Materials & Process Intern – R&D

Vulcan Elements is manufacturing American rare-earth permanent magnets to support a secure and resilient future. With a focus on national security and economic resilience, we serve critical industries including defense, aerospace, and automotive—powering next-generation technologies. We are building a team of ambitious professionals committed to Mission Focus, Technical Excellence, and Transparency.As a Materials & Process Intern on the R&D team, you will support the development of advanced metallurgical processes and equipment, contributing to both experimental work and process optimization.ResponsibilitiesSafely operate within a pilot manufacturing and R&D environment, working hands-on with air-sensitive materials.Support materials and process development initiatives through experimental and analytical work.Characterize materials and process outputs to understand relationships between processing, structure, and properties.Optimize process parameters to meet target performance and quality requirements; evaluate process windows and establish operating setpoints.Contribute to the development of core equipment and next-generation manufacturing processes.Responsibilities and tasks outlined are not exhaustive and may change as determined by the needs of the business. Required QualificationsCurrently pursuing a Bachelor's or Master's degree in Materials Science & Engineering, Physicochemical Sciences & Engineering, or a related STEM field.Coursework or hands-on experience with materials characterization techniques.Laboratory or manufacturing experience with strong attention to detail.Familiarity with data analysis tools such as Python, MATLAB, or similar.Must be a U.S. Person due to required access to U.S. export-controlled information or facilities.Preferred QualificationsExposure to metallic or magnetic materials systems.Experience with characterization techniques such as TGA-DSC, XRD, SEM, EDS, or EBSD.Prior experience in an academic or industrial laboratory environment.Processing & Laboratory Skills (Preferred)Experience with powder processing techniques (e.g., ball milling, sieving, blending).Familiarity with tube furnaces, gloveboxes, or inert atmosphere processing.Experience handling air-sensitive materials.Basic understanding of thermal processing (annealing, heat treatments, solid-state reactions).Ability to follow safe lab practices in environments involving gases, powders, and high temperatures.Learning OpportunitiesGain hands-on experience with advanced materials characterization methods.Work with real-world manufacturing data and process optimization challenges.Receive mentorship from experienced materials, process, and manufacturing engineers.