Internship, Battery Materials, Battery Engineering (Winter/Spring 2027)

What to Expect

Consider before submitting an application:

This position is expected to start around January 2027 and continue through the entire Spring term (ending approximately May 2027 or later, if available). We ask for a minimum of 12 weeks, full-time (40 hours/week) and on-site, for most internships. Our internship program is for students who are actively enrolled in an academic program. Recent graduates seeking employment after graduation and not returning to school should apply for full-time positions, not internships.

International Students: If your work authorization is through CPT, please consult your school on your ability to work 40 hours per week before applying. You must be able to work 40 hours per week on-site. Many students will be limited to part-time during the academic year.

Internship Program at Tesla:

The Internship Recruiting Team is driven by the passion to recognize and develop emerging talent. Our year-round program places the best students in positions where they will grow technically, professionally, and personally through their experience working closely with their Manager, Mentor, and team. We provide an experience that allows the intern to experience life at Tesla by including them in projects that are critical to their team’s success.

What You’ll Do

Become part of the Tesla Battery Materials Team. With continued evolution of battery design, there is a need for improved battery materials for encapsulation, thermal and electrical insulation, structural support, and related adhesives to bond, assemble, and protect the battery cells. These development projects will involve materials screening and evaluation, formulating, testing, test protocol development, process development, and scale-up to manufacturability. This position will require significant adhesive and encapsulant formulation and characterization. The project will involve identifying formulation components, working with raw material suppliers, and bench-scale chemical formulating. Characterization will include thermal, mechanical, electrical, rheological, and cure kinetics properties – giving the student training in advanced characterization techniques. Additional materials tests will include component-level testing (such as full battery prototypes), as well as safety testing (like flame resistance and electrical isolation). Scope of work also includes process development for implementing materials solutions, and material lifetime reliability studies.

What You’ll Bring

• Currently pursuing a degree in Chemical Engineering, Materials Science, Chemistry, Polymer Science, Nanotechnology, or a related field
• Previous experience in a lab R&D environment
• Experience with polymer materials, characterization techniques, and testing/formulating adhesives