Materials Intern

Team Description:

Join the Materials Engineering Team at Neuralink and be part of an elite and diverse team of materials engineers, chemists, and device engineers working on high-performance, biocompatible materials for the next-generation of brain-computer interfaces. We are looking for a hands-on materials engineer to manage and execute materials characterization and mechanical testing experiments using in-house instrumentation. You will be an integral member of a small, fast-moving team with the opportunity to work closely with mechanical engineers and microfabrication experts on system integration and packaging solutions.

Job Description and Responsibilities:

The Materials Intern will be contributing to the development of high-density, reliable neural interfaces that are at the ground level of brain-computer-interfaces. This is a unique opportunity to work closely with a multi-disciplinary team in an environment where you will have direct impact on the next-gen product. The job responsibilities will include:

• Evaluating and testing the mechanical properties of implant materials under various adverse conditions to evaluate their performance and longevity
• Operating high-precision testing instruments, including dynamic mechanical analyzers and micro-FTIR spectrometers
• Modeling the behavior and longevity of materials using finite elements analysis or similar computational methods to predict performance under stress 
• Collaborating with interdisciplinary teams to design custom fixtures and develop high-throughput testing equipment for yield and longevity assessment, incorporating accelerated aging and mechanical fatigue testing protocols
• Designing, managing, and conducting experiments using characterization and testing platforms to identify failure modes and root-cause failure mechanisms of medical device and materials
• Leveraging the understanding of materials structure-property relationships to interpret experimental results and design future experiments

Required Qualifications: 

• Fundamental knowledge of how material properties are governed by their molecular structure and impacted by different stressors to assess material performance and durability
• Experience with standard mechanical testing equipment (e.g., tensile tester, DMA)
• Experience with mechanical design and CAD software (e.g., SolidWorks)

Preferred Qualifications: 

• Familiarity with failure analysis and mechanical modeling methods (e.g., FEA, COMSOL)