Do you want to address how we recycle most of the plastic in the ocean? Do you want to wire stuff up and make it go brrrr? Can you shift between careful planning and on-the-fly improvisation? Then you may be the right person to intern at Return to Vendor Co., a fashion-materials company that is looking to create infinitely recyclable clothing. 

Return To Vendor, Co. is seeking a sharp and technically skilled Mechatronics Intern to join our Technology team for a paid part-time Spring Internship at our lab in Watertown. The successful candidate will have a strong foundation in micro-electronics and an affinity for adding motors onto things.  This internship offers an inquisitive person hands-on opportunity to learn and apply robotics and mechanical engineering principles and see those changes in lab and industrial scale pilots. This is an in-person internship open to those currently in school or who have graduated from an MA Undergrad or Masters program in the past 12 months, or who live in MA and have graduated in the past 12 months.

Responsibilities

• Fabrication and Modification of Equipment:
  • Modify industrial and prosumer level equipment under the guidance of our engineers.
  • A focus on making equipment to test ASTM standards (no you don't need to know what that is, just be willing to be curious)
  • Learn to design and fabricate equipment to achieve desired tests/products.
• Project Support:
  • Contribute to ongoing research projects focused on advanced chemical recycling
  • Assist in the development of new polymer materials or processes.
  • Document experimental procedures, results, and analyses in a clear and organized manner.
  • Assist in testing material extrusion and a mini-version of the full circularity chain RTV will employ.
• Collaboration and Communication:
  • Work effectively within a small, high-performing team.
  • Time reserved for literature review of current advances in advanced chemical recycling and sharing with the R&D team. 
  • Present findings and progress updates to team members and supervisors.

Qualifications

• Currently pursuing or recently completed a Bachelor's or Master's degree in Mechanical Engineering, Mechatronics, Electrical Engineering, Materials Science, Chemical Engineering, or a related field.(e.g. physics, chemistry)
• A foundation in microelectronics and laboratory techniques.
• Familiarity with polymer synthesis and characterization methods is a plus.
• Excellent problem-solving and analytical skills.
• Detail-oriented and organized work habits.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.

DEI

RTV looks to hire a team that reflects the wonderful diversity of our planet. Applicants that feel they are edge cases or from non-STEM backgrounds are strongly encouraged to apply.