PhD R&D Summer Internship: Polymer Recycling & Materials

Proctor & Gamble; Mason (OH); On-site; USD 83,000 - 84,000; Full time

Job summary

Procter & Gamble’s Research & Development internship offers a 12-week PhD program at the Mason Business Center from May to August 2027. It targets PhD students in chemical engineering, polymer or materials science with a focus on polymer processing and materials development.

The role emphasizes hands-on lab work, bench-to-pilot experiments, and collaboration with experienced professionals to advance sustainable packaging and recycling technologies.

Qualifications

• Education: Working towards a PhD in Chemical Engineering, Polymer or Material Science & Engineering or Mechanical Engineering (materials focus).
• In-person internship; Mason Business Center five days a week.
• Ability to work safely and independently while performing routine laboratory tasks and operating chemical reactors.
• Experience in designing and building experimental set ups.
• Ability to design and execute experiments and analyze complex data sets.
• Laboratory quantitative and digital skills for sample characterization.
• Strong understanding of mass transfer, chemical separation, and fluid dynamic principles.
• Experience in process scale up or process engineering.
• Experience with polymer processing or characterization through DSC, TGA, GPC, or rheology is beneficial.
• Knowledgeable about plastic recycling and life cycle analysis.

Responsibilities

• Develop and apply engineering principles to creating new materials/packaging and plastic recycling processes.
• Partner seamlessly to design and execute laboratory-based to pilot-scale experiments, develop technical models and prototypes, and generate critical insights and solutions.
• Demonstrate strong laboratory skills and co-creation mindset for business problem solving to deliver against challenges across multiple categories.
• Design upstream materials through process design.
• Work may include bench-to-pilot experiments to define key material & process parameters, design and development of new and existing test methods to relate polymer composition to mechanical properties, and lifecycle and techno-economic analysis.

Education

PhD in Chemical Engineering, Polymer or Material Science & Engineering or Mechanical Engineering (materials focus)

Job description

Procter & Gamble’s Research & Development internship offers a 12-week PhD program at the Mason Business Center from May to August 2027. It targets PhD students in chemical engineering, polymer or materials science with a focus on polymer processing and materials development.

The role emphasizes hands-on lab work, bench-to-pilot experiments, and collaboration with experienced professionals to advance sustainable packaging and recycling technologies.