Summer Internship Listings

ANTHRO ENERGY

About Anthro Energy
Anthro Energy is an early-stage company changing the shape of energy storage. We develop novel materials to create batteries that are flexible, safe, and high-performance. Our initial market for these deformable batteries is wearable electronics, where our batteries can deliver multi-fold improvements in capacity. In the long term, our flexible batteries will be integrated into structural components of nearly any electronic system.

By combining proprietary polymer electrolyte technology with highly manufacturable material processing, Anthro Energy can create deformable batteries that are cost and performance competitive with traditional lithium ion batteries.

We are currently building, refining, and testing battery prototypes; working with vendors to scale up manufacturing; engaging customers and conducting demos; and continuing to push the limits of flexible battery technology. We are currently in the process of scaling up our technology in our state-of-the-art battery research facility in San Jose. We are backed by silicon valley VCs, The Activate Fellowship, StartX, and the TomKat center at Stanford.

Project Description
Excellent opportunity for undergraduate or graduate students interested in hands-on exposure to advanced energy technologies! The Battery Engineering Intern will play a crucial role in the assembly, testing, and analysis of Anthro Energy's flexible and safe battery technology. Intern will have the opportunity to contribute towards the development of the battery from the material level all the way to the device level. Ideal candidates are self-motivated, excited to learn quickly, and able to manage several workflows simultaneously.

Responsibilities and Goals
•Fabricate battery components including polymer electrolyte film casting and electrode slurry casting.
•Perform physical characterization of battery materials
•Assemble battery coin cells and pouch cells
•Perform physical and electrochemical characterization of battery cells
•Thoroughly document experimental procedures and collected data; conduct analysis of results
•Communicate technical and non-technical content clearly and effectively
•Work collaboratively and flexibly in a small team
•Work hard, be positive, learn with the team, and have fun

Location: San Jose, CA

Stipend: Yes

Remote Work: No

Weekly Time Commitment: 40 hours per week

Contact: David Mackanic: david@anthroenergy.com

CYPRIS MATERIALS

Company Overview
Color is a crucial component to nearly every consumer market and is understandably the first feature that product design teams focus on when differentiating their new product. Color is the primary reason consumers say they've purchased a certain product over another. Currently, chemists must painstakingly produce one color at a time, leading to endless recipes for production, the use of dangerous contaminants, and one-off manufacturing processes. New methods to generate color are necessary to overhaul the highly pollutive methods of current manufacturing and expand the global color gamut. Cypris wants to give the industry a much- needed make-over.

Structural color has been viewed by environmentalists as the holy grail to realize a safer alternative to toxic organic dyes, pigments, and effect pigments. Cypris' team creates polymers (referred to as "binders") that when formulated into a paint or ink and applied to virtually any surface will self-assemble into structured coatings upon drying that reflect specific wavelengths of light based on the size of the polymers. This mechanism for creating color, called "structural color", is similar to how the Cypris Morpho butterfly achieves the vivid blue color on its wing. Cypris Materials decouples color production from the messy "one-chemistry one-color" status quo, setting color free from limitation.

Position Profile
Scientist / Engineer Intern Hourly, Part Time Position Cypris Materials, Inc. Alameda, CA
Estimated Salary: $18/hr

Cypris is looking for a motivated intern who is driven by the opportunity to make a significant impact at the ground level of a small energetic team with an innovative technology. The successful candidate will be a curious and fast learner that can work efficiently and take initiative. The phenotype for this candidate is one who gets excited about building a product from the ground up.

Key Job Responsibilities
• Work closely with Cypris' Senior Materials Engineer to develop and test paint, ink and coating formulations
• Help design standard operating procedures for the formulation, application, and finishing of structural color coatings for
both internal use and key industry partners/customers
• Analyze rheological properties of new paint/ink systems
• Analyze optical properties of coated articles
• Support technical staff as required

Preferred Skills/Experience
• Pursuing a B.S./M.S./Ph.D. in chemistry, materials science, engineering, or related field
• A semester or more of non-class-based lab experience –or– completion of 2 semesters of organic chemistry
• Excellent oral and written communication skills
• Strong organization and project reporting skills
• Strategic thinking to address technical challenges and provide creative solutions
• Ability to prioritize responsibilities, multi-task, and remain flexible and motivated in a fast-paced startup environment
• Experience in paint, ink, or art application(s) – especially in screen print or spray application strong plus
• Ability to work independently

Opportunities in Role
• Gain experience in design of experiments methodology
• Introduction to materials characterization instrumentation that may include spectroscopy and rheology
• Introduction to broad materials properties testing techniques and specific American Standards for Testing Materials
(ASTM) that may include coating hardness testing, coating adhesion testing, paint/ink dry and tack times.
• Monthly 1-on-1 meetings with CEO and/or CTO

We are an Equal Opportunity Employer. We do not discriminate in recruitment, hiring, training, promotion, or other employment practices for reasons of race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, national origin, age, marital or veteran status, medical condition or disability, or any other legally protected status.

How to Apply
Interested applicants can reach out at join@cyprismaterials.com with a resume and cover letter.

FLO MATERIALS

Research Intern, Infinitely Recyclable Plastics
Berkeley, California

Position Overview 

Are you passionate about sustainability and advancing new solutions to mitigate plastic waste buildup? Are you interested in getting hands-on experience in hard tech innovations and entrepreneurship?

FLO Materials is looking for a motivated technical intern who is excited to work with a fast-paced and energetic team to build new innovative plastics recycling solutions. A successful candidate will approach technical challenges with creative solutions, and have excellent organizational, time management, and communication skills.

Company Overview

FLO Materials is commercializing a new polymer platform that enables recyclability for products that are currently challenging to recycle. Chemical recycling allows plastics to be recycled without losing mechanical performance or aesthetic quality. This infinitely recyclable network of polymers will enable sustainable manufacturing, increase materials efficiency, and lead the transition to a more circular economy. The company is located at Lawrence Berkeley National Lab with technical co-founders as part of the Activate 2021 Cohort.

Join us in building the future of circular plastics.

Opportunities in Role

• Help design and develop new polymer formulations
• Evaluate the aesthetic and mechanical performance of new polymer formulations
• Conduct recycling experiments on polymer formulations
• Learn transferable technical skills including chemical synthesis, materials characterization, plastics manufacturing and recycling techniques.
• Learn entrepreneurial skills including intellectual property creation and protection, grant writing, product development and fundraising.

On an average day…

• Chemical synthesis of new plastics formulations
• Materials characterization of organic molecules and polymers
• Analyze mechanical, rheological, and optical properties of virgin and recycled materials
• Data management and data visualization
• Communicate scientific results to founders
• Support core team to drive product development

Required Qualifications: 

• Flexible schedule with minimum of 20 hours per week of availability
• Pursuing a B.S./M.S./Ph.D. in scientific disciplines such as chemistry, materials science, engineering, physics, or related fields
• Previous lab experience in organic chemistry and/or polymer characterization
• Excellent organizational and communication skills
• Ability to prioritize responsibilities, multi-task and remain flexible and motivated in a fast-paced team
• Ability to work independently

Bonus Qualifications:  

• Experience with material characterization equipment (NMR, DSC, DMA, etc.)
• Experience with design software (AutoCAD, SolidWorks, etc.)
• Rapid prototyping tools (laser cutter, 3D printer, CNC machine, etc.)

We are an Equal Opportunity Employer. We do not discriminate in recruitment, hiring, training, promotion, or other employment practices for reasons of race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, national origin, age, marital or veteran status, medical condition or disability, or any other legally protected status.

To apply, please send resume and short description of your interest and background to hello@flomaterials.com

Interested candidates are welcome to schedule a 15 min chat with the FLO team here. 

INCHFAB, INC.

About Inchfab
InchFab is a disruptive technology company focused on democratizing the semiconductor manufacturing industry by deploying low-cost modular semiconductor fabrication platforms to unlock new technologies in AI, IoT, MEMS and Sensors, and Power Electronics. InchFab’s platform and process technology provides customers a faster, lower cost, and more flexible fabrication path.

Project 1: Micro- and Nanofabrication Process Engineering and Characterization
In this project, we are looking for a candidate who is eager for hands-on experience creating novel micro- and nanoscale devices using InchFab’s proprietary fabrication equipment. The position would include learning to use and optimizing process recipes for techniques like reactive ion etching, chemical vapor deposition, photolithography, magnetron sputtering, and e-beam evaporation. The candidate would also have the opportunity to develop experience and expertise in characterization techniques like laser confocal microscopy, ellipsometry, stylus and optical profilometry, and thin film stress measurement.

We are seeking not only a new team member to help us with these processes, but also someone who can provide candid feedback so we can further improve these fabrication capabilities. Helping to design new equipment modules and process methods would be a core part of this role.

The ideal candidate would have an understanding of common micro- and nanofabrication and characterization techniques, but no previous hands-on experience is required. Familiarity with statistical process control or design-of-experiments methodology is a bonus.

Stipend: Yes

Location: Sunnyvale, CA (InchFab HQ) and Palo Alto, CA (Stanford Nanofabrication Facility)

Remote work: Possible to some degree

Approximate weekly time commitment (for each academic year project): Flexible, up to 40 hours/week

Work sample or other application requirement: Experience with micro- and nanofabrication techniques preferred but not required.

Contact
Parker Gould
pgould@inchfab.com
281-660-9076

Project 2: New Fabrication Equipment and Technique Exploration
In this project, we are looking for an enthusiastic candidate who can help the InchFab team stay on top of the latest developments in the micro- and nanotechnology sector. Novel fabrication and characterization techniques are being developed continuously by groups all around the world, and we want to make sure we don’t miss out on the next big thing.

This role will include working with domain experts on the InchFab team to make deep dives into specific categories within the fabrication sector and determining which advances are most relevant. This will involve researching and contacting vendors and technology groups to determine realistic capabilities and critical contemporary details like supply chain consistencies. Understanding not just the potential of new technologies, but also determining how well they could fit into the InchFab platform will be crucial.

The ideal candidate would have an understanding of common micro- and nanofabrication and characterization techniques, but no previous hands-on experience is required. A high level of self-motivation and passion for new technology discovery is vital.

Stipend: Yes

Location: Flexible, remote work or work at InchFab HQ in Sunnyvale, CA

Remote work: Yes

Approximate weekly time commitment (for each academic year project): Flexible, up to 40 hours/week

Work sample or other application requirement: No specific requirement, but familiarity with micro- and nanotechnology techniques preferred.

Contact
Parker Gould
pgould@inchfab.com
281-660-9076

FUSE (Foundry Undergraduate Summer Experience)

Summary
Every summer, the Molecular Foundry supports several summer undergraduate students from the College of Chemistry at UC Berkeley for a paid summer internship.

The internship program period spans 10 weeks from early June through early August. As an intern, participants will not only conduct research, but will participate in virtual tours of Berkeley Lab facilities, lunchtime talks with researchers from across the lab, and more. The program culminates with a poster session where the interns present their research.

Continuing research opportunities after this time period may be available.

Deadline
Summer 2022 Deadline: April 1, 2022

Website and Application Info
https://foundry.lbl.gov/about/careers/fuse/

TAKACHAR INTERNSHIP

Summary
Most crop and forest residues (biomass) is loose, wet, bulky, and distributed in rural areas, making it logistically expensive to transport and centralize before it can be converted into useful products such as fuels, fertilizers, or chemicals. As such, many rural, underserved communities are shut out from the growing bioeconomy, and their only recourse is to burn their residues in open air, which not only creates significant pollution, but may also contribute to catastrophic wildfires. We are building small-scale, portable, and low-cost systems that can be latched onto the back of tractors and pick-up trucks, and deploy to hard-to-access areas to enable in-situ conversion of local residues into an upgraded form that ends up reducing the logistical cost by 30-70%. This could open up new areas of biomass previously uneconomical for conversion. Our impacts include income and job creation in rural areas, as well as mitigation of CO2 emission and air pollution associated with conventional open-air biomass residue burning.

We are building and testing a prototype in order to test the technical and commercial viability of the concept above. In this summer internship, you will play a crucial role assisting in bringing this prototype testing to reality.

The project engineer (a.k.a. dragon tamer) will assemble, test, and operate the reactor prototype under supervisor, assist in designing and validating a select subcomponent of the prototype and/or conducting data analysis from the experimental prototype, and in leading the iteration of the prototype by working alongside our manufacturing subcontractors. This is a highly hands-on position – be prepared to roll up your sleeves and get dirty.

The student will report to Austin Young, our site supervisor, but will also interact with our CTO (Dr. Kevin Kung) on a daily basis. In addition, you will get to work closely with other university collaborators at UC Berkeley, UBC as well as internationally (e.g. we have a manufacturing team in India).

Qualifications
No formal qualifications are required, though it may be helpful to have one or more of: (1) programming experience (C, Python, etc.), (2) CAD design (e.g. SolidWorks), or (3) electronics. Curiosity to learn is the most important part, as well as willingness to be hands-on.

Contact
Kevin Kung: kevin@takachar.com