Chemical & Process Engineering Summer Intern – R&D

Join Genera's multidisciplinary Science & Innovation team for a 10-week summer internship working on a genuine engineering R&D project.

The successful student will contribute to the development and validation of an early-stage process technology being developed internally by Genera. The project has progressed to prototype stage and now requires a structured chemical and process engineering approach to better understand its performance, resolve key technical uncertainties and progress the concept toward a functional, documented and experimentally validated system.

This is a practical R&D role where your calculations, analysis and recommendations will be applied to physical equipment. You will work alongside our research, engineering, fabrication and plant teams and gain exposure to the full development process from engineering fundamentals and design through to prototype modification, commissioning and experimental testing.

The project involves a range of chemical and process engineering challenges including fluid handling, pressure reduction, phase behavior, controlled liquid dosing, heat transfer, vaporization, flow control, instrumentation, process control and process safety.

Further details of the technology and its intended application will be discussed with shortlisted candidates.

Key responsibilities

Your work is expected to include:

• Review and document the existing prototype and identify current performance limitations.
• Help establish the process design basis, operating range and measurable performance requirements.
• Complete mass and energy balances, flow calculations and heat-duty assessments.
• Investigate pressure reduction, phase behavior, heat transfer and vaporization requirements.
• Contribute to process flow diagrams, P&IDs, operating sequences and equipment specifications.
• Research and evaluate pumps, regulators, valves, heaters, instrumentation and control options.
• Assist with process hazard and design reviews.
• Help develop commissioning plans and experimental validation methods.
• Participate in supervised prototype modifications, commissioning and controlled trials.
• Collect and analyze operating data to assess system accuracy, stability and repeatability.
• Use experimental results to identify opportunities for further improvement.
• Prepare engineering documentation and a final technical report with recommendations for the next stage of development.

This is genuine R&D, so not all of the answers are known at the outset. A key part of the project will be applying engineering fundamentals, testing assumptions and using experimental evidence to determine the best way forward.

About you

We are looking for a student studying toward a Bachelor of Engineering in Chemical and Process Engineering, or a closely related discipline.

Ideally, you will have progressed far enough through your studies to begin applying fundamentals in areas such as thermodynamics, fluid mechanics, heat transfer and process design.

You will be well suited to the role if you:

• Are interested in practical engineering, prototype development and experimental work.
• Enjoy understanding how processes and equipment actually behave.
• Can approach an open-ended technical problem in a structured way.
• Are confident using calculations and data to support engineering decisions.
• Are curious and willing to investigate why something is not performing as expected.
• Communicate clearly and work well with people from different technical backgrounds.
• Are safety-conscious, organised and comfortable asking questions.
• Are comfortable moving between office, laboratory, workshop and operational environments.

Experience with Excel, CAD, PFDs or P&IDs, process simulation, instrumentation, data analysis or practical engineering projects would be useful but is not essential.

We are not expecting an undergraduate student to arrive knowing everything. Strong engineering fundamentals, curiosity, initiative and a willingness to learn are more important.

About us

Genera is a New Zealand-owned biosecurity services company with a strong focus on developing practical science and engineering solutions for the primary industries.

Our Science & Innovation team brings together research, chemical analysis, process engineering, fabrication and plant operations to develop new treatment technologies and improve the performance and environmental outcomes of existing biosecurity processes.

As part of a relatively small multidisciplinary R&D team, you will work directly with the people designing, building, testing and operating our technologies. This provides an opportunity to see engineering work progress from calculations and design through to physical equipment and real-world testing.

The internship is a full-time, 10-week summer placement based in Mount Maunganui, supported by the MBIE R&D Experience Grant.