About the role#
The Battery Materials team focuses on the design and improvement of battery materials. You will work on encapsulation, thermal and electrical insulation, structural support, and adhesives used to bond and protect battery cells. This role involves the full development cycle, from initial screening and bench-scale formulation to process development and scale-up for manufacturing.
What you'll do#
- Screen and evaluate new materials for battery applications.
- Formulate and test adhesives and encapsulants.
- Develop test protocols and conduct component-level testing, including full battery prototypes.
- Perform safety testing such as flame resistance and electrical isolation.
- Characterize thermal, mechanical, electrical, rheological, and cure kinetics properties.
- Work with raw material suppliers to identify formulation components.
- Conduct material lifetime reliability studies.
- Develop processes to implement material solutions at scale.
What you'll need#
- Current enrollment in a degree program for Chemical Engineering, Materials Science, Chemistry, Polymer Science, Nanotechnology, or a related field.
- Prior experience in a lab R&D environment.
- Practical experience with polymer materials.
- Experience with material characterization techniques.
- Experience with testing or formulating adhesives.
Location & details#
- Location: Palo Alto, California.
- Modality: On-site, 40 hours per week.
- Terms: Winter 2027 or Summer 2027.
- Status: Paid, full-time internship.
About Tesla
Tesla produces electric vehicles, battery storage systems, and solar energy products. Founded in 2003, the company operates six vertically integrated factories across three continents. It is headquartered in Austin, Texas, and employs over 10,000 people. The organization designs, manufactures, sells, and services its products internally.
How to get in at Tesla
Applying early at Tesla provides a distinct advantage because recruiters review candidates before the applicant pool becomes unmanageable. Intern Insider sends an instant alert the moment a role matching your target is published anywhere, so you apply among the first and get seen before the pile grows. Reaching out to the right people often yields better results than submitting to a general queue. Intern Insider surfaces the recruiters behind the company roles so you can contact them directly to ask about the position or a referral, which materially improves your response rates.



