Internship, Chemical Engineer, Cell Engineering; Fall

What to Expect

Consider before submitting an application:

This position is expected to start around August 2026 and continue through the entire Fall term (i.e., through December 2026) or into Spring 2027 if available. The internship requires a minimum of 12 weeks, full‑time and on‑site for most interns.

International Students:
If your work authorization is through CPT, verify with your school that you can work 40 hours per week on‑site. Many students will be limited to part‑time during the academic year.

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 are dedicated to providing an experience that allows the intern to experience life at Tesla by including them in projects that are critical to their team’s success.

Multiple Locations Possible:
Palo Alto, CA;
Fremont, CA;
Austin, TX;
Robstown, TX;
Reno, NV;
Toronto, ON

Qualified applicants may be reviewed by one or more of the following teams:

Chemical Engineering

• Work directly with engineers and technicians on mass and energy balance model development, new equipment design, build and commission at mini/pilot scale, and engineering test planning and execution. Seeking candidates with experience using Excel and process modeling software such as Aspen, SysCAD, HSC.

Crystallization Chemical Engineering

• Support the crystallization team, work with engineering and operations to prepare for plant commissioning and start‑up, and interface with other refinery process areas to aid refinery success.

Cell Recycling Project Engineering

• Act as a project engineer, interfacing with organizations across Tesla, Engineering, Production, Quality, Supply Chain, Planning, Operations, and the Executive team. Assist existing project engineers with driving the development and deployment of new battery recycling processes.

Lithium Hydrometallurgy Engineering

• Work alongside a multidisciplinary team on the design of a first‑of‑a‑kind lithium hydroxide facility to ensure readiness for construction and operations. Ideal candidates have exposure to hydrometallurgical, crystallization/solid separation processes, and predictive solution chemistry.

Lab Materials Engineering

• Focus on materials development, process conceptualization, and scale‑up to improve the speed, efficiency, and environmental performance of battery material manufacture. Join a team focused on recycling and primary metal refining.

Manufacturing Engineering

• Develop and execute projects, conceptualize processes, and scale up. Assist in the day‑to‑day operation of multiple lab and pilot facilities and act as a technical contact for one or more process steps and unit operations.

Production Engineering

• Contribute to the production process of lithium compounds used in Tesla’s electric vehicle batteries. Support commissioning and startup activities of the new refinery. Candidates should have basic knowledge of chemical engineering principles, unit operations, and familiarity with data analysis and statistical tools.

Cathode Advanced Manufacturing

• Participate in the development, measurement, and production of new cathode active materials and troubleshoot processes and measurements used to produce these powders.

Cathode Pilot Manufacturing Engineering

• Develop systems for operations, training, dashboard visualization of KPIs, inventory management, and automation of manufacturing steps at pilot scale. Serve as the first on‑ground technical point of contact for scaling and sustaining cathode production quality at our first manufacturing plant in Austin.

• Currently pursuing a degree in Chemical Engineering, Materials Science, or a related field.
• Knowledge of chemistry, thermodynamics, engineering fundamentals, Li‑ion batteries, cathode materials, or powder processing.
• Proficiency in engineering software and tools (e.g., MATLAB, AutoCAD, Plant 3D).
• Experience with ASPEN, Power BI, Tableau, Python, R, Twin Cat programming.
• Experience in R&D, powder production…