Metallurgical Engineering Intern
About The Position
Solcoa exists to stabilize the western rare-earth metal supply chain—powering every fighter jet, EV, wind turbine, phone, and generator. We're among the very few companies outside China producing rare-earth metals—and the only one delivering a 100% U.S. supply of both light and heavy rare earths. Our carbon-zero process converts end-of-life magnets directly into metal, ready to accelerate energy independence and secure one of the world's most vital resources. We are a lean, well-funded team rapidly accelerating Western rare-earth production. We're building a world-class team to solve this crisis. Join our process team and help turn rare earth magnet waste into high-purity metals. You'll support our reactor operations, assist with alloy production, and keep our documentation tight—working with metallurgists, chemists, and technicians to move quickly from lab scale to production.
Requirements
- Pursuing a BS/MS in Metallurgical Engineering, Materials Science, or related field
- Exposure to pyrometallurgy, electrometallurgy, or high-temperature processing (coursework or labs).
- Hands-on experience from labs, foundry work, internships, or personal projects (furnaces, casting, heat treatment)
- Detail-oriented, disciplined documentation, and reliable follow-through
- Comfortable in a fast-paced, hardware-centric environment and willing to get your hands dirty
- On-site availability; able to start soon
Nice To Haves
- Experience with vacuum or inert-atmosphere furnace operation
- Familiarity with rare-earth metallurgy, molten salt electrolysis, or reactive metal processing
- Basic thermodynamic analysis skills (Ellingham diagrams, phase diagrams, FactSage/HSC a plus)
- Welding or basic machining experience (mill/lathe)
- Python/MATLAB for data analysis
Responsibilities
- Assist with high-temperature and high-vacuum reactor operations.
- Help characterize feed materials and products using ICP-OES, SEM-EDS, LECO O/N.
- Run furnace cycles, collect process data, and summarize results to inform design iterations
- Maintain organized logs of process parameters, equipment conditions, and sample tracking
- Support equipment maintenance: vacuum systems, induction coils, thermocouples, and gas handling
- Contribute to safety-first culture and continuous improvement on the facility floor.
Benefits
- Competitive hourly pay.
- Insurance provided.
- Support relocating to the Bay area.
- Company-provided lunch daily.
- J1 Visa sponsorship available if needed.
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What This Job Offers
Career Level
Intern
