Internship, Materials Engineer, Cell Engineering (Summer 2024)

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What to Expect

Consider before submitting an application:  
This position is expected to start around May 2024 and continue through the entire Summer term (i.e. through August 2024) or into Fall 2024 if available. We ask for a minimum of 12 weeks, full-time and on-site, for most internships.

International Students: If your work authorization is through CPT, please consult your school on your ability to work 40 hours per week before applying. You must be able to work 40 hours per week on-site. Many students will be limited to part-time during the academic year.

The Internship Recruiting Team is driven by the passion to recognize and develop emerging talent. Our year-round program places the best students in positions where they will grow technically, professionally, and personally through their experience working closely with their Manager, Mentor, and team. We are dedicated to providing an experience that allows the intern to experience life at Tesla by including them in projects that are critical to their team’s success. 

Locations: Palo Alto, CA, Fremont, CA, Austin, TX, Reno, NV, Toronto, ON, Mississauga, ON

What You’ll Do

Qualified applicants may be reviewed by one or more of the following teams:

Cathode Engineering:

• Tesla is looking to hire an experienced technician with hands-on experience in lab and pilot plant facilities. This candidate will be a core member of an interdisciplinary materials development team that is focused on developing innovative materials to accelerate the world’s transition to sustainable energy.

Cathode Material Manufacturing Internship: 

• The team works on novel cathode precursors manufacturing process development and closely collaborate with internal teams on precursors and cathode materials testing and evaluation. The candidate will work on precursor synthesis, raw material qualification and analytical method development in this team.

Cathode Pilot Engineering Internship:

• The engineering intern role within this team will participate in the development, measurement, and production of new cathode active materials and engineering/troubleshooting of the processes/measurements by which these powders are produced. This requires working in a hands-on capacity with equipment and cathode materials.

Cathode Material Development and Characterization Intern:

• Tesla’s Cathode team is developing and scaling the production of novel cathode materials to enable battery electric vehicles.  This includes the development and scale-up of novel, high-energy, low-cost cathode materials and the development of first-of-a-kind processes that shorten the path from mine to battery cell. As a cathode material intern, you will develop and scale up materials at lab scale and assist with their development and scale up at pilot scale, and eventually be the first on-the-ground, technical point of contact for the understanding of how to scale and sustain cathode production quality at our first manufacturing plant in Austin. In this role you will also work closely with Tesla’s teams around cathode manufacturing, material characterization, cell testing etc. to coordinate cross-functional activities that improve process control and product quality.

Cell Modeling Engineering Internship

• As part of the Cell Modeling team, this person will develop and maintain numerical models to predict lithium-ion cell performance. 

Cell Materials Engineering Internship

• Tesla is pushing the boundaries of battery technology. This internship will work on core active material technologies for Tesla’s vehicle and storage products. You will collaborate closely with other cell and battery engineering organizations within Tesla. The internship will primarily involve lab work with some data analysis. 

Pilot Plant Internship

• Tesla is looking for a highly motivated Engineering Student who will be able to accelerate the transition to renewable energy. The path from the mine to active battery materials to recycling is one of the greatest engineering challenges of our time. This is a hybrid role – 40% design interface and 60% operation/execution. The individual will thrive in lab and pilot environments where new technologies are being developed and scaled. This individual will ensure that laboratory data is translated into actionable process information. The individual will support development efforts focused on engineering and operating pilot plants.

Advanced Materials Research Internship

• Our team is looking for a highly motivated intern to contribute to battery performance testing and fundamental electrochemical analysis. This person will help develop cell test plans to characterize initial cell performance, lifetime behavior, reliability and identify critical failures and degradation modes. In addition, this person will help plan test resources, track test progress and analyze/report testing results. We work closely with the cell modeling team and firm understanding of electrochemical processes is a plus.

Battery Electrode Process Engineer Internship

• This role is for an engineering intern to aid in developing fundamental understandings of lithium battery electrodes. 

Lab Materials Engineer Internship

• This internship will focus on: materials development, process conceptualization and scale-up. These efforts are designed to improve the speed, efficiency, and environmental performance of battery material manufacture. The success of these initiatives is critical to unlocking a diversified, low-cost, sustainable energy ecosystem. You will join a team focused on recycling and primary metals refining.

What You’ll Bring

Education:Currently pursuing a degree in Materials Science and Engineering, or equivalent

Please note that the following skills listed below are suggestions and not strict prerequisites.

Cathode Engineering Internship

• Chemical, physical and mechanical risk awareness 
• Experiences in materials synthesis or analytical techniques relevant for material development welcome: PSA, BET, SEM, XRD, ICP, FTIR, UV-VIS 
• Process and analytical data evaluation skills 

Cathode Material Manufacturing Internship

• Work with senior engineers to design experiments and data analysis. 
• Collaborate with engineers and operators to conduct precursor synthesis experiments and material characterization experiments. 
• Work with senior engineers to develop raw material qualification metrics and experiments. 
• Prepare and present technical report to constructively communicate internally and externally

Cathode Pilot Engineering Internship

• Strong understanding of physics/chemistry/mechanics fundamentals and ability to leverage this knowledge to solve challenging powder processing challenges.
• Mechanically capable and willing to engage with equipment to conduct experimental operations. 

Cathode Material Development and Characterization Intern 

• Prior experiences in Cathode and Lithium-Ion batteries testing 
• Evidence of exceptional ability, including a strong understanding of materials engineering fundamentals and demonstrated ability to leverage this understanding to solve challenging technical problems. 
• 2-3 years’ experience in cathode material research, with demonstrated experience in materials development. 

 Cell Modeling Engineering Internship

• Experience solving ODEs and PDEs numerically using Matlab, Python, or similar. 
• Document and communicate model workflow, implementations, and results of simulation studies. 

 Materials Engineering Internship

• Strong understanding in electrochemistry and materials development 
• Experience with lithium ion cell assembly, testing and post mortem analysis 
• Experience with synthetic techniques used in developing materials for lithium ion cells 
• Working knowledge of Matlab or Python 

Pilot Plant Internship

• Experience with scoping studies, mass/energy balances, CAPEX/OPEX estimates, equipment sizing and process conceptualization

Advanced Materials Research Internship

• Experience with lithium-ion battery research/design/manufacturing/testing 
• Knowledge in battery cycler Arbin and BioLogic schedule creation and validation
• Python is a plus

Battery Electrode Process Engineer Internship

• Proficiency in materials characterization tools and analysis 
• Ideally in polymeric composite materials 
• Or hands on experience in battery electrode fabrication 

 Lab Materials Engineer Internship

• Quantifiable lab or pilot experience with tangible results 

Compensation and Benefits

Benefits

As a full-time Tesla Intern, you will be eligible for:

• Aetna PPO and HSA plans > 2 medical plan options with $0 payroll deduction
• Family-building, fertility, adoption and surrogacy benefits
• Dental (including orthodontic coverage) and vision plans. Both have an option with a $0 payroll contribution
• Company Paid (Health Savings Account) HSA Contribution when enrolled in the High Deductible Medical Plan with HSA
• Healthcare and Dependent Care Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA)
• LGBTQ+ care concierge services
• 401(k), Employee Stock Purchase Plans, and other financial benefits
• Company Paid Basic Life, AD&D, and short-term disability insurance
• Employee Assistance Program
• Sick time after 90 days of employment and Paid Holidays
• Back-up childcare and parenting support resources
• Voluntary benefits to include: critical illness, hospital indemnity, accident insurance, theft & legal services, and pet insurance
• Commuter benefits
• Employee discounts and perks program

Expected Compensation

$20.00 – $50.00 + benefits

Pay offered may vary depending on multiple individualized factors, including market location, job-related knowledge, skills, and experience. The total compensation package for this position may also include other elements dependent on the position offered. Details of participation in these benefit plans will be provided if an employee receives an offer of employment.

Tesla is an Equal Opportunity / Affirmative Action employer committed to diversity in the workplace. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, age, national origin, disability, protected veteran status, gender identity or any other factor protected by applicable federal, state or local laws.

Tesla is also committed to working with and providing reasonable accommodations to individuals with disabilities. Please let your recruiter know if you need an accommodation at any point during the interview process.

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