Product development (Engineering)

The Great Bubble Barrier is a young social enterprise with one mission at its core: removing plastic from our rivers. We do this with our Bubble Barriers, which comprise of a bubble curtain and a catchment system. But our Bubble Barriers serve more than only a technical function. To solve the problem of plastic pollution we need a systemic change, and the Bubble Barrier will be a crucial tool to collect monitoring data about the plastic pollution in our rivers in order to help shape need policies. Each new Bubble Barrier is an important step in the worldwide fight against plastic pollution.

What will you do?

With an internship at The Great Bubble Barrier, you will be a part of our dynamic team where everyone is dedicated to saving our oceans from plastic pollution. During your internship at The Great Bubble Barrier, you will work on the development of our main product: The Bubble Barrier. The Bubble Barriers components are the bubble curtain, the catchment system, and the air supply. Your internship would revolve around one of these main technical components. We are constantly improving these components and depending on your task, you would focus on one component during your internship.

Who are we looking for:

We are looking for a master student or a bachelor student in the final year of their bachelor’s programme. Your background is in engineering from the following fields

• Mechanical engineering
• Civil engineering
• Naval architecture
• Marine technology
• Offshore or river engineering

You also have completed at least one course on fluid dynamics and are familiar with CAD programmes. Beneficial, but not required is knowledge on remote sensing, electrical engineering, water management, environmental engineering, and hydraulic engineering.

As the internship is focussed on product development writing your final thesis as part of this internship is not recommended. If you do wish to integrate your thesis into this internship, please get in touch with us to see if our conditions match with those of your institute.

What else do you have to keep in mind?

Doing your internship for a start-up is usually a little different from an internship at a large organisation: we work in a small and flexible team, where everyone helps each other when necessary and in which a lot of processes are still taking shape. To make your internship as successful as possible there are a few other skills we look for:

• You like to take initiative and don’t mind helping your colleagues when necessary
• You are flexible and like a challenge
• You can work independently
• You work in a structured manner and are able to present your thought processes to your team
• You are vocal about the challenges you’re facing and actively seek help if you need it

How will your internship look?

Due to the current exceptional situation, you will mainly work from home. The internship period is 3-6 months. If the regulations allow it, you might be travelling within the Netherlands.

• All travels for work will be compensated in full.
• You need to have access to a computer and a stable internet
• Your internship will be compensated with €275,- per month.
• If office work re-opens, there will be free lunch at the office in Amsterdam Noord.