Engineering Co-op - Fluidics / Consumables (January 2026 Start)

DropletPharma is building microscale devices that will accelerate radiopharmaceutical discovery and production, transforming health outcomes worldwide. As a Fluidics Engineering intern on our team, you will be tasked with taking ownership and implementing core improvements to fluidic systems for our flagship systems. This will be a fully in-person position in Los Angeles, CA (near LAX) for the spring (approximately January to June, with the opportunity to continue until September) with flexible start and end dates.

What you will have ownership over:

• Designing, implementing, testing, and characterizing mechanical, pneumatic, and fluidic subsystems for our radiopharmaceutical production and discovery systems
• Fabricating microscale consumables including plastic manufacturing, assembly and bonding
• Building, assembling, and integrating microfluidic chips into mechanical, pneumatic, electronic, and fluid-handling subsystems within prototype instruments
• Designing and building custom test fixtures, diagnostic tools, and instrumentation to rapidly evaluate chip prototypes and subsystem performance
• Developing and performing QC protocols to evaluate chip yield, bonding strength, channel integrity, dimensional accuracy, and overall manufacturing performance
• Analyzing microfluidic behavior to identify failure modes, optimize geometries, and improve fluidic, pneumatic, and thermal performance
• Conducting chemical compatibility testing on chip materials and fabrication procedures to ensure reliable operation with radiochemical reagents, solvents, acids/bases, and buffers

What we hope to see on your resume:

• Pursuing B.S. degree or higher in Mechanical Engineering, Biomedical Engineering, Chemical Engineering, or similar
• Fabrication and assembly of complex systems (mechanical, electromechanical, fluidic, pneumatic)
• Device design experience using Solidworks or another CAD tool
• Familiarity with real-time control systems for pumps, valves, sensors or other fluidic components
• Experience testing and troubleshooting system operation and performance
• Comfortable with material processing and safe handling of chemicals

Experience that would be great, but not required:

• Hands-on experience with microfluidic chip fabrication, bonding and assembly
• Machine shop or microfabrication facility experience (3D printing, Laser Cutting, CNC Milling, Microfabrication)
• Experience with electronics and microcontrollers
• Working knowledge of design of experiments and statistical analysis tools such as ANOVA, significance analysis, etc.

What we hope to observe about you during our conversation about your work (even one great project/experience can cover all these!):

• Meticulous, logical, fundamental approach across all your work
• Ability to communicate key messages of your work succinctly across written, oral and slide presentations, and have mastery over your work such that you can elaborate deeply when needed
• A demonstrated deep curiosity
• Examples of how you tackled roadblocks and cleared them
• Experience in collaborating across engineering disciplines (e.g., interacting with electrical engineers, software teams, etc. on large projects)
• Demonstrated ability to work in a dynamic environment, adapt to changes and deliver on milestones on tight timelines
• Comfortable working as part of a startup team, taking on outsized responsibility of assigned projects and tasks and demonstrating ability to suggest key improvements - including ones that shape the company’s future
• Something extraordinary you've accomplished and are particularly proud of

DropletPharma aims to provide competitive compensation. We expect this position to be a regular, full-time position, with an hourly rate of $30-40/hour, depending on your experience and education.

Ensuring purpose and belonging at our company:

Cancer and other debilitating diseases don’t discriminate, and neither do we. We prohibit discrimination and harassment of any kind based on race, color, sex, religion, sexual orientation, national origin, disability, genetic information, pregnancy, or any other protected characteristic as outlined by federal, state, or local laws. DropletPharma is committed to providing the best possible environment to ensure that our team members feel valued and have purpose in the work they do.