Chemical Engineer Summer/Fall 2026 Co-op

Found Energy•Boston, MA

12d

About The Position

Found Energy is building clean energy delivery platforms capable of replacing fossil fuels for heavy industries ranging from aluminum production (4% of global CO2 emissions) to fertilizer production (2% of global CO2 emissions) to maritime shipping (3% of global CO2 emissions). Building off technology developed at MIT that enables metallic aluminum to split water, our energy delivery systems safely generate hydrogen and industrial heat on-site at >5x the volumetric energy density of liquid hydrogen and >3x that of methanol and ammonia. By integrating storage, transport, and generation into a single package, our technology solves some of the biggest pain points in renewable energy transportation and storage. At Found Energy, we believe in securing a livable and equitable future for our planet, and we are looking for partners who are motivated by this goal to join us. For more information, visit https://found.energy. Found Energy has demonstrated its core hydrogen generation technologies at the kW-scale, including a system capable of powering a full-sized electric vehicle. We are now working to scale up the reactor system for both our minimum viable product (MVP) and commercial pilot demonstrations. The completion of the MVP and commercial pilots requires designing and testing numerous sub-processes and sub-systems at the targeted industrial scale, as well as at various intermediate scales along the way. Co-ops in this role will be responsible for directly translating previous and ongoing R&D work into prototypes and production units, while measuring and tracking performance metrics, and solving key technical issues as they arise. You will interface with our customer and pilot partners to develop solutions and customize our technology to meet their technical requirements. Co-op Duration: 6 months, July - December

Requirements

Deeply motivated by the climate crisis and its downstream impacts
Pursuing education in chemical engineering, materials science and engineering, or related fields
Track record of strong academic and/or project-based performance
Exceptional communication and documentation skills

Nice To Haves

Chemical reactor design, assembly, and validation
Familiarity with process control systems, PID controllers, and PLC controllers
Chemical separation and purification processes
Solid-liquid separation and filtration
Sourcing and integrating pumps, valves, and other essential equipment for fluid control and transport within the process system
Creating process flow diagrams and chemical system simulations/models
Hydrogen handling and safety equipment
Sensor integration and data acquisition
Using AutoCAD to generate P&IDs and other system documentation

Responsibilities

Design, build, and test reactor prototypes in support of reactor scale-up and pilot projects
Design and build test platforms for rapidly iterating and validating subsystems
Perform data analysis on reactor test results to identify improved operating conditions
Create process flow diagrams, models, and simulations of prototype and production units
Produce and maintain P&ID and other documentation
Specify, downselect, and modify COTS components for integration into subsystems
Participate in and lead design reviews of chemical process subsystems
Operate and maintain the separations and other subsystems of the pilot reactor
Develop safety systems and protocols for the prototype and production systems
Develop and maintain SOP documentation for prototype and production systems
Translate R&D work into prototype functional requirements and specifications
Translate partnership specifications into design requirements