Component R&D - Slurry & Coating Internship

Who You Are

You are creative, proactive, rigorous, insightful, and hands-on. As a scientist or engineer on the Slurry & Coating R&D team, you will contribute to the improvement of commercially built high-energy Li-ion batteries during a 6-month co-op or internship. You are able to draw from fundamental knowledge from coursework and hands-on research experience to evaluate the performance of our silicon nanocomposite active material in our developing battery platform using both modeling and experimentation. As part of a collaborative effort, your work will help to elucidate the underlying structure-property relationships of anode and cathode component materials (including active materials, binders, and conductive additives), the effect of subsequent cell processing, and the resulting impact on electrochemical performance. In this internship you’ll make connections in the fast growing energy materials field and get a flavor of the benefits that a technical career at Sila has to offer.

Responsibilities and Duties  

• Spend 6 months onsite at Sila, beginning in May 2025, to work exclusively on the assigned projects
• Develop slurry and coating recipes through an iterative design process utilizing tabletop mixing & coating processes, incorporating existing characterization and analysis techniques as appropriate
• Plan and execute experiments to understand the effect of electrode parameters—such as mass loading, calendered density, and material type—on mechanical and electrochemical properties of fabricated coatings and cells
• Help build and operationalize new processes, instrumentation, and analytics pertaining to slurry and coating with rigorous data collection
• Discover, understand, and explain the fundamentals involved in the relationships between electrode components and cell performance
• Identify safety hazards and work cooperatively to implement improvements

Knowledge and Skill Requirements 

• At least 6 months’ prior experience working full-time in academic and/or industrial research & development environments (battery-related is a plus)
• Academic focus or expertise in chemistry, chemical engineering, polymer science, physics, materials science, mechanical engineering, or a related field
• Proficiency with experimental design methods and statistical data analysis
• Strong commitment to thoroughly document procedures, results, and learnings using top-tier organizational practices toward building and preserving institutional knowledge
• Familiarity and engagement with best practices for collaborative problem-solving, such as sharing knowledge and ideas with peers, and formulating strategies to overcome technical challenges (familiarity with formal methods, such as failure modes & effects analysis, is a plus)

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 glove box and/or fume hood to prepare samples
• Operate analytical equipment at a lab bench
• Move items up to 50 lbs with the assistance of lift equipment and carts
• Reach low shelves or items on the floor
• 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.