Thermal & CFD Engineering Intern - Summer 2026

Joby Aviation Inc; California; On-site; USD 30,307 - 42,705; Full time

Job summary

Joby Aviation is seeking a Thermal Engineering Intern for Summer 2026 to join the Powertrain team in California. The intern will support design verification and optimization of aircraft components from a thermal perspective and gain hands-on experience in Computational Fluid Dynamics modeling.

With strong foundations in thermodynamics and aerodynamics, successful candidates will collaborate with engineering teams and manage multiple projects effectively. This role offers competitive pay ranging from $22 to $31 per hour.

Qualifications

• Heading into junior or senior year of undergraduate degree or above.
• Strong fundamentals in thermodynamics and aerodynamics.
• Self-starter who can effectively balance multiple project timelines & priorities.

Responsibilities

• Employ first principles thinking to solve complex engineering problems.
• Characterize component & system level thermal performance via analysis.
• Collaborate with stakeholders to capture metrics and employ appropriate modeling techniques.

Skills

Thermodynamics

Aerodynamics

CFD analysis

Scripting (Python/Java/Matlab)

Education

Undergraduate degree in engineering

Tools

STAR-CCM+

OpenFOAM

Ansys

Job description

Thermal Engineering Intern - Summer 2026 job at Joby Aviation. California. Imagine a piloted air taxi that takes off vertically, then quietly carries you and your fellow passengers over the congested city streets below, enabling you to spend more time with the people and places that matter most. Since 2009, our team has worked steadily to make this dream a reality. We’ve designed and tested many generations of prototype aircraft capable of serving in a network of electric air taxis. We’re looking for talented, committed individuals to join our team as we push onward toward certifying the Joby aircraft, scaling our manufacturing, and launching our initial commercial service. Overview Joby Aviation is seeking a passionate engineering intern to join our Powertrain team onsite in San Carlos, CA. The individual will support design verification & optimization of various components & subsystems from a thermal perspective. They will have hands-on exposure to building reduced order heat transfer models & Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) models supporting the Joby S4 aircraft. This role would contribute to aero/thermal aspects across various teams ranging from Battery, to Powertrain, and Environmental Control System (ECS). Responsibilities

• Employ first principles thinking to solve complex engineering problems
• Characterize component & system level thermal performance via analysis and interpret results for stakeholders
• Collaborate with stakeholders to capture metrics of interest & employ appropriate modeling techniques
• Support test procedures and instrumentation definition for model correlation & design verification
• Develop large scale CFD models by simplifying complex geometries using STAR-CCM+

Required

• Heading into junior or senior year of undergraduate degree or above
• Available Summer 2026
• Strong fundamentals in thermodynamics and aerodynamics
• Familiarity with CFD analysis toolkits such as STAR-CCM, OpenFOAM, Ansys, etc. Or comprehension of finite difference/element techniques and turbulence models.
• Self-starter who can effectively balance multiple project timelines & priorities
• Postgraduate candidate with relevant thermofluids coursework or experience

Desired

• Exposure to component or vehicle level instrumentation, testing, & analysis
• Skilled in lumped capacitance modeling and transient heat transfer analysis
• Scripting knowledge (Python/Java/Matlab) for simulation automation and data analysis
• Multiphase flow or vapor compression cycle experience

Additional Information Relocation Assistance: This position does not offer relocation assistance. Candidates must live in the immediate area or relocate at their own expense. The pay range for undergraduate interns, which includes freshman to senior level students, is $22-$31/hr. The pay range for graduate interns with a Bachelor, Master, and/or Ph.D. degree is $5,550-$7,800/month. Individual pay is determined by internship role, department, experience, job-related skills, and level of education. Joby is an Equal Opportunity Employer.