Intern, Chemical Engineer
POSITION PURPOSE:
The purpose of this position is to assist with a variety of chemistry and engineering duties with a focus on supporting the production of biodiesel fuel and related co-products.
ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS:
Technical Support
- Provide technical and engineering support to the biodiesel plants
- Obtain equipment specifications and price quotations for new or replacement equipment as needed
Research Function
- Perform background research on projects using journals and online tools such as SciFinder
Analysis Function
- Perform process engineering and design work on plant improvement projects
- Perform analysis on potential plant process optimizations and lead projects to implement improvements
- Conduct analyses and experiments to identify opportunities for improving or economizing operations without sacrificing product quality
- Recommend changes to improve efficiencies
Laboratory Functions
- Evaluate and ensure safety procedures are being followed in laboratory and plant operations and encourage others to do the same
- Use laboratory equipment and computer systems to set up tests, enter data, design models to simulate physical processes and to process test results
Other frequent duties:
- Maintain laboratory equipment in good working condition
- Interact with various internal departments including sales, finance, logistics, quality and others to provide technical support and knowledge
Perform other duties as assigned
JOB REQUIREMENTS:
- Be available for daily work and overtime as required
- Demonstrate attention to detail
- Ability to use office equipment (computer, copy/fax machine, telephone, postage meter, etc)
- Organize and manage multiple tasks simultaneously and meeting deadlines
- Provide suggestions to offer alternative perspectives to situations
- Maintain a clean and orderly work environment
- Ability to communicate technical information both orally and in writing
- Possess a background in organic chemistry
- A good working knowledge of the processing of and the applications for fats, oils, and petroleum products
- Acquainted with industry standard testing methods (AOCS, ASTM) and quality programs (GLP, ISO 9001, BQ 9000)
- Record results, generate computer reports, and process written records on a timely basis
- Ability to combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions (includes finding a relationship among seemingly unrelated events)
- Ability to choose the right mathematical methods or formulas to solve a problem
- Work independently or with others as a team to complete assigned projects
JOB QUALIFICATIONS:
Education Required: Pursuing a bachelor’s degree – Chemical/Biological Engineering with lab experience required or related degree
**Senior or Junior status required
Experience Required: Laboratory experience required
**Relevant courses, club participation and internship preferred
Skills Required:
Strong verbal and written communication skills
Microsoft Office Suite (Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, Word, Visio)
Basic accounting skills
Advanced math skills
Special skills or knowledge preferred:
Ability to give detailed instructions
Process simulations
Process data historians
Project Management
Biodiesel production or related processes