---
title: 'Hardware Thermal Simulation Engineering Intern at UIUC Research Park (January-August 2027) at Rivian and Volkswagen Group Technologies'
canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/hardware-thermal-simulation-engineering-intern-at-uiuc-research-park-january-yy0m5ek3v39q'
type: 'job'
last_seen: '2026-10-18'
---

# Hardware Thermal Simulation Engineering Intern at UIUC Research Park (January-August 2027) at Rivian and Volkswagen Group Technologies

- **Company:** [Rivian and Volkswagen Group Technologies](https://feeny.ai/companies/rivian-and-volkswagen-group-technologies)
- **Location:** Champaign, IL
- **Compensation:** $35–$40/hr
- **Employment:** internship
- **Work type:** hybrid
- **Posted:** 2026-10-09
- **Last confirmed live:** 2026-10-18
- **Apply:** https://jobs.ashbyhq.com/rivianvw.tech/526c87f2-fba4-4744-8b87-1cb949b5cdfc

## Job description

## About Us

Rivian and Volkswagen Group Technologies is a joint venture between two industry leaders with a clear vision for automotive’s next chapter. From operating systems to zonal controllers to cloud and connectivity solutions, we’re addressing the challenges of electric vehicles through technology that will set the standards for software-defined vehicles around the world.

The road to the future is uncharted. By combining our expertise across connectivity, AI, security and more, we’ll map a new way forward. Working together, we’ll create a future that’s more connected, more intelligent, more sustainable for everyone.

Candidates should be available from January 11, 2027 to August 13, 2027.

## Role Summary

As a Thermal Simulation Intern on the Hardware Thermal & Structural team, you'll work on a real project that supports the cooling and packaging of electronics in next-generation vehicles. You'll be paired with an experienced engineer and gain hands-on exposure to how thermal simulation drives hardware design decisions in automotive electronics.

## Responsibilities

- Build and run thermal simulations (CFD and conduction models) to evaluate cooling performance of vehicle electronic hardware.
- Support the development of electronics cooling and packaging concepts, such as heat sinks, thermal interface materials, and enclosure layouts.
- Explore design trade-offs that reduce mass, cost, and material usage while meeting thermal targets.
- Help analyze thermal stack-ups and material choices, and summarize findings as clear recommendations for design engineers.
- Support thermal reliability assessments by working with mission profile data and IC package temperature limits.
- Automate repetitive analysis and post-processing tasks using scripting..
- Collaborate with engineers across mechanical, electrical, and reliability teams..
- Document your methods, results, and learnings, and present them to the team at the end of the internship

## Qualifications

Minimum Qualifications:

- Currently pursuing a Bachelor's, Master's, or Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering, Thermal Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or a related field.
- Coursework or project experience in heat transfer and fluid mechanics.
- Familiarity with numerical simulation softwares.
- Ability to use AI tools such as Claude/Gemini to write and debug scripts, automate analysis and post-processing, and speed up learning, with the judgment to verify AI-generated output against engineering fundamentals.
- Must be located in Champaign, IL and able to work out of our office in the Research Park.

## Preferred Qualifications

- Hands-on experience with a CFD or thermal simulation tool such as Flotherm, Ansys Icepak, Star-CCM+, Fluent, or similar (coursework, research, or student team projects count).
- Exposure to electronics cooling concepts, such as heat sinks, fans, thermal interface materials, or IC package thermal behavior..
- Experience with lab measurement techniques (thermocouples, IR imaging, flow measurement) from coursework or research.
- Interest in reliability, failure analysis, or validation methods.
- Research, publications, or thesis work in thermal management, heat transfer, or a related area

Total Rewards We build the exceptional — and we believe the people doing that work should be rewarded accordingly. In addition to a competitive base salary, full-time positions may be is eligible to participate in our annual company performance bonus program.

Payments are discretionary and not guaranteed; actual amounts depend on company results and the terms of the plan in effect, and require active employment at the time of payout. This role is also eligible for equity in the form of Restricted Stock Units (RSUs), subject to board approval and the terms of our equity incentive plans, including applicable vesting requirements.

In addition to our compensation programs, we invest in our people with a comprehensive benefits package designed to support the health, wellbeing, and financial future for full-time employees — including health coverage, retirement savings, time off, and family planning programs. Offerings vary by country. [Learn more about our global benefit programs](https://rvtech.mybenefits.life/).

External candidates can apply for this role through the Rivian and Volkswagen Group Technologies careers site (https://rivianvw.tech/#careers). If you are a current employee, please apply through our [internal job board](https://app.ashbyhq.com/internal/job-board/b10a9912-eb45-4a84-9a34-84b2a459923a).

## Equal Opportunity

Rivian and Volkswagen Group Technologies is committed to creating a diverse environment and is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, ancestry, sex, sexual orientation, gender, gender expression, gender identity, genetic information or characteristics, physical or mental disability, marital/domestic partner status, age, military/veteran status, medical condition, or any other characteristic protected by law. We are also committed to ensuring compliance with all applicable fair employment practice laws regarding citizenship and immigration status.

Rivian and Volkswagen Group Technologies is committed to ensuring that our hiring process is accessible for persons with disabilities. If you have a disability or limitation, such as those covered by the Americans with Disabilities Act, that requires accommodations to assist you in the search and application process, please email us at candidateaccommodations@rivian.com.

Candidate Data Privacy Rivian and Volkswagen Group Technologies” may collect, use and disclose your personal information or personal data (within the meaning of the applicable data protection laws) when you apply for employment and/or participate in our recruitment processes (“Candidate Personal Data”). This data includes contact, demographic, communications, educational, professional, employment, social media/website, network/device, recruiting system usage/interaction, security and preference information. Rivian and Volkswagen Group Technologies may use your Candidate Personal Data for the purposes of (i) tracking interactions with our recruiting system; (ii) carrying out, analyzing and improving our application and recruitment process, including assessing you and your application and conducting employment, background and reference checks; (iii) establishing an employment relationship or entering into an employment contract with you; (iv) complying with our legal, regulatory and corporate governance obligations; (v) record keeping; (vi) ensuring network and information security and preventing fraud; and (vii) as otherwise required or permitted by applicable law.

Rivian and Volkswagen Group Technologies may share your Candidate Personal Data with (i) internal personnel who have a need to know such information in order to perform their duties, including individuals on our People Team, Finance, Legal, and the team(s) with the position(s) for which you are applying; (ii) Rivian and Volkswagen Group Technologies affiliates; and (iii) Rivian and Volkswagen Group Technologies’ service providers, including providers of background checks, staffing services, and cloud services.

Rivian and Volkswagen Group Technologies may transfer or store internationally your Candidate Personal Data, including to or in the United States, Canada, and the European Union and in the cloud, and this data may be subject to the laws and accessible to the courts, law enforcement and national security authorities of such jurisdictions.

If you provide a mobile telephone number as part of your application or during the recruitment process, Rivian and Volkswagen Group Technologies may use that number to contact you via SMS text message for recruitment-related purposes, including scheduling, logistics, and status updates. Message and data rates may apply. You may opt out of SMS communications at any time by replying STOP to any text message you receive from us. Consent to receive SMS messages is not a condition of applying for or being considered for employment. Please see our https://assets.ctfassets.net/2md5qhoeajym/53otRWdzXPzSdWPgiel5T/07c61b0eed2d91f2f403f788fd20d315/RVTech_Candidate_Data_Privacy_Notice_-_Nov_2024.pdf and https://assets.ctfassets.net/2md5qhoeajym/40xUZMehbGToclkLqWXW0E/eb5b553bd8af7c607066253fbb227bda/RVTech_Candidate_Data_Privacy_Notice_-_Nov_2024_Serbian.pdf for more information. -- Please note this job posting represents an open, active vacancy. Additionally, we are not currently accepting applications from third party application services.

## About Rivian and Volkswagen Group Technologies

## Company Overview
- **One-liner**: Rivian and Volkswagen Group Technologies (RV Tech) is a joint venture developing next-generation electrical architectures and software-defined vehicle platforms for the Volkswagen Group and Rivian.
- **Entity Type**: Private (Joint Venture; 50/50 owned by Rivian and Volkswagen Group)
- **Headquarters**: Palo Alto, California, United States
- **Founded**: November 13, 2024
- **Founders**: Joint venture co-led by Wassym Bensaid (Rivian Chief Software Officer) and Carsten Helbing (Volkswagen Group Chief Technology Officer); established through a transaction agreement between Rivian and Volkswagen Group.

## Core Business
- **Primary industry/industries**: Automotive technology, software development for software-defined vehicles (SDVs)
- **Target customers**: B2B – primarily the Volkswagen Group (brands including Volkswagen, Audi, Scout) and Rivian; potential licensing to other automakers
- **Mission or purpose statement**: To address the challenges of electric vehicles through technologies that set the standards for software-defined vehicles around the world, combining Rivian’s software and electrical hardware expertise with Volkswagen Group’s global scale and vehicle platform competencies.

## Products & Services
- **Software-Defined Vehicle (SDV) Architecture**: A modular zonal electronic architecture featuring powerful central computers that control all vehicle functions, enabling over-the-air updates, advanced infotainment, and highly automated driving features. This platform is designed to scale across multiple vehicle segments and brands.
- **Zonal Controllers & Operating Systems**: Rivian’s proven zonal hardware design (reducing ECUs and wiring complexity) integrated with a unified software stack that supports continuous updates and cloud connectivity.
- **Cloud & Connectivity Solutions**: Cloud-based services for vehicle data, remote diagnostics, and lifecycle software updates.

## Market Standing
- **Valuation/Market Cap**: Not disclosed (joint venture; total committed investment from Volkswagen Group up to $5.8 billion by 2027, including $1 billion initial convertible note, $1.3 billion equity at closing, and up to $3.5 billion milestone-based funding).
- **Key Metric**: Total committed investment: $5.8 billion; Employee count: ~1,500 (as of late 2025, with 108.4% YoY growth).
- **Notable Investors/Partners**: Rivian (NASDAQ: RIVN), Volkswagen Group (XETRA: VOW / VOW3). Co-owned equally by both parent companies.
- **Growth Signals**: 
  - Rapidly built an international development team of 1,500+ employees within one year.
  - Successfully integrated Rivian’s zonal hardware into a Volkswagen test vehicle in just 12 weeks.
  - Winter testing of reference vehicles for Volkswagen, Audi, and Scout brands scheduled for Q1 2026.
  - First production vehicles using RV Tech’s architecture expected in 2027 (Volkswagen ID.EVERY1) and 2028 (Audi).
  - Rivian’s R2, R3, and R3X will also leverage the joint venture’s technology.

## Competitive Advantages
- **Unique combination of expertise**: Rivian’s industry-leading software and electrical architecture married with Volkswagen Group’s massive manufacturing scale and global reach.
- **Speed of execution**: Demonstrated ability to produce a drivable demonstrator vehicle in 12 weeks.
- **Scalable platform**: The SDV architecture is designed to serve multiple brands, segments, and price points, potentially covering up to 30 million vehicles per year on Volkswagen’s future SSP platform.
- **Cost efficiency**: Shared development costs and reduced R&D expenditure for both parents, with a focus on lowering production costs for EVs.

## Strategic Focus
- **Current priorities**: Complete development and validation of the zonal SDV architecture through winter testing in early 2026; prepare for series production integration with Volkswagen Group brands (ID.EVERY1, Scout Traveler/Terra, Audi model) and Rivian’s R2 launch in 2026.
- **Direction for growth**: Expand the technology to additional automakers (several have expressed interest); deepen collaboration with Volkswagen Group brands on the SSP platform; scale the international team and open new development sites in Europe and North America.

## Why Work Here
- **Culture highlights**: Fast-paced, collaborative environment at the intersection of two automotive and technology giants. Emphasis on innovation at scale, diverse collaboration, and global impact. Co-led by top technical leaders from both parent companies.
- **Remote/hybrid/office policy**: Teams are based in Palo Alto (HQ), with additional sites in Irvine (CA), Berlin (Germany), and offices in Canada, Sweden, and Serbia. Hybrid work likely, but specific policy not publicly detailed.
- **Notable perks or engineering culture**: Opportunity to work on cutting-edge SDV technology that will power millions of future EVs. Engineers get to shape the architecture from the ground up, with access to Rivian’s proven software stack and Volkswagen’s industrial resources. High growth trajectory (team more than doubled in its first year). Active job postings (126 as of mid-2026) across software engineering, systems, and leadership roles.

## Sources
1. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rivian_and_Volkswagen_Group_Technologies)
2. [Volkswagen Group Press Release – Launch](https://www.volkswagen-group.com/en/press-releases/faster-leaner-more-efficient-rivian-and-volkswagen-group-announce-the-launch-of-their-joint-venture-18828)
3. [Volkswagen Group Press Release – One Year Anniversary](https://www.volkswagen-group.com/en/press-releases/one-year-after-its-founding-joint-venture-between-volkswagen-group-and-rivian-shows-strong-progress-19980)
4. [LinkedIn Company Page](https://www.linkedin.com/company/rivian-and-vw-group-technologies)
5. [Company Website](https://rivianvw.tech/)

## Other roles at Rivian and Volkswagen Group Technologies

- [Sr. Component Engineer](https://feeny.ai/job/sr-component-engineer-rivian-and-volkswagen-group-technologies-palo-alto-46rb9v6deja5) — Palo Alto, CA
- [Sr. Embedded Software Engineer](https://feeny.ai/job/sr-embedded-software-engineer-rivian-and-volkswagen-group-technologies-palo-alto-qrjqynfpwsk6) — Palo Alto, CA
- [Staff Software Engineer - Multimedia (Video Pipeline)](https://feeny.ai/job/staff-software-engineer-multimedia-video-pipeline-rivian-and-volkswagen-group-8095hpf88mae) — Palo Alto, CA
- [Senior Talent Acquisition Partner](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-talent-acquisition-partner-rivian-and-volkswagen-group-technologies-zv22kd04z2be) — Belgrade, Serbia
- [Senior Software Engineer - Audio Infotainment Platform](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-software-engineer-audio-infotainment-platform-rivian-and-volkswagen-p874ne3pqdpe) — Belgrade, Serbia
- [Senior Software Engineer – Display/Touch Infotainment Platform](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-software-engineer-display-touch-infotainment-platform-rivian-and-mee5ezk0gwd0) — Belgrade, Serbia
- [Staff Embedded Software Engineer, Infotainment Connectivity](https://feeny.ai/job/staff-embedded-software-engineer-infotainment-connectivity-rivian-and-1s2ah07f7fjp) — Palo Alto, CA
- [Senior Staff Software Engineer, AI Platform](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-staff-software-engineer-ai-platform-rivian-and-volkswagen-group-rhx21hyk7a7f) — Palo Alto, CA
- [Systems Test and Integration Engineer](https://feeny.ai/job/systems-test-and-integration-engineer-rivian-and-volkswagen-group-technologies-3v0x6cgat6my) — Irvine, CA
- [Engineering Technician, Prototypes](https://feeny.ai/job/engineering-technician-prototypes-rivian-and-volkswagen-group-technologies-yvfsyjennycc) — Irvine, CA