Summer 2027 Metallurgist Intern

Job Description

As a Physical Metallurgist in the Mechanics, Materials and Process Research Lab at General Motors Research and Development, you will work on steel metallurgy for next-generation vehicle and manufacturing applications. You will propose new research directions, set up technical research plans, and lead collaborative studies covering alloy design, thermo-mechanical processing, heat treatment, microstructure development, characterization, and performance validation.

You will build new insights into how steel composition, processing history, phase transformations, microstructure, mechanical properties, durability, joining behavior, formability, and manufacturability relate to each other. Your work will guide experiments, speed up materials down-selection, and help turn metallurgical research into practical solutions for vehicle structures, closures, chassis systems, safety components, and manufacturing processes. You will document and communicate results through technical reports, external publications, presentations, and invention records.

What You'll Do

• Plan and run collaborative research in physical metallurgy and ferrous materials, creating new knowledge and steel solutions.
• Develop and apply composition, process, structure, and property relationships for advanced steels and steel-based material systems.
• Investigate phase transformations, recrystallization, precipitation, recovery, grain refinement, hardenability, residual stress, and damage mechanisms.
• Design and evaluate thermo-mechanical processing and heat-treatment strategies, including rolling, forging, annealing, quenching, tempering, aging, and press hardening.
• Characterize steel microstructures and defects using optical, electron, diffraction, chemical, thermal, and mechanical methods.
• Evaluate tensile, fatigue, fracture, impact, formability, wear, corrosion, and other performance characteristics as the application requires.
• Work closely with manufacturing and engineering teams on forming, joining, coating, corrosion, dimensional stability, and production-readiness challenges.
• Connect experimental observations with thermodynamic, kinetic, computational, and data-driven models when appropriate.
• Drive internal and external collaborations with GM engineering teams, universities, suppliers, national laboratories, and research partners.
• Stay current on physical metallurgy, advanced high-strength steels, steel processing, characterization, and related disciplines.
• Prepare timely, high-quality technical reports, presentations, publications, and invention disclosures.
• Generate intellectual property to protect new inventions and research results.
• Assist and mentor other employees in reaching project and research goals.

Required Qualifications

• Currently pursuing an Advanced degree (M.S. or Ph.D.) in Materials Science and Engineering, Metallurgical Engineering, Physics, Mechanical Engineering, or a closely related field.
• Must be a current student.
• Strong foundation in physical metallurgy, iron-carbon metallurgy, phase diagrams, phase transformations, kinetics, crystallography, and structure-property relationships.
• Experience with steels such as advanced high-strength steels, ultra-high-strength steels, high-strength low-alloy steels, stainless steels, electrical steels, press-hardening steels, or related ferrous alloys.
• Experience with thermo-mechanical processing and heat treatment, including rolling, forging, annealing, quenching, tempering, aging, or press hardening.
• Experience with metallographic preparation and characterization using optical microscopy, SEM, EDS, EBSD, X-ray diffraction, hardness testing, dilatometry, or related methods.
• Experience designing, running, and interpreting mechanical or durability testing, including tensile, fatigue, fracture, impact, formability, or corrosion testing.
• Ability to connect alloy chemistry, processing conditions, microstructure, and performance using rigorous scientific methods.
• Experience working in multidisciplinary research teams.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills to work effectively with GM internal and external collaborators.
• Able to work full time, 40 hours per week during the summer months.

Preferred Qualifications

• Ph.D. strongly preferred.
• Experience with one or more of the following: advanced high-strength steels, third-generation steels, press-hardening steels, dual-phase steels, martensitic steels, bainitic steels, TRIP steels, TWIP steels, or other emerging steel grades.
• Thermo-mechanical processing, controlled rolling, recrystallization control, precipitation strengthening, transformation control, or grain-size engineering.
• CALPHAD, thermodynamic and kinetic modeling, Integrated Computational Materials Engineering (ICME), finite-element simulation, or process modeling.
• Advanced characterization of crystallographic texture, inclusions, precipitates, retained austenite, martensite, bainite, weld zones, or coating interfaces.
• Steel forming, stamping, roll forming, forging, welding, joining, coating, galvanizing, or additive manufacturing.
• Corrosion, hydrogen effects, fatigue, fracture, crash performance, lightweighting, or durability of steel components.
• Scientific programming, data analysis, machine learning, or materials informatics using Python, MATLAB, C/C++, or similar tools.
• Experience coupling metallurgical predictions with experimental validation and engineering qualification.
• Demonstrated publication record and/or intellectual property generation.
• Experience turning metallurgical insights into applied engineering, manufacturing, or production solutions.
• Knowledge of design-for-manufacturing, steel sustainability, recycled content, critical-materials considerations, or life-cycle performance.

GM does not provide immigration-related sponsorship for this role. Do not apply if you will need GM immigration sponsorship now or in the future, including direct company sponsorship, GM as the immigration employer of record on a government form, or any work authorization requiring a written submission or other immigration support from the company (e.g., H1-B, OPT, STEM OPT, CPT, TN, J-1, etc).

The position is subject to export control restrictions and requires the successful candidate to be a U.S. Person (U.S. citizen, U.S. permanent resident, asylee or refugee).

Work Arrangement

Hybrid: This role is hybrid. The successful candidate is expected to report to Warren, MI three times per week, at minimum (or other frequency dictated by the business).

GM will provide a one-time lump sum taxable stipend to eligible students selected for the 2027 Student Program. To help with relocation benefit administration, please apply using the permanent address you would move from.

Start dates for this internship are May 24 and June 14, 2027.

About GM

Our vision is a world with Zero Crashes, Zero Emissions and Zero Congestion, and we embrace the responsibility to lead the change that will make our world better, safer and more equitable for all.

Why Join Us

We believe we all must make a choice every day, individually and collectively, to drive meaningful change through our words, our deeds and our culture. Every day, we want every employee to feel they belong to one General Motors team.

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