Battery Engineer & Electrochemist Intern (PhD)

Job Description

About Sila: Powering the Future of Clean Energy

Sila is a pioneering next-generation battery materials company dedicated to accelerating the world’s transition to clean energy. Our mission is to engineer and manufacture groundbreaking battery materials that significantly increase the energy density of lithium-ion batteries, while simultaneously reducing their size and weight. By creating smaller, more powerful batteries, we unlock innovation in consumer devices and drive the mass adoption of electric vehicles, ultimately helping to eliminate dependence on fossil fuels. We are a team committed to tackling one of the biggest challenges of our time, constantly redefining what’s possible, and we invite you to be a part of this world-changing journey.

About the Role: Battery Engineering & Electrochemistry Intern (PhD Level)

Are you a thoughtful, creative, diligent, and curious battery engineer or material scientist with a strong foundational knowledge in electrochemistry? Do you possess an innate excitement for building the next generation of battery materials and technologies? Sila Nanotechnologies is seeking a highly motivated PhD-level intern to join our dynamic team. In this hands-on role, you will contribute significantly to developing advanced battery models, refining electrochemical testing protocols, and bridging the understanding of material properties across diverse cell formats. This is an unparalleled opportunity to leverage key insights from battery models to accelerate learning cycles and reduce empirical R&D costs, directly impacting the future of clean energy.

Key Responsibilities and Duties:

• Onsite Commitment: Spend a minimum of 6 months full-time onsite at Sila, commencing in June 2026, to engage directly in hands-on research and development activities.
• Electrochemical Protocol Development: Investigate and refine electrochemical test protocols across a wide variety of battery cell formats to accurately isolate and characterize intrinsic properties of active electrode materials.
• Foundational Battery Model Building: Test and evaluate different battery modeling algorithms to construct robust foundational models with high mechanistic fidelity, ensuring they accurately represent underlying electrochemical processes.
• Workflow Development for Predictive Simulations: Develop comprehensive workflows for the parametrization of active battery materials, leading to highly predictive battery simulations that inform design and optimization.
• Performance Bottleneck Identification: Bridge knowledge and understanding of performance bottlenecks across various battery cell formats, providing critical insights for material and cell design improvements.
• Documentation and Presentation: Thoroughly document all research findings, experimental procedures, and analytical results. Present conclusions, recommendations, and insights clearly to engineering mentors, management, and other key stakeholders.

Knowledge and Skill Requirements:

• Education: Currently studying toward a PhD degree in Chemical Engineering, Materials Science, Chemistry, or a closely related technical field.
• Battery R&D Experience: Prior experience working in battery-related academic and/or industrial research & development environments is essential.
• Characterization Methods: Proven prior experience with electrochemical and material science characterization methods.
• Computational Skills: Prior experience with Python and modeling software such as Pybamm and/or COMSOL.
• Statistical & ML (Plus): Strong foundational knowledge in Bayesian statistics and machine learning is a significant plus.
• Analytical & Documentation: Exceptional analytical and meticulous documentation skills are required.
• Learning & Collaboration: Demonstrated ability to learn new skills rapidly and proactively ask for assistance when needed.
• Independence: Capable of working independently while effectively taking direction and guidance from senior team members.

Physical Demands and Working Conditions:

The role involves hands-on laboratory work and requires the ability to:

• Wear personal protective equipment including, but not limited to, a lab coat, gloves, safety glasses, and steel-toe safety shoes.
• Perform precise and repetitive handling of a range of material quantities.
• Utilize a fume hood for sample preparation activities.
• Operate analytical equipment at a benchtop.
• Move long distances (e.g., between buildings) and remain stationary for extended periods of time.
• Operate a computer and other standard office equipment (laptop, copier/printer, etc.) in a fixed location.

Compensation:

The starting base pay for this PhD-level intern role ranges between $25/hr and $39/hr at the time of posting. The actual base pay will be determined by various factors including education, prior experience, and specific skills. This base pay is a component of Sila’s comprehensive Total Rewards package, which may also include benefits, perks, and equity. The stated base pay range is subject to change. This role may also be eligible for overtime compensation.

Working at Sila: Our Commitment to Diversity and Inclusion

At Sila, we firmly believe that fostering a diverse team amplifies our individual talents and drives collective success. We are proud to be an equal opportunity employer and are deeply committed to creating an inclusive environment where innovative ideas can come from anyone. We celebrate diversity, and all qualified applicants are considered for employment without regard to gender, race, sexual orientation, religion, age, disability, national origin, or any other status protected by law.