Research Intern Jobs in Virginia

Overview

IperionX is seeking an intellectually curious and hands-on summer intern to support cutting-edge research of powder-based manufacturing of titanium components. You’ll work directly with senior engineering staff and others to produce, collect, and analyze samples. IperionX is a rapidly growing company seeking to re-shore and re-invent the titanium metal supply chain. This is a paid internship position (hourly rate will depend on experience), where you’ll work directly with senior engineering staff in a fast-paced and exciting research and development (R&D) environment.

Responsibilities will include, but not be limited to:

• Perform high temperature metallurgical processing experiments (heat treatments, sintering, etc.).
• Ensure compliance with relevant regulatory standards and adhere to company policies and procedures, including safe work controls. Foster a positive and effective working environment for all employees, other participants, and collaborative partners.
• Prepare samples for metallurgical characterization (chemistry, microstructure, mechanical properties, etc.) and conduct such characterization as necessary.
• Monitor, troubleshoot, and assist in repairing processing and characterization equipment, as needed, and identify solutions to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the system(s).
• Assist in the design of modifications to improve existing equipment and processes, and/or assist in the design of completely new equipment and processes.
• Keep a detailed record of experimental data and project progress throughout the internship and regularly share challenges and wins with mentor.
• Prepare a presentation and/or project report to share with company leadership during the final week of the internship.
• Ensure compliance with relevant regulatory standards and adhere to company policies and procedures, including safe work controls. Foster a positive and effective working environment for all employees, other participants, and collaborative partners.
• Prepare samples for metallurgical characterization (chemistry, microstructure, mechanical properties, etc.) and conduct such characterization as necessary.
• Monitor, troubleshoot, and assist in repairing processing and characterization equipment, as needed, and identify solutions to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the system(s).
• Assist in the design of modifications to improve existing equipment and processes, and/or assist in the design of completely new equipment and processes.
• Keep a detailed record of experimental data and project progress throughout the internship and regularly share challenges and wins with mentor.
• Prepare a presentation and/or project report to share with company leadership during the final week of the internship.
• Ensure compliance with relevant regulatory standards and adhere to company policies and procedures, including safe work controls. Foster a positive and effective working environment for all employees, other participants, and collaborative partners.

Requirements and Qualifications

• Currently pursuing a degree in Materials Science & Engineering, Metallurgical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Chemical Engineering, or related engineering fields from an ABET accredited program.
• Ability to use Microsoft Office (Excel, Word, PowerPoint) for the collection, organization, analysis, and communication of experimental results and data.
• Strong attention to detail and documentation habits.
• Ability to work in a high-temperature metallurgical processing environment with potentially hazardous equipment and materials and understand requisite safety protocols.
• Ability to regularly lift up to 25 lbs.
• Experience in computer-aided design and modeling (e.g., SolidWorks, Fusion 360, etc.) via professional experience, coursework, or hobby preferred.
• Experience in Python and relevant libraries for data analysis and visualization (NumPy, SciPy, pandas, Matplotlib, etc.) is a plus.

What You’ll Learn:

• Real-world application of metallurgical processing and characterization.
• How to translate business problems into technical solutions.
• How research and development (R&D) informs/improves industrial processes and vice versa.

Duration & Commitment:

• Summer 2027
• Full-time: 40 hours per week
• Location: On-site at South Boston, VA facility

About IperionX

Titanium metal is prized for its strength, light weight, and corrosion resistance. These properties are ideal for applications in the aerospace, defense, medical, automotive and consumer electronics industries. Titanium’s problem is its high cost. The standard way to produce titanium metal, the Kroll process, was invented over 70 years ago, is complex, energy intensive, and expensive. IperionX has revolutionary technology to produce titanium metal at significantly lower energy, cost and carbon emissions. Our goal is to fundamentally transform the titanium industry. We are currently scaling production at our Virginia Titanium Manufacturing Campus, comprising the Titanium Production Facility and the Advanced Manufacturing Center. Additional information about IperionX can be found on our corporate website (www.iperionx.com).

IperionX is an equal opportunity employer. We strive to ensure equal opportunity for all applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, veteran status, or other legally protected characteristics.

This role requires access to U.S. export-controlled information subject to the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) and/or the Export Administration Regulations (EAR). To meet export control compliance requirements, applicants must be a “U.S. Person” as defined by 22 C.F.R. §120.15 (including a U.S. citizen or national, lawful permanent resident/green card holder, or a protected individual such as an asylee or refugee).

Pursuant to 41 U.S.C. § 701, IperionX maintains and mandates a zero-tolerance drug free workplace. All applicants are subject to urinalysis drug screening upon receipt of an offer and must successfully pass before beginning work with IperionX.

Please note that the salary range listed above is a general guideline. Salaries will depend on the candidate’s experience, qualifications, and market and business factors.

Prior to employment, IperionX will conduct applicable background checks, pre-employment drug screening, and any required physical testing.

Pay: $18.00 - $26.00 per hour

Application Question(s):

• REQUIRED QUESTION:

Are you currently subject to any agreement (e.g., non-compete, non-solicitation, confidentiality, or other restriction) that may limit your ability to perform the role for which you are applying?
(Yes / No)

• REQUIRED QUESTION:

I agree that I will not disclose or use, during the application and interview process or if employed by IperionX, any confidential or proprietary information of any current or former employer or other third party.
Please copy and paste the appropriate response:
Yes, I agree. OR
No, I do not agree and I understand that not agreeing to this requirement withdraws me from consideration for this role.

• REQUIRED QUESTION:

Will you now, or in the future, require employer sponsorship for employment authorization (for example, an H-1B or similar visa/work permit) to work in the United States?
(Yes / No)

• REQUIRED QUESTION:

Export Control regulations require certain IperionX roles to be filled by “U.S. Persons” as defined by 22 C.F.R. §120.15 (including a U.S. citizen or national, lawful permanent resident/green card holder, or a protected individual such as an asylee or refugee). Do you currently meet this requirement?
(Yes / No)

• REQUIRED QUESTION:

Are you currently, or have you ever been, excluded, debarred, suspended, or otherwise declared ineligible by any United States federal department/agency or from any United States federal procurement program?
(Yes / No)

• REQUIRED QUESTION:

Terms and Conditions:
All application information must be truthful, accurate, and complete; false or incomplete details may result in disqualification or termination.

IperionX may require background checks or other job-related screenings (e.g., criminal history, employment/education verification, drug or physical testing) in accordance with applicable law. Additional details will be provided as needed.
Employment is at-will where permitted by law, meaning either you or IperionX may end employment at any time, with or without cause or notice, unless stated in a signed agreement.

If hired, you agree to follow company policies, including export control and information security requirements, and may need to sign confidentiality or proprietary information agreements.

Type “Yes” to confirm you have read, understand, and agree to these terms.

• Are you interested in Spring 2027 co-op or summer 2027 internship?

Education:

• High school or equivalent (Required)

Ability to Commute:

• South Boston, VA 24592 (Required)

Work Location: In person