Role description
Summer Intern - Commercial
Kunin TechnologiesWHO WE ARE
Kunin Technologies is revolutionizing the critical mineral supply chain by implementing advanced separation technologies to capture value from overlooked resources.
Metals are everywhere, in solar panels, smartphones, electric vehicles, but as ore grades plummet globally, traditional extraction methods are failing. China dominates critical minerals markets by developing superior separation technologies that extract value from materials American mines discard as waste.
Utilizing Kunin Technologies' breakthrough mass manufacturable nano-separation systems, significantly more value can be produced from each resource, reducing waste, and unlocking metal abundance.
To achieve metal abundance, humanity must bring separation science down its own Moore’s Law: fix the idiot cost index for micro and nano scale separation materials. This requires mass manufacturing novel ion-exchange media form factors which previously struggled from high costs.
THE ROLE
Kunin sells recovery of critical metals from resources that are discarded today: mine tailings, process liquors, industrial by-product streams and low-grade ores. Every commercial conversation starts with a question of economics: what is in the resource, what does it cost to recover, and what is it worth. You spend the summer answering that question for real resources and real counterparties.
You work on the commercial team directly with the CEO. You build the pipeline of candidate resources, chase down samples from mines, refiners and industrial partners, and turn assay data and process assumptions into cost and value models that decide which projects Kunin pursues. By the end of the summer we expect a resource database with samples in hand for the priority targets, and a process cost model per target that the team uses in partner negotiations.
RESPONSIBILITIES
Resource sourcing: identify and screen mines, tailings facilities, refineries and industrial waste streams carrying target metals, and maintain the resource database.
Sample collection: contact resource owners, arrange sample shipments and site visits, and log chain of custody and assay results.
Financial modeling: build project cash-flow models (capital cost, operating cost, revenue, sensitivities) for candidate resources.
Process cost modeling: estimate reagent, energy, labor and equipment costs per metric ton of feed and per kilogram of metal recovered, working with the engineering team on mass balances.
Prepare one-page project summaries and briefing materials for partner and customer meetings.
QUALIFICATIONS AND PREFERRED SKILLS
Undergraduate or graduate student in mining engineering, metallurgy, chemical engineering, economics, finance or a related field, graduating 2027 or 2028.
Modeler skilled in Excel; comfortable with mass balances and unit conversions.
Comfortable cold-contacting mine operators, refiners and industrial partners to secure samples and data.
Exposure to mineral processing, hydrometallurgy or commodity markets preferred.
Ability to work in fast paced and demanding atmosphere.
Self-driven contributor who closes loops without being asked and writes clearly.
ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS
Position located in Chattanooga, Tennessee for the summer of 2027 (approximately 12 weeks, start date flexible).
Occasional domestic travel for site visits and sample collection.
Extended hours during critical project phases.
Strong performers will be considered for a full-time position at Kunin upon graduation.
Chattanooga is more beautiful than expected, and Tennessee has no income tax.
"The Whole World Is Ion-Exchange And The Rest Are Merely Details!"
Dr. Robert Kunin of Rohm and Haas, The Pioneer of the Ion-Exchange Industry, 1951