IAESTE Internships

Location

Switzerland

Internship type

ON-SITE

Reference number

CH-2026-000244

Students Requirements

General discipline

Chemistry and Chemical Engineering
Material Engineering and Sciences
Physics and Physical Sciences

Completed Years of Study

2

Fields of Study

Languages

English Good (B1, B2)

German Good (B1, B2)

Required Knowledge and Experience

-

Other Requirements

Craftsmanship or hands-on aptitude as well as initiative in developing new ideas will be valuable for the daily research and development as well as testing procedures.

Work Details

Duration

43 - 52 Weeks

Within These Dates

01.03.2026 - 30.06.2027

Holidays

NONE

Work Environment

-

Gross pay

2300 CHF / month

Working Hours

41.0 per week / 8.2 per day

Living Lodging

Type of Accommoditation

Employer

Cost of lodging

850 CHF / month

Cost of living

1650 CHF / month

Work Offered

Additional Info

Any student with Non-EU/EFTA nationality needs an official letter from their university, confirming that the internship is compulsory (required for visa/work permit).

Work description

Empa is a national research laboratory and part of the ETH Domain. We conduct cutting-edge materials and technology research, generating interdisciplinary solutions to major challenges faced by industry, and create the necessary scientific basis to ensure that our society develops in a sustainable manner.The Building Integration Group in Empa's Laboratory for Building Energy Materials and Components strives to create novel solutions for a more sustainable built environment, which is the largest emitter of green-house gases globally. We are working, amongst other topics, on materials for energy efficiency, on the utilisation of more readily available and sustainable raw materials for buildings and on the mitigation and reversal of greenhouse gas emissions. With a young, driven and solution-oriented team, we do so both on the level of basic research and in close collaboration with industry.We offer an internship position for a project on the research, development and upscaling of biochar-based thermal insulation materials as well as the development of other biochar-based materials. The goal is to create biochar from low-value biomass in order to use this biochar in building materials and other applications with the possibility to bring these materials into the soil at the end of the building's lifetime where they can act as a soil enhancer and where the contained carbon is stored for centuries. Thus, CO2 is removed from the atmosphere so that this solution contributes to climate change mitigation.A strong focus will lie on optimising and upscaling materials for the building application, with the planned implementation in an actual building, the Empa building demonstrator NEST (nest.empa.ch), by the end of 2026. The intern will assist in this endeavour together with a highly motivated, relatively young team with backgrounds in building physics, chemistry, material science and pyrolysis. The development will take into account technical and normative requirements, market demands and economic considerations.Different synthesis routes will be explored, adapting and optimising these based on the desired material characteristics such as thermal conductivity, compressive strength, moisture uptake. Samples will be up-scaled and integrated in prototypes of building components of sizes of one to several square metres.Suitable candidates need to have a strong drive to help create a more sustainable future as well as a solid background in chemistry, chemical engineering or material science. Furthermore, an aptitude for craftsman-ship, practical skills and a strong initiative in developing new ideas will be necessary for the daily research and development.

Deadline

11.01.2026