Chemist Trainee

Internship Overview

We are looking for a Chemist Trainee who will join our company for a 6 months internship. newcleo's Material & Chemistry (MCX) laboratories generate the experimental data behind materials’ qualification and lead coolant chemistry monitoring and control systems for the design of our lead-cooled fast reactor.
Join a multidisciplinary R&D team developing chemistry technologies. The internship combines electrochemistry, chemical thermodynamics and kinetics, high temperature materials science and elements of reactor engineering through hands-on experimental work.

Work Plan

The candidate will support throughout its period in the company two main subjects of research:
1. Oxygen Chemistry Control in Liquid Lead Systems (50% of time)

• Support studies on the oxygen reduction reaction in liquid lead.
• Contribute to the investigation of the chemical kinetics elements underpinning the chemistry control processes for LFR normal operations.
• Perform electrochemical measurements, analyze experimental data and support technical reporting.
• Develop an understanding of oxygen monitoring and control strategies in liquid metal systems.

2. Lead Retention on Extracted Components (50% of time)

• Investigate lead retention on component surfaces after extraction from liquid lead environments.
• Design and execute immersion/withdrawal campaigns using stagnant lead and representative model geometries.
• Quantify retained lead and identify key influencing parameters.
• Support the interpretation of results relevant to LFR component design.

Qualifications

Education

• Students or recent graduates (M.Sc.) in Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, or related fields.

Experience

• Hands-on lab experience with testing or analytical techniques is highly appreciated.
• Knowledge of scientific data collection, analysis and interpretation.
• Basic knowledge of statistical methods in research context.
• Knowledge of computational fluid dynamics is a plus.

Language Proficiency:

• English (CEFR C1+)
• Italian (CEFR C1+)
• French is a plus