Battery Engineering Intern

Who You Are

You are creative, proactive, rigorous, and hands-on. You are passionate about contributing to the global transition to renewable energy by developing scalable energy storage materials and using them in devices. As an engineer on the Battery Engineering team, you will contribute to the improvement of energy dense Li-ion batteries during a 6-month co-op or internship. You are able to draw from coursework fundamentals and hands-on research experiences to evaluate the performance of our silicon nanocomposite active material in our internal battery platform, and will use both modeling and experimentation techniques. In this internship you’ll make connections in the fast growing energy materials field and get a flavor of the benefits that an engineering career at Sila has to offer.

Responsibilities and Duties  

• Spend a minimum of 6 months onsite at Sila, beginning in June 2026, to work full-time in this hands-on role.
• Develop anode electrode slurry and coating recipes through an iterative design process, incorporating existing characterization and analysis techniques as appropriate.
• Design and execute experiments to understand the fundamentals involved in the relationships between electrode components and battery cell performance.
• Investigate battery cell design and performance trade-offs across various formats, such as single-layer pouch, multi-layer pouch, and cylindrical cells.
• Identify material and cell degradation mechanisms through teardowns, electrochemical data analysis, and materials characterization, and propose effective countermeasures.
• Thoroughly document and present results, with conclusions and recommendations, to engineering mentors, management and other stakeholders.

Knowledge and Skill Requirements 

• Ability to make a minimum six month commitment to working and developing skills in this hands-on role at Sila.
• Studying toward (or recently received) a PhD degree in chemical engineering, materials science, chemistry, or related fields.
• Prior experience working in academic and/or industrial research & development environments (battery-related is a plus).
• Exceptional analytical and documentation skills.
• Ability to learn new skills and ask for help when needed.
• Capable of working independently with direction.

Physical Demands and Working Conditions

• Wear personal protective equipment including, but not limited to, a lab coat, gloves, safety glasses, and steel toe safety shoes.
• Precise and repetitive handling of a range of material quantities.
• Use a fume hood to prepare samples.
• Operate analytical equipment at a bench.
• Move long distances (such as from building to building) and be stationary for extended periods of time.
• Operate a computer and other office equipment, such as a laptop, copier/printer, etc in a fixed location.

The starting base pay for this role is between $25/hr and $39/hr at the time of posting. The actual base pay depends on many factors, such as education, experience, and skills. Base pay is only one part of Sila’s competitive Total Rewards package that can include benefits, perks, and equity.  The base pay range is subject to change and may be modified in the future. This role may also be eligible for overtime.