Spring Co-op - Catalyst Development (6 months) at Lydian

Company overview

Lydian is developing the lowest cost sustainable fuels from waste CO2, water, and renewable electricity to decarbonize the aviation industry. Our breakthrough technology replaces oil and gas refining with fully electrified, modular, and flexible reactor systems that produce fuel with 95% lower emissions than traditional jet fuel.

Since our founding in 2021, Lydian has achieved key milestones in record time, including the production of our first liquid fuel from our pilot system, capable of producing 10,000 gallons of fuel per year for a fraction of the capital and time of alternative approaches. We are building a motivated, diverse, and collaborative team that is passionate about addressing the growing climate crisis and is committed to excellence in their work. In particular, we look for tenacious people who are energized by solving the hardest, highest impact problems that come their way.

Position overview

Lydian is looking for an Materials Science R&D Co-op to develop, manufacture, and characterize high temperature materials for use in sustainable fuel reactor systems. You will interface with engineers and scientists across various domains in order to inform your experimental design and research priorities.

This is an hourly position based in Boston, MA and has a minimum commitment of 6-months.

Responsibilities

• Own and execute advanced R&D projects with guidance from Lydian engineers pursuing new paths for materials development

• Use advanced characterization techniques (XRD, SEM, electrical property measurements, oxidation/corrosion analysis) to develop understanding of materials and degradation mechanisms. Work with external partners who can perform some techniques under our guidance

• Build key reactor components using repeatable, scalable manufacturing techniques, including input and experimentation to explore improvements and alternatives to existing techniques

• Frequent use of high temperature furnace equipment to produce different materials

• Support other team members in materials compatibility experiments, materials selection, and characterization

• Assist in equipment setup, maintenance, and SOP generation.

Qualifications

• B.S. or M.S. candidate in Chemical Engineering, Chemistry or any related major

• Comfortable working in a wet lab environment, with an openness to learning new experimental and documentation techniques.

• Ability to follow laboratory protocols and instructions accurately, with a willingness to ask questions when uncertain

• Attention to detail in experimental design, execution, and documentation

• Experience in documentation and reporting, including preparing lab notebooks, data analysis, technical reports, and formal presentations

• Curiosity, proactiveness, being a team player, eagerness to learn, and a focus on quickly determining a path to results are key!

• Preferred but not required: wet lab experience, furnace operation, chemical synthesis, slurry formulation, coating experience

• Desire to work in a fast-paced environment and solve interesting technical problems

• Alignment with our mission, vision, and virtues

Company culture and benefits

• Paid lab/engineering-focused internship with a collaborative in-person technical team

• Challenging, meaningful work that can directly impact company success

• Opportunities for networking/exposure within the climate tech community

• Mentorship from a great team of engineers and scientists