Materials Engineering Summer Internship | Sway | Emeryville, CA
We are excited to welcome a proactive, goal-focused Materials Engineering Intern to the Sway team for Summer 2026. This internship will focus on accelerating the advancement of biobased compositions, prototypes, and concepts to commercial products, blending problem-solving and creativity to effectively support our R&D and supply chain teams across a variety of projects. This role will contribute to shaping the future of our growing company through their technical expertise and collaborative approach.
Sway fosters a proactive, solutions-oriented work environment where our tight-knit, interdisciplinary team collaborates intensively. Exceptional organization and communication skills are vital, as is attention to detail within a fast-moving startup environment. Ideal candidates are self-starters who excel in dynamic, interdisciplinary environments and bring both independent initiative and a collaborative, team-oriented mindset to their work. Passion for sustainability and a commitment to Sway’s mission to create regenerative, eco-friendly, first-of-their-kind materials are essential.
RESPONSIBILITIES
- Develop, formulate, and characterize novel seaweed biopolymer formulations for thin film packaging systems.
- Design and implement rigorous testing methodologies to evaluate various seaweed biopolymer formulations and leverage findings to drive improvements.
- Analyze material properties to develop evidence-based hypotheses for improving seaweed biopolymer performance, followed by experimental validation of concepts.
- Perform hands-on processing lab, pilot, and production trials across Twin-screw compounding, Blown film extrusion, Cast film extrusion, and other related melt processing techniques.
- Collaborate effectively across multidisciplinary teams spanning technology, manufacturing, business, and marketing to innovate and develop commercial opportunities.
- Effectively communicate data and results through technical written documentation and oral presentations to both internal and external audiences.
- Support scientific team(s) and allocate resources effectively to ensure time project completion.
- Write materials specifications, testing procedures, and Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs).
- Contribute positively to company culture by fostering an innovative work mindset and demonstrating exceptional teamwork capabilities.
- Demonstrate exemplary safety leadership and promote best practices throughout all laboratory and production activities.
