ELY/Battery Mechanisms R&D Internship

Who You Are

You are creative, proactive, rigorous, insightful, and hands-on. You are passionate about contributing to the global transition to renewable energy by developing scalable energy storage nanomaterials and using them in devices.  You can draw from your fundamental knowledge from coursework and hands-on research experience and apply it to the characterization and testing of novel energy storage materials.  Further, you are able to perform systematic experiments to understand the relationships between the materials you make and their performance in real-world energy storage devices and communicate that understanding to others. In this internship, you’ll make connections in the fast-growing energy materials field and get a flavor of the benefits that a scientific career at Sila has to offer.

Responsibilities and Duties  

• Work in a cross-functional team to transfer the latest anode technologies into real-world production-scale batteries.
• Conduct experiments to evaluate the impact of anode material characteristics on the battery performance.
• Identify material and cell degradation mechanisms through teardowns, electrochemical analysis, and materials characterization, and propose effective countermeasures.
• Help develop and evaluate material characterization/evaluation methods.
• Thoroughly document and present results, with conclusions and recommendations, to mentors, management, and other stakeholders.

Knowledge and Skill Requirements 

• Ability to make a minimum six-month commitment (June - December) to work and develop skills at Sila.
• Studying toward (or recently received) a degree in chemical engineering, materials science, chemistry, or related field.
• Exceptional analytical and documentation skills.
• Ability to learn new skills and ask for help when needed.
• Capable of working independently with direction.
• Ability to clearly communicate technical findings to diverse audiences

Physical Demands and Working Conditions

• Wear personal protective equipment including, but not limited to, a lab coat, gloves, safety glasses, and safety toe shoes
• Use a glove box and/or fume hood to prepare samples
• Operate analytical equipment at a lab 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

Start date is June 10, 2024

The starting base pay for this role is between $20/hr and $40/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.