Bioprocessing & Plant Science Intern
COVE
Dartmouth, Nova Scotia
Host Company: PhyCo Technologies Inc.
335 Kings Road
Sydney, NS, B1S 1B3
Who is COVE?
Since our launch in 2018, COVE has been on a mission to connect people, ideas, resources, and assets to propel solutions and sustainable growth for Canada’s marine sector. COVE has been central to the creation of a large cluster of companies and generating a best-in-class start-up ecosystem. COVE provides strategic network-building opportunities, connections, and thought leadership amongst the global ocean tech community and runs programs to foster the development of the workforce, the acceleration of ocean tech product releases, and the success of new ventures by start-ups, scaleups, and SMEs. These programs and COVE’s ability to nationally harness multi-disciplinary skills and capabilities within the marine ecosystem is an enabler in solving industry challenges, generating economic benefits, and providing value to investors. To support new talent entering the sector we facilitate a summer internship program for students from across Canada.
What is the COVE Internship Program?
We are looking for bright, talented individuals at the post-secondary level, interested in the marine sector, who are looking to gain valuable, hands-on work experience. You will be placed with a host company in the marine sector and will be working on a core project for their business. Projects are interdisciplinary and students will be collaborating closely with other students and staff from different disciplines.
The COVE internship is a collaboration with numerous companies that are leaders in the marine and marine technology sector. We are diligent in placing students in a role with a company that is well aligned with their discipline of study, skill set, and future career ambitions. Canada’s marine sector is growing and thriving and contributes millions of dollars to our national economy on an annual basis. COVE is seeking interns who are Canada’s best and brightest to be part of this phenomenal growth.
The Opportunity:
PhyCo is a B2B biomaterials company tackling plastic pollution in agriculture by developing earth-digestible, seaweed-based biomaterials through a proprietary biorefinery process. Our products are targeted to agriculture to help farmers save money on their operational costs while minimizing environmental impact.
We are a female-led, science-driven team working at the intersection of ocean innovation, sustainable materials, and climate solutions. We are looking for interns who are curious, motivated, and passionate about solving complex, real-world problems through innovative science and applied research. We value diverse perspectives, collaborative work, and learning through experimentation. Interns will be encouraged to ask questions, contribute ideas, and take ownership of meaningful technical work in a fast-growing startup environment. We strongly encourage applications from individuals from underrepresented backgrounds in STEM and are committed to providing a supportive and inclusive learning environment.
What you will be doing:
You will focus on optimizing bioprocessing workflows for multiple biological feedstocks, including seaweed-derived materials, to improve process efficiency and consistency. The role may also include plant-based assay testing to evaluate biological interactions and performance.
Key Deliverables
What you will bring:
Additional Assets:
Access to a vehicle or mode of transport is not required, but should be considered as work will be conducted at the Verschuren Center in Sydney, Nova Scotia.