Materials Science Internship

Location: Watertown, Massachusetts (on-site) Start date: January 2027 About the Role Pascal develops solid refrigerant technologies for cooling a warming world. We have translated our core technology into a commercial-scale refrigerator prototype. The next phase of development requires continued advances in materials, composites, and processing methods, along with reliable tests that connect material properties to system performance.

Pascal is seeking a Materials Science Intern to support our materials development efforts. Working closely with Pascal’s materials scientists, you will prepare and improve solid refrigerant materials and composites, characterize their properties, and evaluate them in custom test rigs and prototypes. This is a hands-on experimental role. You will help answer current technology-development questions and use the results to decide what to make and test next.

We welcome applications from undergraduate and master’s students at different stages of their training. The scope of the role will reflect the intern’s experience and Pascal’s current technical priorities. We care more about strong scientific fundamentals, curiosity, careful experimentation, and the ability to learn quickly than about prior experience with every technique listed below. What You’ll Do

• Prepare, formulate, and process solid refrigerant materials and composites and help move promising formulations from bench-scale samples to larger batches.

• Plan and run experiments to understand how composition, processing, and structure affect material and system performance.

• Characterize materials and improve screening methods using techniques that may include differential scanning calorimetry, thermogravimetric analysis, sorption and BET surface-area analysis, mechanical testing, optical and scanning electron microscopy, and X-ray diffraction.

• Use Pascal’s custom-built test rigs and prototypes to evaluate transport behavior and cycling performance.

• Collaborate with materials scientists and engineers to improve test stands and procedures, troubleshoot experiments, and help maintain a safe and organized laboratory. What You’ll Bring

• Current enrollment in an undergraduate or master’s degree program in materials science, chemistry, chemical engineering, or a related field.

• Hands-on laboratory experience through coursework, academic research, projects, or a previous internship.

• Strong scientific fundamentals in chemistry, materials science, thermodynamics, or related subjects.

• Curiosity, resourcefulness, and a willingness to learn unfamiliar methods and work through unexpected results.

• Strong communication and documentation skills. Experience with synthetic chemistry, porous materials, composite formulation, materials processing, or data-analysis tools such as Python or MATLAB is helpful but not required. If you are excited about the role but do not meet every qualification, we encourage you to apply. Compensation This is a paid, hourly internship. The expected pay range is $28–$35 per hour, based on level of study and relevant experience. Perks

• Reallllyyyy good coffee. We aren’t saying that we are coffee snobs, but we do joke that our coffee budget is unlimited.

• Discounted Charlie Cards (~30% off the monthly pass) to subsidize your commute.

• Weekly free lunch! On Wednesdays our team has lunch together. The restaurant rotates, but our current favorites include Pepper Sky’s, Five Spices House, and Clover Food Lab.

• Mentorship from an interdisciplinary team. Our team has a diverse array of backgrounds and skillsets (from fuel cells to rockets to impact investing), and we are excited to support your development, no matter the path you choose to follow! Equal Employment Opportunity Pascal is committed to creating an inclusive environment and building a diverse team that reflects the people and communities we hope to serve. Pascal is proud to be an equal opportunity employer.