Chemistry / Chemical Engineering Co-op at Adiabatic Materials – Somerville, Massachusetts

Adiabatic Materials | Somerville, MA

Reinvent chemistry. Decarbonize industry. Electrify the future.

Today, most chemicals are still made with heat from fossil fuels in energy-intensive, polluting processes. Adiabatic Materials has developed a fundamentally new approach: an electrochemical synthesis platform that uses clean electricity instead of heat. The platform grew out of 15 years of Harvard research and has been demonstrated for a broad range of chemicals. Adiabatic recently spun out of Harvard and is scaling its operations in the Boston area.

Why Adiabatic might be great for you

We're a small, early-stage team working on hard, meaningful problems. If you enjoy building real systems and want to see how breakthrough science becomes commercial reality, this could be a great fit.

• Work on real technology. You’ll contribute directly to experiments and systems that are helping build a new electrochemical platform for chemical manufacturing.
• Learn from experienced founders and scientists. You’ll work closely with the founding team and research scientists who are translating 15+ years of Harvard research into a commercial process.
• Hands-on experience. You’ll spend time in the lab building and running experiments, assembling rigs, troubleshooting systems, and analyzing results.
• Startup exposure. You’ll see how a deep-tech startup operates — from technical development and scale-up strategy to customer conversations and product development.
• Meaningful impact. Your work will directly support the development of a technology aimed at making chemical manufacturing cleaner, safer, and more efficient.

The Role

We’re looking for a Chemical Engineering or Chemistry undergraduate student for a ~6-month co-op internship to support the development and scale-up of our electrochemical synthesis platform.

You’ll work closely with our technical team to help run experiments, build and modify lab setups, collect and analyze data, and contribute to the early development of scalable chemical processes.

This is an ideal role for someone proactive and independent who enjoys hands-on lab work, and solving tough engineering and scientific problems.

What You'll Do

• Experimental Support: Assist in running electrochemical and chemical synthesis experiments, preparing reagents, and collecting experimental data.
• Lab & Rig Setup: Help assemble and modify experimental setups, including pumps, tubing, reactors, and electrochemical cells.
• Process Development: Support testing campaigns to evaluate reaction performance, stability, and reproducibility.
• Data Analysis & Documentation: Record results, organize experimental data, and help analyze trends to inform process improvements.
• General Lab Operations: Assist with lab organization, inventory, and safety practices within the Greentown Labs startup ecosystem.

What We're Looking For

Required

• Undergraduate student in Chemical Engineering, Chemistry, or a related field
• Ability to commit to a roughly 6-month co-op internship (Summer to Dec)
• Interest in chemical process development, electrochemistry, or organic synthesis
• Experience working in a chemistry lab environment

Nice to Have:

• Prior lab or research experience
• Familiarity with basic analytical techniques (NMR, GC, HPLC, etc.)
• Experience with fluid systems, pumps, tubing, or small reactors
• Exposure to electrochemistry or flow chemistry

Working Style & Character

• Curious and eager to learn new concepts quickly
• Enjoys building and troubleshooting real systems
• Comfortable working independently in a fast-paced environment
• Detail-oriented and careful in experimental work
• Team player who enjoys collaborating with scientists and engineers

Logistics & Compensation

• Location: In-person (our offices/labs are situated at Greentown Labs in Somerville, MA).
• Time commitment: We will only consider applicants that are available full-time for a 5-6 months co-op.
• Compensation: $25/hr

How to Apply

Please submit your resume and include a few sentences about why you're excited about Adiabatic and how this role aligns with your experience. We personally read every resume and cover letter. This is also an opportunity to highlight experiences that you feel are particularly relevant for the role. This doesn't need to be a formal cover letter; we just want to understand what motivates you.
Please also share your preferred start and end date for the co-op.