Ingredient Chemistry Research and Development Intern

Job Description

## Cargill: Nourishing the World

Cargill is a global leader in food, agriculture, and industrial products, committed to nourishing the world in a safe, responsible, and sustainable way. With a family company spirit, Cargill connects farmers with markets, customers with ingredients, and families with daily essentials, touching billions of lives every day.

## Ingredient Chemistry Research and Development Internship

This internship provides students with a background in food chemistry the opportunity to apply their academic knowledge to a real-world business setting. The program focuses on providing students with practical experience working alongside Cargill business units to develop solutions for customers.

Your Work:

• Global Core R&D Team: You will be part of the Ingredient Chemistry team within the Research and Development function. This team focuses on areas like:
• Ingredient Chemistry
• Material Science
• Chemical Characterization
• Nutrition
• Biology
• Fermentation
• Food Safety Research
• Projects: You will be assigned to one or multiple projects with a focus on developing novel chemical and material characterization methods, processing techniques, and product analyses. These projects may involve:
• New ingredient or process method development
• Building tools to better understand Cargill products and processes
• Applying scientific principles to build knowledge about food ingredients for use in finished food systems
• Using analytical chemistry and food material science to characterize functionality of food ingredients at the molecular level

Internship Experience:

• Hands-on work: Gain immediate practical experience in one of the world’s largest agribusiness companies.
• Development opportunities: Participate in orientation, networking, mentoring, and other events focused on personal and professional growth.
• Feedback: Receive regular feedback on your job performance.
• Community involvement: Engage in company and community events.
• Networking: Build connections with colleagues and management at different levels.
• Presentation: Share a summary of your learnings and experiences at the end of the internship.

Locations: This internship is based in Plymouth, MN.

Requirements:

• Right to work in the U.S. (not based on a student visa or third-party sponsored visa)
• Currently pursuing a Bachelor’s degree (graduating between December 2025 and Summer 2027), a Master’s or Doctorate degree (graduating after December 2025) in Food Science, Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, or a related technical science degree.
• Availability for a 12-week internship during the summer (May/June – August 2025)
• Geographic flexibility and willingness to relocate to Plymouth, MN.
• Proven ability to work effectively in diverse teams.
• High initiative and resourcefulness in completing tasks.
• Demonstrated interest in wet chemistry and analytical methods.
• Experimental research experience with food ingredients (fats, proteins, or starches) to understand their functionality.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Overall 3.0 GPA (on a 4.0 scale)
• Strong organizational and time management skills.
• Problem-solving and decision-making abilities.
• Leadership and technical skills.
• Effective collaboration, communication, and teamwork skills.
• Experience in food ingredient development, ingredient functionality evaluation, and comparison.
• Method development experience.
• Knowledge of formulation science and design of experiments approaches relevant to food matrix systems.