VTT Summer of Changemakers: Research Trainee, Printed Materials Systems

Are you all about science and technology? Would you like to develop your skills and use them to tackle the greatest challenges of our time? VTT might be just the place for you - apply now for VTT Summer of Changemakers 2025 traineeships! 

VTT is one of the leading applied research organisations in Europe. What unites us are curiosity, a passion for learning, and a purpose: to solve the biggest challenges of our time and turn them into sustainable growth and well-being. Our cross-disciplinary community of over 2300 brilliant minds from over 55 different nationalities is focused on creating impact through science-based innovation. Now, we are looking for passionate changemakers - you - to join us as summer trainees.

Our last summer's trainees rated their summer job experience at VTT 4.6/5 in Oikotie's Responsible Summer Job survey. Below are some excerpts from their feedback when asked what was the best part of their summer job:

"Great team, interesting tasks, enough responsibility, and opportunities to make an impact."
"I got to know a lot of professionals from different fields with this summer job. So, networking is the best part."
"Interesting projects, nice and helpful colleagues, work-life balance, and equal treatment with permanent colleagues."

Do you want to be our next Research Trainee in our Printed Materials Systems? 

As a Research Trainee, you will be involved in the research and development of printed electronics. In this position, you will have an essential role in manufacturing and evaluating flexible electronic components, especially perovskite and organic solar cells.

Our team, Printed Materials Systems works on novel materials enabling their use in printed electronics and upscaling the manufacturing of electronic systems with traditional printing techniques. Our focus area are e.g. printed organic and perovskite solar cells, PDMS roll-to-roll processing, battery manufacturing and utilizing sustainable materials in printed electronics.

What would your responsibilities as a research trainee include?

• You will investigate functional material properties with different characterization methods.
• You will explore photovoltaic device performance, including measurements, data processing and reporting of the results.
• You will manufacture and process functional inks for printed electronics.

Who we are looking for?

• You have 3 years or more of studies in Material Science/Physics/Chemistry or related topics as a major
• You have experience in different analysing methods of solar cells (electrical and optical)
• You have experience in chemistry laboratory work.
• You have advanced skills in English.

As a person, we hope that you are:

• A curious mind, eager to get familiar and set your fingerprints in the interesting and multidisciplinary world of printed electronics. We appreciate initiative approach but also willingness to learn over doing. We expect you to have strong collaboration skills, since you will be working as a part of a research team.

The ideal VTT Changemaker is a curious mind, who is eager to develop and take on new challenges. We appreciate ambition and willingness to learn over having all the answers or skills ready when you start. You are also a team player with strong collaboration skills who wants to drive positive impact in the world.

What would we offer you?

• Impactful work for the future. As a leading applied research organisation, we are on a mission to bring exponential hope to the world by joining together people, businesses, science and technology. We tackle the biggest challenges of our time - from climate change and resource sufficiency to industrial renewal and smart healthcare - and turn them into sustainable growth. Read more about our strategy - the path of exponential hope.
• Career opportunities, top-level mentors. At VTT, your skills are appreciated and supported with the opportunity to learn from the top experts in their field. You'll get to discover our community of over 2300 experts representing more than 55 nationalities working across cutting-edge fields of science and technology.
• Meaningful projects, real responsibility. With us, you get to take on meaningful projects and create innovative scientific and technical solutions. We treat all employees as equals and give you real responsibility from the start. VTT is a caring employer that supports your growth and work-life balance and offers a range of well-being services.

What is like to work with us solving the biggest challenges of our time? Check from the video what kind of experiences Aymara, Daniil, Eric and Isabella had from their summer traineeships and what kind of change did they drive.

Apply now and join our community of brilliant minds!

Come, curious minds and clever changemakers! Prepare your CV and cover letter, and send in your application with your transcript of records via our recruitment system as soon as possiblebut at the latest by 2 February 2025. Let's change the world for the better next summer.

All VTT Summer of Changemakers traineeships are paid, and the salary is determined based on study credits: for Master's students the monthly salary is between 2600€ and 2800€, and for Bachelor's students the monthly salary is between 2100€ and 2400€. The typical duration of traineeships is between 3 and 6 months, with start dates usually falling between March and June, however the length and the exact starting date can be discussed with the hiring team. 

Please read more of VTT Summer of Changemakers from here: https://www.vttresearch.com/en/summer-changemakers

Interested and want to hear more?

For further information, please contact Research Team Leader, Mari Ylikunnari, [email protected]. 

We will process applications as they come in, and fill in the position as soon as we find the right candidate. We will inform all applicants about the continuation of the process during February 2025. Most of the interview will be held in February-March, however they can be started already during the application period. 

We look forward to hearing from you!

Apply between 9 January 2025 and 2 February 2025 23:59 (Europe/Helsinki)
Employment type: Full-time, Fixed-term (Summer traineeship)
VTT

VTT is a visionary research, development and innovation partner. We drive sustainable growth and tackle the biggest global challenges of our time and turn them into growth opportunities. We go beyond the obvious to help the society and companies to grow through technological innovations. We have 80 years of experience in cutting-edge research and science-based results. VTT is at the sweet spot where innovation and business come together.

VTT - beyond the obvious.