Intern - Chemist for Cleaning Solutions

Evonik • Richmond, VA

59d

About The Position

This is a temporary contractor assignment supporting Evonik. The selected candidate will be employed and paid by a third-party staffing agency. The Laboratory Chemist intern is responsible for developing, optimizing, and evaluating cleaning product formulations utilizing surfactants and specialty ingredients to support customer projects, technical service activities, and business growth initiatives. Evonik will assign the intern customer a specific project as well as protype development while creating marketing and communication materials highlighting Evonik’s ingredients. This role works closely with our applied innovation team and our marketing manager to deliver innovative, performance-driven formulations that meet customer requirements and market needs.

Requirements

• Current junior or senior undergraduate student, or master's student, pursuing a degree in Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, Formulation Science, or a related scientific discipline required.
• Experience with laboratory testing and handling general laboratory equipment safely.
• Ability to analyze complex technical data and provide practical recommendations.
• Strong problem-solving and troubleshooting skills.
• Excellent written and verbal communication abilities.
• Ability to work independently while managing multiple priorities.

Nice To Haves

• A business or marketing-related minor is preferred.
• General understanding of surfactant functionality and cleaning formulation principles preferred.

Responsibilities

• Develop custom formulations to support customer projects, new product development, and formulation optimization initiatives.
• Design, prepare, and evaluate formulations for household, industrial, institutional (HI&I), and specialty cleaning applications.
• Conduct formulation optimization studies to improve cleaning efficacy, foam characteristics, stability, compatibility, viscosity, and other performance attributes.
• Develop innovative prototype formulations showcasing the capabilities of the company's surfactants and specialty ingredients.
• Perform application testing and comparative performance evaluations using established laboratory methods.
• Maintain accurate laboratory records, reports, and experimental documentation.
• Assess formulation properties including: Cleaning performance, Foam generation and stability, Wetting and detergency, Solubility and compatibility, Rheology and viscosity, pH and stability, Hard water tolerance, Surface tension.
• Follow all environmental, health, safety, and quality procedures.
• Ensure compliance with company policies and industry regulations.
• Develop customer-ready prototype formulation marketing material that showcase the performance and value of company surfactants and specialty ingredients.
• Create formulation concepts aligned with market trends, customer needs, and emerging cleaning technologies.
• Generate technical data and performance claims to support marketing campaigns, product launches, and promotional materials.
• Support the marketing manager when preparing formulation guides, application bulletins, technical brochures, and marketing materials such as photos and videos of Evonik’s formulation test results.
• Conduct comparative studies demonstrating the advantages of company products versus competitive technologies that can be used in customer presentations, trade shows, webinars, and industry events.

Benefits

• Compensation and benefits offered may vary depending on multiple individualized factors.
• The Evonik Group adopts an Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) approach. Candidates are assessed based on their educational qualifications, experience, job competencies and potential and shall not be discriminated against on the basis of race, ethnicity, age, gender, religion, nationality, disability or sexual orientation or other classifications protected by local, state, or provincial regulations.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Part-time
• Career Level: Intern