R&D Materials Engineer Intern

Team Description:

The Next Gen team at Neuralink is developing the next generation of brain-computer interfaces. We are laying the groundwork for intuitive, high-dimensional, and bidirectional interfaces between brains and machines, with the goal of helping people challenged by a variety of neurological disorders and conditions. Our team consists of scientists and engineers, working closely together to define the engineering requirements for these future products.

Join Neuralink's Next-Gen team to help push the boundaries of what's possible in brain-computer interfaces.

Job Description and Responsibilities:

As an R&D Materials Engineer intern, you'll interact with technical teams across the company to develop new ideas, materials, and processes that drive our next generation of implants forward. You'll work closely with scientists and engineers to explore innovative concepts, perform rigorous benchtop testing, troubleshoot experimental setups, and analyze results. Successful candidates will be highly adaptable, able to deploy their core technical and creative skills to tackle a wide range of problems, and have a keen sense of urgency. You must thrive in an intense, mission-driven, and collaborative environment. Additionally, you will:

• Contribute to the development of next-generation microelectrode materials, partnering with the microfabrication team to bring concepts from idea to hardware
• Develop novel solutions for electrode-tissue interfaces to enhance electrode sensitivity and interface longevity
• Perform materials characterization and surface chemistry experiments on candidate materials and implant components
• Design and fabricate custom test fixtures to enable new experiments
• Execute on established protocols and independently design new experiments as the project demands
• Troubleshoot, iterate, and communicate findings clearly to the team

Required Qualifications:

• Evidence of exceptional ability in Materials Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Biomedical Engineering, Chemistry, or a related field
• 2+ years of academic or industry experience
• Strong understanding of the scientific method and engineering first principles
• Strong organizational skills and exceptional attention to detail
• Experience with chemical handling and safe lab practices
• Outstanding communication skills; thrives in an interdisciplinary environment

Preferred Qualifications:

• Proficiency in SolidWorks or other CAD software
• Familiarity and experience with surface characterization techniques (e.g., contact angle, FTIR, XPS, AFM)
• Experience with microscopy
• Experience with electrochemistry