Chemical Engineering Example Co-op Job Description

Position 1. New Battery Technology

The Test Execution Engineer will be a key member of the Battery Test team focusing on equipment engineering support and the validation/testing of battery cells. They will be tasked with developing equipment improvement plans and documenting/verifying test procedures in our battery testing facilities.

Primary responsibilities

Understand battery manufacturing equipment and test equipment, working closely with test team technicians and engineering team
Documentation, using Standard Operating Procedures to create clear, easy to follow procedures for reference and training of new employees on battery test equipment
Implement equipment improvement projects to increase equipment uptime and maximize capacity
Implement quality improvement projects which will improve test data integrity
Assist in planning and execution of equipment move and commission to new facility

Specific Skills/Abilities

The position requires attention to detail, resourceful problem solving and strong communication skills. Candidate with demonstrated hands on experienced is preferred as the role will involve a significant amount of interaction with mechanical and electrical equipment.

Position 2. Petrochemical Process Design

Internship candidates in the Chemical Engineering curriculum will be assigned to an ongoing project reporting to a Process Engineering Supervisor. Tasks assigned will draw upon your understanding of Chemical Engineering fundamentals, and can include client project related tasks such as process simulation of unit operations such as Distillation, Reaction, and Liquid Extraction or plant equipment sizing and design. Alternatively, tasks can relate to in-house projects, such as tool development in the area of key deliverables, of which Process Flow Diagrams, Piping and Instrumentation Diagrams, and major equipment specifications are examples.

You will receive supervision and guidance from an experienced Process Engineering Supervisor, which will afford you an opportunity for substantive discussions and understanding of technical issues, as well as functional issues such as engineering workflow and the tasks taken on by each engineering discipline.

2 co-op positions: 1 entry level and 1 Intermediate to Advanced

Intermediate to advanced level:

Works alongside senior engineers and is involved in engineering design process, with responsibilities including equipment sizing and specifications, instrumentation, P&ID / PFD review and mark-ups, use of our process simulation tool, status updates, and generation of other deliverables for our process design package. Given the opportunity to work independently.

This role is both challenging and interesting as it involves a direct application of their coursework through calculations, interactions with our engineering team, and will give the co-ops a new perspective on what it takes to design a commercial large scale chemical plant for real.

Position 3. Pharmaceutical Upstream Process Development

Investigation of novel technologies to increase understanding of lentiviral product including dynamic light scattering to understand plasmid size and GFP plasmids to understand transfection efficiency using florescence imaging.
Execute experiments to support lentiviral vector late stage process development with both adherent and suspension cell lines to support multiple programs
Author technical documents that will be used to support process development activities

Preferred Qualifications:

Cell Culture (adherent and/or suspension) experience is preferred
Understanding of cell culture kinetics is preferred
Understanding of process development is a plus
Experience in statistics is a plus
Strong verbal and written skills; ability to provide focus and clarity; able to handle confidential information and material appropriately
Ability to work effectively in a collaborative team environment where results are achieved through influence and the incorporation of multiple points of view
Independently motivated, detail oriented and good problem solving ability
Excellent organizational skills, sufficient to multi-task in an extremely fast-paced environment with changing priorities

Transportation:

We are located within walking distance of the T stations and will also offer parking for students if needed. Both commuting options are fully subsidized.
Number of positions: 1
Hours per week: approx. 40-45
Minimum GPA (if required): N/A
Majors considered: Biology, Chemical Engineering, or other Life Sciences *

Position 4. Nanomaterial Coatings

In a dynamic, exciting, and fast paced startup environment, the Product Development Co-ops will contribute to the development of novel coatings based on our technologies, and help deliver a wide range of unique formulations to our customers. As an integral part of our technical team, the co-ops will contribute to the design and fabrication of the coatings, as well as have a broad opportunity to contribute technical solutions to a variety of customer-driven projects. In addition, the students will closely interact with the members of our business development team and the customers to support commercialization efforts. Overall, we believe this position will give a unique learning experience to the co-op students.

Key areas of responsibility

Support R&D engineers and scientists with design, manufacture, testing of products
Prepare and evaluate custom samples for a variety of client projects and partners
Conduct product development investigations utilizing diverse testing instrumentation (Instron, rheometer, SEM, Hegman gauge, goniometer, others)
Design and implement new coating formulations and material test methods
Assist in prototyping application processes for target applications
Contribute as a technical point of contact for clients and partners
Prepare technical presentations and participate in team meetings
Maintain lab notebook and other records in accordance with standards

Qualifications

General knowledge of materials science, polymer synthesis or surface characterization methods
Experience with handling chemicals in the laboratory, especially polymers, solvents, powders
Proven ability to work in a team to achieve concrete objectives in a timely manner
Aptitude for to work effectively in a dynamic and fast paced start up environment
Excellent interpersonal and communication skills

Additional Qualifications

Experience with interfacial phenomena such as: wetting, adhesion, self-assembly
Experience in coatings/thin films characterizations (e.g. surface imaging, optical characterization, bulk mechanical properties, wear and abrasion of coating materials)
Exposure to synthesis and formulation of environmentally sensitive polymers
Experience in film casting and spray coating
Demonstrated scientific excellence supported by publications, patents and presentations
An entrepreneurial, self-starter mindset, evidenced by academic or industrial accomplishments

Position 5. Automation

We are a premier process automation organization and a sales and service representative. We design, implement and test process control systems and solutions for several industries primarily for Life Sciences (Pharmaceutical and Biotech), but also for Specialty Chemicals, Food and Beverage, Pulp and Paper, and Power and Utilities Industries. Process Control is a rewarding field of engineering where we leverage both established and innovative technologies to establish and optimize some of the most profitable manufacturing processes in the world.

As a coop/intern, you will have the opportunity to use skills you have already learned and develop new skills not taught in your course work. We are currently looking for college students to work with us, who are interested in:

Building a professional social network by collaborating with industry experts
Working with state of the art technologies and processes
Experience with FDA regulated pharmaceutical and biologics manufacturing control systems
Contributing to a shared spirit of creativity and innovation
A solid base in controls fundamentals to support future understanding

The Project Engineering Team interacts almost exclusively with process engineers in the Life Sciences industry, from Biotech and Pharmaceutical giants to small-scale R&D pilot plants. In addition to our front end DeltaV DCS (Distributed Control System) design and implementation services, we also provide in-plant services to install and commission the control system to provide a full start-to-finish experience.

The Systems Engineering Team interacts primarily with Biotech Manufacturing facilities in the Greater Boston area. The focus of this team is the SyncadeMES (Manufacturing Execution System) and customized Systems Solutions. MES systems allow our clients to improve efficiency and consistency by converting paper Batch Records for the manufacture of Pharmaceutical and Biological products to Electronic Batch Records. The customized Systems Solutions that we provide (which cover a broad range of objectives), are generally help our clients to use the tremendous wealth of information generated by their DCS and MES systems to make intelligent business decisions.

Desirable Attributes for all roles:

A professional, positive attitude and the willingness to learn
Students from Chemical, Electrical, and Computer Engineering programs are preferred.
All student levels will be considered
Computer experience is desirable, but training is provided as needed for the position.

Project Engineering Team Co-op/Intern Opportunities:

Be a member of a team that designs and configures Automation and Process Control Systems using Commercial off-the-Shelf (COTS) software.
Design and implementation of traditional and HCD (Human Centered Design) operator interface graphics
Documented GMP verification and FDA validation of implemented control system
Customer site installation and commissioning support of DCS (Distributed Control System) solutions