Internship Computational Chemistry

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Date: May 25, 2023

Location: Sassenheim, NL

Company: AkzoNobel

We’ve been pioneering a world of possibilities to bring surfaces to life for well over 200 years. As experts in making coatings, there’s a good chance you’re only ever a few meters away from one of our products. Our world class portfolio of brands – including Dulux, International, Sikkens and Interpon – is trusted by customers around the globe. We’re active in more than 150 countries and have set our sights on becoming the global industry leader. It’s what you’d expect from the most sustainable paints company, which has been inventing the future for more than two centuries.

Purpose of the internship

We are looking for a student who is interested in a 9-12 month internship within AkzoNobel R&D Innovation.

 

Description of placement assignment

 

You will join as a Computational Chemistry trainee the R&D Surface Innovation and Analytics team of
AkzoNobel at Sassenheim (NL) and work to develop professional expertise in novel quantum chemical
methods for corrosion inhibitor studies. This project is in close collaboration with senior researchers in
the Expertise Group Corrosion and you will also be trained to use state-of-the-art molecular dynamics
and machine learning methods.

 

Technical background: Coatings play a critical role in asset protection by preventing corrosion. Coatings act as a reservoir of corrosion inhibitors that can be released when a coating is damaged. The inhibitor molecules leach out of the coating and bind to the metal-oxide substrate to prevent localized corrosion.Presently, the discovery of new inhibitor molecules relies predominantly on statistical experimental designs and trial-and-error approaches. With this new project, we focus on computerized screening to accellerate the exploration of new inhibitors. The end goal is that the simulations contribute towards the development of new sustainable corrosion inhibitors.

 

Placement duration : 9-12 months
Start date : flexible (June or September 2023)

What do you bring?

 

Education and knowledge

 

  • Background in chemistry, physics, material science, or a related field.
  • Good understanding of computational chemistry methods and general chemistry knowledge.t
  • Familiarity with Unix systems and scripting languages (Bash, Python or similar)

 

Personal qualities

 

  • Proactive and persistent self-starter.
  • Good communicator who can communicate on different levels within an organization.
  • Strong hands-on mentality and a high level of curiosity.
  • Ability to work both in a team and independently.
  • Organizational skills and creativity to deal with practical problems.
  • Strong drive to deliver.

 

Language skills

 

  • Good written and spoken skills in English.

 

Other

 

  • EU based and must have a valid work permit in the EU.
  • Registered student
  • Will be working in the Global R&D Innovation Centre at Sassenheim, Netherlands.

What do we offer?

AkzoNobel is consistently rated as one of the top employers in The Netherlands. You will join a company that is committed to achieving real sustainability. At a personal level you will also benefit from:

 

  • Monthly full-time allowance, plus travel work-from-home expenses 
  • Work experience in an international company
  • Various training opportunities to improve your hard and soft skills in the workspace
  • Successful interns will be considered for positions within AkzoNobel

 

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age or disability.

Requisition ID: 29603