Metallurgical Engineering Intern

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.