Intern in Sorbent Structures (80-100%)

Climeworks AG; Zürich; Hybrid; CHF 25,000 - 30,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid work setup

Onsite 3 days/week

Salary benchmarking

Job summary

Climeworks is seeking a six‑month internship in sorbent evaluation and development. You will join an integrated team to test porous materials, analyze adsorption behavior, and develop prototypes for direct air capture technologies.

The role can involve modeling or hands‑on lab work depending on your background, with documentation of results for project communication. The ideal candidate is pursuing a master’s or has a bachelor’s degree in mechanical, chemical, or materials engineering, fluent in

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in mechanical, chemical, materials engineering or similar.
• Experience with lab or workshop environments is required.
• Familiarity with characterization and materials testing is a plus.

Responsibilities

• Evaluate and develop sorbent structures for direct air capture.
• Test novel materials for CO₂ adsorption, stability and structural integrity.
• Develop sample prototypes of novel materials.

Skills

Lab work

Prototyping

Porous materials testing

FEM

Mass transfer modeling

Education

Bachelor's degree

Job description

Climeworks is a leading high-quality carbon removal provider, combining decades of expertise in Direct Air Capture (DAC) technology with a holistic approach to carbon removal solutions.

Climeworks advises companies on their carbon removal strategies and provides tailored portfolios of nature-based and engineered approaches, offering end-to-end services to help achieve net-zero goals. The company runs the world's first two DAC plants in Iceland, demonstrating its core commitment to high-quality carbon removal that is backed by over 15 years of pioneering research, development, and deployment.

By advancing the most reliable solutions in the market, Climeworks accelerates the global transition to net zero, unlocking economic value for businesses, governments, and society.

We foster a dynamic environment and are building a global purpose driven team. We are looking for disruptive thinkers, passionate achievers and inspiring leaders that are ready to take on the world’s greatest challenge.

Will you join us?

Your mission

Sorbent Evaluation & Development: You support the evaluation and development of sorbent structures for direct air capture.

Material Testing: You work in an integrated team to test novel materials for CO₂ adsorption behavior, stability, and structural integrity.

Prototype Development: You develop sample prototypes of novel materials.

Independent Work Packages: You work independently on packages to evaluate future technologies, including modeling or lab-based aspects depending on your background.

Validation & Documentation: You validate, troubleshoot, and clearly document your work to ensure effective communication within larger projects at Climeworks.

Your story

Requirements

Education & Experience: You have a bachelor’s degree and/or are working towards a master’s degree in mechanical engineering, process engineering, chemical engineering, materials science, or similar.

Availability: You are available for a 6-month internship starting preferably in January 2026 or shortly thereafter.

Technical Skills: You enjoy working hands‑on in the lab or workshop and have experience with any of the following: characterization of porous materials (BET, Hg porosimetry, TGA), structural analysis (tensile/compression testing, FEM), adsorption characterization (breakthrough testing, DVS), mass transfer modeling, or prototyping in a workshop.

Additional Knowledge: Familiarity with CO₂ capture is beneficial but not required.

Mindset & Working Style: You are eager to learn new concepts, reliable, motivated, solution‑oriented, concise, and have a structured working style.

Language Skills: You are fluent in English; knowledge of German or other languages is beneficial but not required.

Our promise: At Climeworks, you are accepted for who you are, and we are committed to building an inclusive environment where everyone feels valued. We encourage all qualified applicants to apply – regardless of background, identity, or experience. Studies show that women and individuals from minority backgrounds often only apply for jobs when they meet 100% of the listed criteria. If this sounds like you, don’t hold back. If you think you’d make a great fit for this role, we’d love to hear from you, even if you don’t check every single box. Let’s tackle one of humankind’s greatest challenges together.

What we offer:

At Climeworks, our six-month internships offer a hybrid work setup , giving you flexibility while ensuring valuable collaboration by working onsite at least three days per week. To maintain fairness, we follow a standardized salary process based on market benchmarks. For our internships based in Switzerland, the compensation is:

After completion of MSc: CHF 2,500 per month

Note: We do not accept candidate profiles through recruitment agencies.

At Climeworks, we believe the people make all the difference. Discover other opportunities and learn more about our team, our technology and our culture.