About the role#
As a Physical Metallurgist in the Mechanics, Materials and Process Research Lab, you will work on steel metallurgy for vehicle and manufacturing applications. You will propose research directions, establish technical plans, and lead studies on alloy design, thermo-mechanical processing, heat treatment, and performance validation. Your findings will help translate research into practical solutions for vehicle structures, chassis systems, and safety components.
What you'll do#
- Plan and execute research in physical metallurgy and ferrous materials.
- Develop composition-process-structure-property relationships for advanced steels.
- Investigate phase transformations, recrystallization, precipitation, and damage mechanisms.
- Design and evaluate thermo-mechanical processing strategies like rolling, forging, and press hardening.
- Characterize microstructures using optical, electron, and diffraction methods.
- Evaluate performance characteristics including fatigue, fracture, formability, and corrosion.
- Partner with manufacturing and engineering teams to address production-readiness.
- Connect experimental observations with computational models.
- Document results through technical reports, presentations, and records of invention.
- Mentor other employees and drive collaborations with universities and national laboratories.
What you'll need#
- Current enrollment in an Advanced degree (M.S. or Ph.D.) program in Materials Science, Metallurgical Engineering, Physics, Mechanical Engineering, or a related field.
- Strong foundation in physical metallurgy, phase diagrams, kinetics, and crystallography.
- Experience with ferrous alloys such as advanced high-strength, stainless, or electrical steels.
- Hands-on experience with thermo-mechanical processing and heat treatment.
- Proficiency in metallographic preparation and characterization techniques like SEM, EDS, EBSD, and X-ray diffraction.
- Experience designing and interpreting mechanical or durability testing.
- Ability to connect alloy chemistry and processing conditions to material performance.
- Experience working in multidisciplinary research teams.
- Strong written and verbal communication skills.
- Availability to work full-time (40 hours per week) during the summer.
Location & details#
- Role: Summer 2027 Internship
- Location: Warren, Michigan
- Modality: Hybrid (requires reporting to the office at least three times per week)
- Employment: Full-time, paid
- Note: This position is subject to export control restrictions and requires the candidate to be a U.S. Person. General Motors does not provide immigration-related sponsorship for this role.
About General Motors
General Motors is a public company based in Detroit, Michigan. It operates in the motor vehicle manufacturing industry. The company employs over 106,000 people. Its work spans the design and production of cars, trucks, and transportation technology, including software, electrification, and AI.
How to get in at General Motors
Securing an internship at General Motors requires a proactive approach to the application timeline. Because early applicants are often reviewed before the volume of candidates becomes unmanageable, Intern Insider sends an instant alert the moment a role matching your target is published. This allows you to submit your materials among the first group of applicants. Reaching out to the right person can also change your outcome. Intern Insider surfaces the recruiters behind the company's roles, which lets you contact them directly to ask about the position or a potential referral. This direct connection often improves response rates compared to submitting an application into a general queue.
