Chemistry Intern in Abingdon

Snap Inc is a technology company. We believe the camera presents the greatest opportunity to improve the way people live and communicate. Snap contributes to human progress by empowering people to express themselves, live in the moment, learn about the world, and have fun together. The Company operates Snapchat, a visual messaging app that enhances your relationships with friends, family, and the world, and Specs Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary dedicated to making computing more human, in addition to Bitmoji, Saturn, and other digital services.

Specs feature see-through lenses that place digital objects directly into three-dimensional space, powered by Snap OS, a proprietary, context-aware operating system designed for natural interaction with your hands and voice. Specs Inc. also provides Lens Studio, a full suite of advanced developer tools that powers immersive augmented reality experiences across Specs, Snapchat, and other services.

We’re looking for a chemistry intern to join the Specs team at Snap Inc! This role will focus on synthesising and formulating polymer systems, assessing their chemical, physical, and optical performance, and evaluating their reliability under relevant environmental and use conditions. This is a hands-on internship position designed to provide direct project exposure, close collaboration with a mentor, and practical experience contributing to product development work.

What you’ll do:

• Synthesize, formulate, and prepare polymer materials and related chemical samples for AR applications
• Support experimental work to assess polymer properties, including chemical, thermal, mechanical, and optical performance
• Support laboratory research and development activities across chemistry projects, with a particular focus on experimental execution, data collection, and processing.
• Design and execute screening studies to compare candidate polymers, coatings, additives, or process conditions
• Perform reliability testing on polymer samples, including environmental aging, thermal exposure, humidity exposure, UV exposure, and other stress conditions as relevant
• Collaborate with materials, process, optics, and reliability engineers to improve material selection and performance
• Maintain accurate lab records and follow safe laboratory practices, including chemical handling and risk assessment
• Contribute to continuous improvement of test methods, sample preparation workflows, and lab organization

Knowledge, Skills, & Abilities:

• Strong interest in chemistry, materials development, and experimental lab work
• Interest in synthesis-led lab work, particularly organic or polymer chemistry, is highly valuable for this role.
• Ability to work carefully, methodically, and independently in a laboratory setting
• Strong analytical thinking and attention to detail when comparing materials and interpreting data
• Clear written and verbal communication skills
• Ability to collaborate effectively across technical teams

Minimum Qualifications:

• Currently enrolled in a Chemistry, Polymer Science, Materials Science, Chemical Engineering, or related degree program
• Hands-on laboratory experience with standard synthesis or sample-preparation techniques
• Familiarity with safe lab practices and chemical handling
• Ability to collect, organize, and interpret experimental results
• Availability for an internship or student worker placement aligned with team needs

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience with practical synthesis techniques such as reflux, recrystallisation, distillation, filtration, titration, or related wet-chemistry methods.
• Experience with analytical techniques such as FTIR, UV-vis, nanoindentor, DSA and viscometer.
• Interest in polymers, functional materials, coatings, or reliability testing.
• Experience working in a research or experimental laboratory environment
• Interest in augmented reality devices, advanced materials, or consumer hardware applications

If you have a disability or special need that requires accommodation, please don’t be shy and provide us some information.

Default Together Policy at Snap: At Snap Inc. we believe that being together in person helps us build our culture faster, reinforce our values, and serve our community, customers and partners better through dynamic collaboration. To reflect this, we practice a “default together” approach and expect our team members to work in an office 4+ days per week.

At Snap, we believe that having a team of diverse backgrounds and voices working together will enable us to create innovative products that improve the way people live and communicate. Snap is proud to be an equal opportunity employer, and committed to providing employment opportunities regardless of race, religious creed, color, national origin, ancestry, physical disability, mental disability, medical condition, genetic information, marital status, sex, gender, gender identity, gender expression, pregnancy, childbirth and breastfeeding, age, sexual orientation, military or veteran status, or any other protected classification, in accordance with applicable federal, state, and local laws. EOE, including disability/vets.

Our Benefits: Snap Inc. is its own community, so we’ve got your back! We do our best to make sure you and your loved ones have everything you need to be happy and healthy, on your own terms. Our benefits are built around your needs and include paid parental leave, comprehensive medical coverage, emotional and mental health support programs, and compensation packages that let you share in Snap’s long-term success!