner organisations. I provide technical leadership and authoritative advice on I&C across the organisation.

Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States

As director-level Head of I&C I grew, built, managed and led the I&C team for the SPARC tokamak and supporting systems at Commonwealth Fusion Systems. My team was responsible for the design, integration, testing, installation and commissioning of the central I&C systems and I&C of each plant system. I defined the technical and delivery strategies, including organisational and procurement, for the SPARC I&C, leading the design of control systems through the preliminary design phase. I worked closely with the system owners, operations and physics teams, and experts from MIT. I provided leadership and authoritative advice on I&C across the organisation.

St Paul Lez Durance

Leading a growing intercultural team on the design, qualification, manufacture, testing, installation and commissioning of the PLC-based I&C systems for the ITER fuel cycle tritium processing and detritiation systems and the overarching industrial-computer-based SCADA and central control desks.I direct the team’s activities and define requirements, technical and performance specifications. I compose the development process for our I&C from concept to operation: the steps, inputs, tools and deliverables. I define the architecture and lead the detailed design. I select the components throughout the whole control loop which meet the process needs.By assessing nuclear safety risks I identify functions to maintain safety. I define qualification strategy for protection important components to fulfil these functions and meet performance criteria in the applicable environmental and accident conditions. Quality assurance requirements from ITER and applicable standards are included in design process and specifications. I implement technical control of protection important activities, propagated through the supply chain. Collaborating across ITER I integrate tritium plant I&C with its physical environment and services it depends upon. Integration with power distribution, cable trays and central I&C systems is achieved by defining and agreeing requirements for these interfaces.I lead the section’s development of AVEVA Diagrams and Engineering tools, working with administrators to ensure they function as we need. I specify features, workflows and administrative processes and coordinate our requests for improvements and issue resolution. My strategy ensures these tools support system development and production of key deliverables.I use my experience of good nuclear safety culture and regulation to address these challenge at ITER. I actively influence safety culture as staff representative and secretary of the committee for health and safety and as an evacuation guide.

Bouches-Du-Rhône, Provence-Alpes-Côte D'Azur, France

I was responsible for the integration of plant I&C systems with CODAC, central interlock system and central safety systems at ITER. Leading a multinational team of I&C engineers I worked closely with responsible officers (ROs) and domestic agencies for electrical power distribution, coil power supply systems, tokamak structural instrumentation, test blanket systems and the central I&C systems. I also contributed to I&C for reactive power compensation, cooling water, remote handling, port plug test facility, cargo lift, assembly cranes, liquid and gas distribution and buildings services systems.I gave expert advice, valued contributions to design, manufacturing, acceptance tests, installation and commissioning plans. I produced proposals and evaluated options with ROs and their teams. I was I&C specialist on design review panels for cryostat, blankets, divertor and coil power supplies. I developed processes and procedures for I&C integration and modification activities. I used best practice, ITER project standards and requirements to ensure a consistent and effective approach to I&C engineering. I showed that a methodical systematic engineering approach applied in a pragmatic, risk-balanced way, significantly improves the end-product and reduces re-work. My open and honest style developed and strengthened trust with stakeholders, achieved common understanding and helped make decisions for mutual benefit. I managed the framework contract for I&C support with our I&C services supplier and worked closely with them. I mentored colleagues and took extra roles to support the team through periods of personnel change. I regularly presented the current status and plans for ITER I&C at a biannual IAEA technical meeting. At the ITER control system technical users’ meeting I shared learning from all plant systems, so all could learn from each other’s experience. At the end of 2014 I received a recognition award for my contribution to the safety culture of the organisation.

Gloucester, England, United Kingdom

My final months with EDF Energy were on secondment as a safety assessment engineer to produce a safety case for removal and replacement of the damaged GH96 penetration liner that formed part of the reactor pressure vessel and primary confinement barrier; and a second case for the long-term handling of plug units that sit within these interstitial penetrations. The safety cases required demonstration of high integrity lifting, structural integrity, human reliability and software integrity.Throughout my entire career with EDF Energy I was assessed as exceeding expectations during my annual appraisal and achieved two promotions in the 7 years after I finished the graduate training scheme.

Gloucester, England, United Kingdom

I led a team of young and experienced C&I engineers within a wider multidiscipline team. Together we were responsible for fuel handling plant at AGR power stations in the UK where I managed a budget of ~£1.2m per year to improve the reliability of the C&I to ensure the plant design integrity was maintained and the fuel route could perform to its potential.My primary responsibility was to engineer and deliver plant improvement, directly by the team and with external contractors. By extensive inspections and assessments I gained a thorough understanding of the plant condition and the priority for investment in every system. I defined the safety case, technical and procurement strategies for the modifications and developed detailed plans and cost estimates to secure the resources. I led the resolution of all technical challenges within my field of expertise, including projects to replace fuelling machine hoist primary weight-sensing and protection systems and irradiated fuel storage and cooling control systems. My most significant achievements were migrating the software for obsolete GEM80 hardware to a new platform; replacement of weight-sensing and protection systems for irradiated fuel flask handling cranes; improvement of irradiated fuel disposal sequencing equipment with automated S7-based systems; and RFI testing of in-service plant. As an identified subject-matter-expert I provided authoritative advice to power stations and headquarters about software and computer security for safety-related systems. I built effective, collaborative relationships at all levels with colleagues, stakeholders and suppliers. I attended regular meetings with the regulator to discuss safety improvements and mitigation of emergent safety issues.I took ownership of the well-being and development of my team. I mentored them in technical matters, company standards and processes to become suitably qualified and experienced (SQEP) as required by the nuclear site licences.

Gloucester, England, United Kingdom

Responsible as design authority, technical design lead, technical support, project and contract manager for Hartlepool and Heysham 1, joint-site and cross-fleet plant improvement work. Authorised Suitably Qualified and Experienced Person (SQEP) in fuel route safety cases, fuelling machines, fuel route C&I and software. Author and verify category 2 safety case modification proposals and supporting documents for nuclear-safety related equipment. Provide compelling advice to stations for operations and maintenance activities.Major contribution during this time was replacement of obsolete refuelling load trace recorder with a contemporary computer based networked system to reduce commercial risk during refuelling outages and improve condition monitoring whilst maintaining safety integrity. Led the development team and authored the safety case. Applied knowledge of current standards and best practice in C&I design, safety integrity assessment, human factors and information security. Other significant contributions include: Technical lead for the cross-fleet project to replace the AGR fuel proof-pressure-test equipment, used to demonstrate fuel element graphite sleeve integrity; Site acceptance testing of new fuelling machine software on the critical path of SZB RF09; Environmental working group representative for fuel route, identified a need for better understanding of radioactive substances legislation and assisted with ISO 14001 re-accreditation; Company emergency scheme duty in the Central Emergency Support Centre.

Gloucester, England, United Kingdom

Key achievements were assessing the new-nuclear-build market for EPC contractors; producing a design for intermediate level waste storage; assessing output losses and identifying common root causes; assisting with preparation and execution of plant outages and improvements; developing a performance incentive model; being the nominated representative for graduate trainees, and helping to organise a visit to Chernobyl. Assessed as Very Good performance throughout the training scheme and nominated for an Excellence Award as part of the GradWeb team.