Intern - Autonomous Lab Concept Development for an Electron Microscope

Work Schedule

Standard (Mon-Fri)

Environmental Conditions

Office

Job Description

How you can make a difference to our business?

Join Thermo Fisher Scientific in Eindhoven, where your work will have a global impact. You will collaborate with an ambitious team to develop world-class customer solutions for our Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) portfolio, working within the applications development team and closely with product management, engineering, and R&D.

During this six-month internship, you will develop an autonomous-lab concept for our Phenom XL Desktop SEM. The core assignment is to create an autoloader that can load a sample holder into the electron microscope. This base assignment is designed to stand on its own. If you complete the core work and want to take the concept further, you can choose one or more optional stretch assignments. These can be completed separately or combined, depending on the agreed scope and available time.

You will learn how to understand laboratory workflows and customer application needs, translate them into practical requirements, and communicate a technical concept to a multidisciplinary team. If you are curious about microscopy, automation, and solving challenging technical problems, this internship will help you build on your existing skills and develop new ones.

What will you be doing?

Core assignment

• Learn about the electron microscope workflow, sample handling, and the constraints that matter when loading a sample into the instrument.
• Describe the requirements and workflow for an autoloader concept that can load a sample holder into the electron microscope.
• Develop and document the concept, including its main components, interfaces, assumptions, and important design trade-offs.
• Present your concept and recommendations to colleagues in applications, product management, and R&D.

Optional stretch assignments

After the core assignment is on track, you may take on one or more of these additional topics:

• Competitive analysis and product USPs: research relevant markets and high-growth verticals, compare automation or microscopy solutions, identify customer-facing differentiators and unique selling propositions, and explain where the proposed concept could add value.
• Sample handling and preparation: explore how samples could be prepared, identified, transferred, and presented to the instrument as part of an automated workflow.
• Multimodal techniques: develop a workflow concept that combines SEM with an optical microscope or another complementary technique, including how samples and information could move between steps.
• Electron microscope UI and automated software integration: explore how the autoloader could be configured, started, monitored, and integrated with the electron microscope user interface or a wider automated-lab workflow. Translate user and system needs into functional requirements, map key workflow states and information exchange, and consider notifications, errors, and recovery. Develop interface mock-ups or a software workflow proof of concept, depending on scope and available tools. Document the interfaces, assumptions, and limitations, then present the concept to the project team.

The experience we are looking for

You bring relevant coursework or project experience in at least one area of the assignment. You do not need experience across every area; the optional stretch assignments can be matched to your interests and background.

• Currently enrolled in a Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in mechanical engineering, mechatronics, robotics, electrical engineering, industrial engineering, materials science, physics, computer science, software engineering, or a related field.
• Available for a six-month internship.

Relevant coursework and experience

• Interest in laboratory automation, robotics, scanning electron microscopy, or microscopy workflows. Hands-on SEM experience is useful, but not required.
• Relevant coursework or project experience in software development or scripting, automation software, UI/UX design, human-computer interaction, or system integration is useful for the UI and workflow stretch assignment.
• Relevant coursework or project experience in CAD, mechanical design, robotics, controls, or systems engineering is useful for the autoloader assignment.
• Coursework or experience in sample preparation, materials science, optical microscopy, or market and competitor analysis can support the optional stretch assignments.

Internship details

• Duration: six months.
• Location: Eindhoven, The Netherlands.
• The specific stretch topics and deliverables will be agreed with the intern and supervisor.

Apply today!