Duration: 6 months, full-time (minimum 5 months)

Start date: First half of 2027

Location: Villejuif, Paris area, France (on-site)

The Role

Yama is looking for a Mechanical & Automation R&D Intern to join its R&D team and contribute to the design, construction, and automation of our laboratory-scale experimental setups.

Our R&D activities rely on several experimental systems, including gas-liquid absorption columns and electrochemical regeneration setups. As our technology advances, we aim to upgrade these systems by improving their mechanical design, integrating new equipment, and automating key operations to enable more efficient, reliable, and reproducible experiments.

Working closely with our R&D engineers, you will contribute to the mechanical design, assembly, instrumentation, and automation of experimental skids, from initial engineering design to commissioning and validation.

This internship offers a unique opportunity to work at the intersection of mechanical engineering, process engineering, and automation, with direct hands-on involvement in developing and improving real carbon capture experimental systems.

Your main responsibilities will include:

• Mechanical design and skid development: Design and improve laboratory-scale experimental skids, including equipment layout, mechanical supports, piping connections, and integration of process components.
• Equipment selection and integration: Select, size, procure, and install pumps, valves, tubing, fittings, sensors, and other components based on experimental and process requirements.
• Assembly and commissioning: Build and modify experimental setups, perform mechanical assembly, verify leak-tightness, and support system commissioning.
• Instrumentation and automation: Integrate sensors, actuators, and control systems to enable automated operation of absorption and electrochemical setups.
• Control system development: Develop and implement control logic for liquid flow regulation, automated pump operation, tank filling and draining, and experimental sequences.
• Software and data acquisition: Develop simple control and monitoring interfaces, enabling automated data collection, visualization, and experimental traceability.
• Testing and optimization: Troubleshoot mechanical and automation issues, validate system performance, and propose improvements to enhance reliability, safety, and experimental efficiency.
• Engineering documentation: Prepare and maintain technical drawings, P&IDs, equipment specifications, and operating procedures.

You will primarily focus on upgrading and automating our absorption and electrochemical laboratory setups, with the objective of developing reliable, modular, and reusable experimental systems.

You will work closely with our R&D engineers, with regular interactions with the CTO and other members of the technical team.