Metallurgical Engineering Intern
Solcoa Industries · Alameda, California · $35 - $45 USD per year
- Paid
- FullTime
About the role
MAKING THE METALS POWERING THE WORLD
Solcoa is building the next generation of American metalmaking, starting with rare earths — the metals of power and motion. We've developed a new chemistry that converts rare earth oxides into high-purity metals — the materials inside every EV, fighter jet, wind turbine, and data center — cleaner, cheaper, and faster than any conventional process. Now we're scaling it to thousands of tonnes of annual production.
THE ROLE
Join our process team and help convert rare-earth oxides into high-purity metals. You’ll support reactor operations, run experiments and characterize feed materials and products, working with metallurgists, chemists and technicians to move from lab-scale experiments to repeatable production.
WHAT YOU’LL DO
- Assist with high-temperature and high-vacuum reactor operations.
- Help characterize feed materials and products using ICP-OES, SEM-EDS, LECO O/N.
- Run furnace cycles, collect process data, and summarize results to inform design iterations.
- Maintain organized logs of process parameters, equipment conditions, and sample tracking.
- Support equipment maintenance: vacuum systems, induction coils, thermocouples, and gas handling.
- Contribute to safety-first culture and continuous improvement on the facility floor.
WHAT YOU BRING
REQUIRED
- Pursuing a BS/MS in Metallurgical Engineering, Materials Science, or related field.
- Exposure to pyrometallurgy, electrometallurgy, or high-temperature processing (coursework or labs).
- Hands-on experience from labs, foundry work, internships, or personal projects (furnaces, casting, heat treatment).
- Detail-oriented, disciplined documentation, and reliable follow-through.
- Comfortable in a fast-paced, hardware-centric environment and willing to get your hands dirty.
- On-site availability; able to start soon.
PREFERRED
- Experience with vacuum or inert-atmosphere furnace operation.
- Familiarity with rare-earth metallurgy, molten salt electrolysis, or reactive metal processing.
- Basic thermodynamic analysis skills (Ellingham diagrams, phase diagrams, FactSage/HSC a plus).
- Welding or basic machining experience (mill/lathe).
- Python/MATLAB for data analysis.
COMPENSATION & BENEFITS
- Competitive compensation.
- Comprehensive medical, dental and vision insurance.
- Company-provided lunch daily.
- J1 Visa sponsorship available if needed.