Development Engineer Co-op — Chemical or Mechanical Engineering

Lever, Inc.; Billerica (MA); On-site; USD 33,000 - 47,000; Full time

Job summary

Boston Materials seeks a student intern to join our team and contribute to materials research on liquid metal thermal interface materials used for electronics cooling.

You will design and execute experiments, prepare samples, and help characterize materials alongside engineers and PhD scientists, gaining exposure to metallurgy, surface chemistry, and thermal physics on a live development line.

Qualifications

• Currently pursuing a Bachelor's or advanced degree in Chemical Engineering or Mechanical Engineering.
• A hands‑on disposition and genuine curiosity about why materials behave the way they do — not just whether they pass or fail.
• Comfortable moving between different types of tasks and problems in a fast‑paced, changing environment — a single week may span wet chemistry, sample preparation, characterization, data analysis, and documentation.
• Strong analytical skills and comfort working with data; mastery of Excel is a plus.
• Clear, organized technical writing ability.
• Demonstrated hands‑on experience of any kind — academic labs, personal or maker projects, machining, electronics, or a prior co‑op/internship — is valued.
• Interest or coursework in surface chemistry, thermodynamics, heat transfer, fluid mechanics, corrosion, or metallurgy is a plus, but not required.
• A safety‑conscious, self‑directed, and organized approach to work, including careful handling of chemicals and specialty materials.

Responsibilities

• Partner with technicians, engineers, and PhD‑level scientists to design and execute experiments probing fundamental material behavior — wetting and adhesion, surface and interface chemistry, oxide film behavior, coating performance, and thermal transport.
• Prepare and characterize experimental material samples, including liquid metal alloy formulations, protective coatings, and metal–composite laminates.
• Support materials characterization and analysis using techniques such as thermal metrology, microscopy, spectroscopy, and accelerated reliability testing, and help interpret what the results mean for material design.
• Collect, organize, and analyze experimental data to test hypotheses, build structure–property understanding, and support material and formulation decisions.
• Investigate root causes of material-level failure modes — corrosion, dewetting, voiding, interfacial degradation — and evaluate candidate solutions such as surface treatments, coating chemistries, and formulation changes.
• Provide general engineering support across the team as project needs change.

Job description

Boston Materials produces advanced materials with enhanced energy transfer properties using its patented Z-axis Carbon Fiber technology. The Company's products solve critical performance bottlenecks in applications spanning thermal, electrical, and structural use cases. Its breakthrough Liquid Metal ZRT thermal interface material is designed to solve thermal chokepoints that are facing the next generation of AI and HPC silicon. For more information, visit https://www.bomaterials.com/

THE OPPORTUNITY

A career-defining opportunity rarely offersallofthe following:

Direct connection to the mission. Gain a clear understanding of the business and see how your work directly shapes outcomes. With no unnecessary layers, silos, or bureaucracy, every team member contributes meaningfully to the company's success and has the responsibility to drive real impact.

Growth beyond a single role. At Boston Materials, you are not defined by yourpast experienceor limited by a job description. Working alongside leading experts in the field, you will take on new challenges, broaden yourexpertise, develop new capabilities, and take ownership of projects that matter–while contributing to the broader success of the organization.

Work on problems that matter. Help solve some of the most pressing challenges in the Advanced Semiconductor, AI Infrastructure, and Advanced Materials industries. Boston Materials offers a rare combination of purpose, autonomy, and impact. We invite you to join us.

Your Responsibilities

Responsibilities will evolve over the course of the term and are expected to include a mix of the following:

• Partner with technicians, engineers, and PhD-level scientists to design and execute experiments probing fundamental material behavior — wetting and adhesion, surface and interface chemistry, oxide film behavior, coating performance, and thermal transport.
• Prepare and characterize experimental material samples, including liquid metal alloy formulations, protective coatings, and metal–composite laminates.
• Support materials characterization and analysis using techniques such as thermal metrology, microscopy, spectroscopy, and accelerated reliability testing, and help interpret what the results mean for material design.
• Collect, organize, and analyze experimental data to test hypotheses, build structure–property understanding, and support material and formulation decisions.
• Investigate root causes of material-level failure modes — corrosion, dewetting, voiding, interfacial degradation — and evaluate candidate solutions such as surface treatments, coating chemistries, and formulation changes.
• Provide general engineering support across the team as project needs change.

Your Required Skills and Expertise

• Currently pursuing a Bachelor's or advanced degree in Chemical Engineering or Mechanical Engineering.
• A hands‑on disposition and genuine curiosity about why materials behave the way they do — not just whether they pass or fail.
• Comfortable moving between different types of tasks and problems in a fast‑paced, changing environment — a single week may span wet chemistry, sample preparation, characterization, data analysis, and documentation.
• Strong analytical skills and comfort working with data; mastery of Excel is a plus.
• Clear, organized technical writing ability.
• Demonstrated hands‑on experience of any kind — academic labs, personal or maker projects, machining, electronics, coding, or a prior co‑op/internship — is valued.
• Interest or coursework in surface chemistry, thermodynamics, heat transfer, fluid mechanics, corrosion, or metallurgy is a plus, but not required.
• A safety‑conscious, self‑directed, and organized approach to work, including careful handling of chemicals and specialty materials.

What You'll Gain

• Ownership of meaningful work and deep exposure to applied materials science at a growing advanced‑materials company developing next‑generation liquid metal thermal interface materials for electronics cooling.
• Hands‑on experience with a novel materials system at the intersection of metallurgy, surface chemistry, and thermal physics — where the interesting problems live at interfaces, and few of them have textbook answers.
• Experience spanning hypothesis‑driven experimentation, materials characterization, failure analysis, data analysis, and technical documentation.
• The opportunity to see your materials insights translate directly into a real product on a live development line.

$24 - $34 an hour

Boston Materials is an EOE and at the forefront of materials innovation, the key to which is diverse teams with unique backgrounds and experiences. We are committed to employing a diverse workforce with equal employment opportunities regardless of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, marital status, veteran status, or disability.

Applicants must be currently authorized to work in the US on a full-time basis.