PhD Internships
Internships can prove pivotal in defining career steps post PhD and build relationships that lead to future employment. The Faraday Institution works with a wide range of partners to offer three-month internships to PhD researchers based at UK universities who are working on energy storage.
I have thoroughly enjoyed the internship with WAE. It has been the highlight of my PhD, and it would never have happened without the careers event that the Faraday Institution organised or all the work the team have done for the cohort over the years.”
Jacob Dean, Data Scientist at WAE and former Faraday Institution PhD researcher
Aims of the PhD Internship programme:
- further career development aims
- increase knowledge, skills and aspirations
- give clarity about next career steps
- provide insight of a different setting or work environment
- strengthen professional networks
- apply skills in a different context
An internship may enable:
- access to equipment or facility that would otherwise not be available
- the opportunity to work with an industry partner
- collaboration with a different academic group or institution
- exploration of a different related area such as supply chain or economic forecasting relating to batteries
- experience of policy making
Benefits to the internship provider:
- work with an experienced PhD researcher with expertise in an aspect of energy storage
- potential to secure future talent for the business, institution, or organisation
Funding options:
- PhD researcher to continue receiving their stipend (with supervisor permission) and therefore only seek reimbursement of any travel and accommodation costs from the internship provider
- PhD researcher to apply for an interruption to studies from their university and undertake a paid internship position
Read about how PhD internships are equipping researchers for career success
Faraday Institution PhD Internship Scheme
| Company / organisation | Summary | Contact | Eligibility |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jaguar Land Rover | The internship will be dealing with battery materials characterisation. The student will have access to the Advanced Battery Materials Laboratory after attending the laboratory induction. This laboratory is designed to carry out forensic characterisation of battery materials and is equipped with gloveboxes for the cell disassembly and samples preparation in inert atmosphere, FIB-SEM, BBIM, XRD, XPS, FT-IR and Raman. For all these instruments, air-less transfer is available. We also have capabilities in terms of ICP-OES, HPLC, GC/MS and DSC analysis. The student will be mentored by one of our team members and will be supported by one of the engineers working on the instruments in Lyons Park. The primary outcome for us is to develop reliable procedures to analyse different types of materials (electrodes, electrolytes, separators). Gathering knowledge on both pristine and aged materials is important to us. To make sure that the student(s) will be able to publish their results and potentially write a chapter in their thesis about this internship, I would recommend using their own materials. We can provide materials as well, but for confidentiality reasons, the student(s) will not be able to disclose any information regarding these. Serena Gallanti, Lead Cell Engineer, Meltiani Belekoukia, Lead Engineer – Battery Cell R&D and Katerina Gonos – Lead Battery Cell Developer. Faraday Institution PhD researchers only | Serena Gallanti, Lead Cell Engineer, Meltiani Belekoukia, Lead Engineer – Battery Cell R&D and Katerina Gonos – Lead Battery Cell Developer. | Faraday Institution PhD researchers only |
| CPI | CPI acts as a catalyst bringing together academia, businesses, government and investors to translate bright ideas and research into the marketplace. We do this by giving our customers access to the right experts, equipment, networks, funding and more – connecting the dots for effective innovation. We are a leading independent technology innovation centre and a founding member of the UK Government’s High Value Manufacturing Catapult. Established in 2004, our teams tirelessly apply their many years of experience to ensure that every great invention gets the best opportunity to become a successfully marketed product or process. We work with our partners across diverse markets in the UK and around the world, driving their innovations forward and helping them to reduce the risk and cost associated with product development. We have various sites across the North-East UK and Scotland, including the National Formulation Centre at Netpark, Sedgefield, where there are current opportunities for placements. Areas of work within CPI relevant to batteries: CPI has a broad spectrum of work in the battery field that covers materials understanding, formulation and coating, sensor development, engineering and scale up. Our capability is chemistry agnostic and previous projects have ranged from development of conventional lithium ion to sodium ion, solid state, lithium sulfur. CPI have specific expertise in high throughput formulation to rapidly optimise a formulation system, coupled with digital approaches to smart experimentation, moving through to scale up of processing to support customers on commercialisation of battery technologies. General skillsets required for a placement at CPI: Hands on lab experience, knowledge of chemical hazards and safety. Ideally some practical knowledge of aspects of battery production whether materials synthesis, formulation, coating, battery testing; digital skills e.g., design of experiments, coding/sensor design. General desire to support UK companies to develop innovative products and innovative thinking would be beneficial | Keri Goodwin, Chief Technologist in batteries for CPI | UK based energy storage PhD researchers |
| WAE | Internships at WAE are quite different to internships at cell companies or materials companies. We offer fast-paced internships in the areas of battery performance modelling, battery safety and testing, and battery algorithms and analytics. While internships at WAE are likely to be quite applied at the battery systems level, prior experience in battery systems and battery integration isn’t necessary. We are looking for analytical thinkers, who can apply their transferable skills in data analysis and data science to a new problem. Experience coding in MATLAB/Simulink and/or Python is desirable, as is experience in physics-based electrothermal and degradation modelling. There are also opportunities for those looking for a more practical placement in cell testing, half-cell testing and battery modelling. Tim Engstrom, Manager Advanced Battery Technologies UK based energy storage PhD researchers | Tim Engstrom, Manager Advanced Battery Technologies | UK based energy storage PhD researchers |
| About:Energy | About:Energy is an advanced battery cell modelling and software company, making use of IP to acquire high-precision data from lithium-ion batteries. This data drives our development of top-tier simulation models. Our goal is to boost the pace of electrification by harnessing the power of simulation tools to cut down prototype development costs significantly. At About:Energy, we offer a unique opportunity for a PhD researcher to be at the forefront of battery technology innovation. We're looking for individuals who possess a deep understanding of lithium-ion battery chemistry/physics, and battery modelling (cell and pack level). You will gain hands-on experience in the application of state-of-the-art simulation models that are shaping the future of electrification. We value analytical thinking, being customer-driven, and pushing the boundaries of conventional battery research. Joining our team will provide you with exposure to industry-leading practices and the chance to make contributions in the electrification sector. | Kieran O’Regan, Co-founder/COO | |
| Brill Power | Here is an example of the type of internship opportunity that might be available at Brill Power. Degradation diagnostics and lifetime prediction Brill power is looking for an enthusiastic battery degradation intern. You should understand what battery degradation is, what causes it and how it affects battery behaviour. You must have experience with at least one approach to simulate or estimate degradation (empirical, physics-based, machine-learning or others). Interaction with lab- or real-life data is desirable. You should be comfortable with Matlab and knowledge of Python or cloud-based computing is a plus. In this internship you will help to expand Brill Power’s offering of degradation diagnostics and lifetime prediction tools. We use a combination of empirical, physics-based and ML-approaches to analyse real-life battery data. You will help designing new tools to give insight into the health of the battery. Depending on your skillset these tools can exploit one approach or capture synergies between approaches. Initially these tools can be based on idealized data (synthetic data or lab data). Once basic tools are developed, a key part of the internship will be to apply them to real-life data, where data is inaccurate and incomplete and utilisation is intermittent. You should tailor data pre-processing for your tool and adding robustness features to assess performance of your tools with real-life battery data | jobs@brillpower.com | UK based energy storage PhD researchers |
| Sention Technologies | Location: The Bagel Factory, Hackney Wick, East London Sention is making waves in the battery diagnostic world with our innovative technology and commitment to people and planet first. We're turning data from our novel battery diagnostic technology into actionable insights to make batteries cheaper, safer, and better. We're doing it all from our headquarters at The Bagel Factory in Hackney Wick. About the Role:
We are an equal opportunity employer and welcome applicants from all backgrounds to apply. If you are passionate about making a difference in the world and working in a dynamic and innovative environment, we would love to hear from you! | Francis Prime, CEO / CTO and Maria Apostolopoulou Senior Data Scientist. | UK based energy storage PhD researchers |
| Gaussion | We have four key divisions: Electronics 3D printing Battery testing Magnetics Interns can rotate between some/all divisions or devote all of their time to a single area. | Tom Heenan | UK based energy storage PhD researchers |
| Prosemino and its startups | We are looking for PhD researchers working in electrochemistry with a passion for energy and decarbonisation. Entrepreneurial or industry experience is beneficial but not essential. Prosemino is a venture builder company that supports very early-stage startups in the electrochemical space, from their initial concepts through to their seed fundraising round. Interns work to support the Prosemino team in developing the startup companies in the programme. The support covers every and any aspect of a new startup, such as assistance with lab-based research, conducting market research and designing commercialisation strategies. As the process of venture building involves both investment in and development of companies, interns would have the unique opportunity to experience working both within a startup and investment environment. As well as positions within Prosemino itself, positions are available within the startups being built by Prosemino. Applicants will need the:
Requirements
| Dr Gyen Ming Angel General Manager of Prosemino | UK based energy storage PhD researchers |
| Company / organisation | Summary | Contact | Eligibibilty |
|---|---|---|---|
| WMG / University of Warwick |
| Louis Piper and Mel Loveridge | UK based energy storage PhD researchers (Note – agreements with non-UK researchers e.g. visiting Fellowships via FCDO programmes are eligible) |
| Company / organisation | Summary | Contact | Eligibility |
|---|---|---|---|
| Benchmark Mineral Intelligence | Benchmark offers a variety of internships each year across its forecasting, pricing and sustainability teams on lithium-ion and next-generation battery supply chains. Benchmark internships are designed to give researchers experience of global battery markets and their fundamentals – including market dynamics around supply, demand, pricing, sustainability and raw material requirements. In turn, researchers will get to apply their technical understanding of these supply chains to a focused project that will contribute to Benchmark’s rigorous market models and databases. More about Benchmark: Benchmark Mineral Intelligence was formed in 2014 by a new generation of industry experts who strived for a robust, independent way of collecting market sensitive information. We specialise in assessing market prices, supply chain data, forecasting and strategic advisory for the technologies and supply chains central to the energy transition. Our unique supply chain approach gives us unrivalled insight into the opaque worlds of lithium-ion batteries, electric vehicles, energy storage, and rare earth permanent magnets. Benchmark’s influence extends beyond the active industry into the highest level of political and financial spheres. | Forecasting: Jessica Roberts Price & Data: Daniel Fletcher-Manuel Sustainability: Charlotte Selvey-Miller Please contact careers@benchmarkminerals.com including a copy of your CV and area of interest | UK based energy storage PhD researchers |
| Exawatt | Our focus is on highly detailed manufacturing cost forecasting in several areas related to decarbonisation through electrification, including lithium-ion batteries and other forms of energy storage, and we have established a world-leading position in this area. We are proud of our diverse, interdisciplinary team based at our offices in Sheffield, and welcome applications from interested candidates. We have supported a number of Faraday Institution internships for PhD researchers and undergraduate students in the past. | Simon Price, Exawatt CEO and Karan Saraf | UK based energy storage PhD researchers |
| Rho Motion | Rho Motion is offering a number of internships to work with them on their ongoing research tasks. As a company they provide business and market intelligence on the electric vehicle and battery supply chain, vehicle charging and supporting infrastructure for several high profile and international clients. You can read more about their products and company here www.rhomotion.com. They are looking for post-graduate interns who can work either remotely or from our office in London Bridge, SE1. Guidance will be provided but it is essential that candidates have the initiative and discipline to work independently. Candidates from all academic backgrounds will be considered, however the work is analytical and requires strong written and numerical ability; proficiency in Excel and Powerpoint is also preferred. Specific projects to be undertaken are:
How to apply and what to expect:
Headquartered in London, our team has expertise in vehicle markets and economics, the battery supply chain and its raw materials, as well as the impact of government legislation on OEM technology choices.” | careers@rhomotion.com | UK based energy storage PhD researchers |
| POST internships | The Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology (POST) Policy Internships Scheme allows candidates from the research councils of UK Research and Innovation to get invaluable policy experience, with an organisation of their choice. If POST is your first host choice and you’d like the opportunity to contribute to one of our POSTnotes, please make that clear in your application. While fellows typically help us with the production of a POSTnote or POSTbrief, this unique opportunity to view the epicentre of policy-making from the inside may also include a secondment to a select committee or to the House of Commons or House of Lords Libraries. Fellows at POST will have the opportunity to produce their own POSTnote from start to finish. This includes scoping the topic, conducting interviews with senior stakeholders from across academia, government, industry and the not-for-profit sector, drafting and editing. By the end of their time at POST, our fellows will have learned how to write for policy-makers with balance, impartiality and succinctness. They will also have developed a unique understanding of Westminster, forged important relationships with key stakeholders, and delved into a novel and exciting topic of research. | NERC Research Careers Team | Doctoral students funded by the Research Councils of UK Research and Innovation |
| Green Jobs Foundation | The Green Jobs Foundation is a newly formed not-for-profit organisation currently becoming a charity. Our purpose is to mitigate employment risk attached to climate change by raising awareness of and access to green jobs. This risk is real and is going to fundamentally change the way people access employment. For example: by 2030 6% of the UK workforce will be in a green job, increasing to 20% by 2050 representing 2 million and 6.3 million respectively. Behind these figures are more sobering numbers where equalling numbers of people will lose their jobs due to obsolescence. A key concept in the climate change debate is the ‘just transition’ and making sure no one is left behind. Combining this thinking, the Green Jobs Foundation is working with businesses and universities to ensure job seekers are equipped for the future. Please note our website is currently under construction. The founder of the organisation is Joanna Bonnett and you will have the opportunity to work with her, other Foundation staff as well as several large businesses involved in the Foundation during your placement. What you would do: With guidance, help build an independent monitoring tool for green jobs being advertised vs traditional roles (i.e., renewable wind engineer vs oil engineer). This will include data sampling and testing for accuracy. You will be able to do a market gap analysis and establish missing ‘data’ from current reporting. You will have the opportunity to write a blog that will be published on our LinkedIn page, write an independent report on your work, and input data into forthcoming publications. Please note we have several intern placements available this year, and each of the roles will have a slightly different focus. How would your contribution form part of a bigger picture: Option 1 You will be working at the intersection of climate change and people alongside big businesses. The work you will undertake will form the foundations of white papers issued to the government. Your research will help answer big questions such as how many jobs have we lost/gained due to climate change. Importantly your insights will help inform how to attract diverse talent into STEM. Option 2 With guidance, help build a knowledge bank for the Green Jobs Foundation on school leavers and university graduates on career aspirations vs climate change risk. This research placement will require you to manage a large-scale survey, conduct interviews and undertake market gap analysis. You will learn how to write a theory of change model and provide insights on how to attract diverse talent into STEM. You will also have the opportunity to write a blog that will be published on our LinkedIn page, write an independent report on your work, and input data into forthcoming publications. Option 3 With guidance, help map the current global regulatory landscape on climate change reporting focusing on people and employment. Once mapped you will recommend guiding principles for further research and help build an independent framework just transition reporting. This research placement will require you to conduct interviews and undertake market gap analysis. You will have the opportunity to write a blog that will be published on our LinkedIn page, write an independent report on your work, and input data into forthcoming publications. Please note we have several intern placements available this year, and each of the roles will have a slightly different focus. What you would learn:
| Joanna Bonnett, Founder | UK based energy storage PhD researchers |
| Energy Revolution Ventures | A venture capital fund focused on early-stage investment in cutting edge revolutionary electrochemical technology, especially related to Hydrogen, Energy Storage, Advanced materials and Carbon Capture.
Requirements
| Marcus Clover, Co-founder | UK based energy storage PhD researchers |
Want to find out more? Able to offer internships? Contact Fran Long, Head of Training and Talent Development and complete an internship provider form.
With thanks to our internship providers to date who include:
