Chemical R&D Internship (Winter / Summer / Co-op)

Job Description

Depending on your experience and interests, responsibilities may include:

- Materials R&D: Develop, synthesize, and characterize catalysts, sorbents, and structured materials for advanced ammonia synthesis processes.

- Reactor and process development: Design, build, and operate lab and pilot scale reactor systems; execute experimental campaigns to evaluate and optimize performance.

- Controls and automation: Develop and improve reactor control systems, data acquisition tools, and experimental automation to improve reliability and throughput.

- Experimental design and analysis: Plan experiments, analyze performance data, and use first-principles approach to identify trends, troubleshoot issues, and guide future development.

- Modeling and process analysis: Apply fundamentals of thermodynamics, reaction kinetics, and heat and mass transfer to understand material and reactor behavior and support process optimization.

- Technical communication: Document experimental procedures and results, present findings to the R&D team, and contribute to the development of new technologies and processes.

You will contribute to the safe operation of laboratory equipment and help maintain a rigorous, collaborative experimental environment.

Requirements

- Currently pursuing a BS, MS, or PhD in Chemical Engineering, Chemistry, Materials Science, Mechanical Engineering, or a related technical field. Graduate training preferred

- Strong foundation in relevant engineering and scientific fundamentals, such as thermodynamics, heat and mass transfer, reaction engineering, materials science.

- Significant hands-on research experience in heterogeneous catalysis, materials development, chemical reactors, gas-solid processes, or a closely related field, demonstrated through substantial academic research, a relevant technical internship, or industry R&D experience.

- Demonstrated ownership of technical projects , including independently designing and executing experiments, troubleshooting experimental challenges, and drawing quantitative conclusions from results.

- Enthusiasm for and experience in designing, building, testing, and troubleshooting physical systems.

- Ability to work independently, take initiative, and collaborate effectively with a multidisciplinary team.

- Proficiency in Python, MATLAB, LabVIEW, or similar tools for scientific computing, data analysis, or equipment control.

- Proficiency in agentic AI usage for programming and/or data analysis

- Excellent written and verbal communication skills.

Nice to Have

- Experience with heterogeneous catalysis, gas adsorption, materials synthesis, or materials characterization techniques (BET, TGA, XRD, SEM/EDS, etc.).

- Experience designing, assembling, or operating chemical reactors, gas handling systems, or other experimental equipment.

- Familiarity with process instrumentation, sensors, valves, fluid systems, and Swagelok fittings.

- Experience with control systems, automation, data acquisition, or hardware-software integration.

- Experience with detailed process simulation or reactor modeling.

- Prior experience in an industrial R&D environment, engineering design team, or hardware startup.

Logistics

- Winter, Summer, and extended Co-op opportunities available.

- Full-time, onsite position in San Francisco, CA.

- Flexible internship duration (10 weeks minimum) and start dates based on academic schedules and project needs.

Who we are

We are a small and passionate team of scientists and engineers. We value teamwork, accountability, open communication, and rapid iteration. We emphasize career growth, mutual feedback, and a fun and exciting working environment. Check out ammobia.co/careers for our full values statement and ammobia.co to learn more about us.