Food Microbiology Intern – corbion – Lenexa, KS

Corbion develops sustainable solutions to improve the quality of life for people today and for future generations.

Raw Poultry Literature Review Intern

Corbion is looking for an Intern who is currently or recently enrolled in a graduate or undergraduate degree program with an interest and aptitude to work in the ingredient solutions industry to conduct exploratory, literature-based research on the raw poultry industry. This internship is designed to be both educational and practical. In this position, the intern will learn how to take skills she or he may have acquired in school related to searching, analyzing, and summarizing scientific literature, and apply them to create a comprehensive, chaptered document on raw poultry from an industry and scientific perspective. He or she will gain a better understanding of the role that a student/entry level team member can play in a corporate setting, and be better prepared to work in the arena of ingredient solutions. This position will be based off-site, with biweekly meetings onsite or via teleconference with the Intern’s supervisor.

He or she will act as a great teammate to meet internal deadlines and expectations. Our organization is focused on delivering solutions that bring value for our customers and have decades of experience in the ingredient solutions industry. This role will enhance the acumen and knowledge base of the organization, particularly those in research & development and sales who assist the poultry industry.

Job Responsibility:

• Conduct a large-scale, comprehensive, and detailed literature search on the raw poultry sector, to include the following categories:
  • Organoleptic effects of biocides used on raw poultry.
  • In-application biocidal activity of biocides at species and serovar levels for Salmonella and Campylobacter.
  • In-application shelf-life effects of raw poultry surface treatments by packaging type.
  • Anti-oxidant additives in fresh poultry.
  • Microbiome impact on raw poultry shelf life.
  • Prevalence/levels of pathogenic and spoilage bacteria on various chicken parts.
  • Emerging antimicrobial compounds (naturally or synthetically-derived).
  • Interrelationships between animal health and nutrition, biosecurity, and food safety.
• Make suggestions on additional topics to explore, thinking boldly and innovatively to add value to the overall project.
• Integrate data sets from multiple sources and utilize tools to support the target goal of creating a chaptered literature summary.
• Synthesize learnings, data, and conclusions from the literature search into chapters covering the categories established above.
• Liaise with supervisor to discuss project progress, monitor search scope and veracity, and review edits and suggestions.
• Manage the project, working both independently and collaboratively with others, to meet project timelines and deliverables.
• Work with our team members and other internal colleagues to meet target objectives.

• Submit final literature summary as a chaptered document and present findings in an extended seminar for Corbion personnel.
• Assist with ad hoc projects as assigned by department staff.

Skills, Qualifications, and Education Requirements:

• Progress towards a Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Food or Meat Science, Chemistry, Microbiology, or Meat or Animal Health.
• Basic knowledge and experience in Microsoft Office programs, including Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook.
• Interest in the meat/ingredient solutions industry, especially poultry.
• Familiarity with experimental design, statistical data analysis and interpretation of results.
• Excellent interpersonal, verbal, and written technical communication skills. Strong grammar skills and command of the English language also a requirement.
• Ability to think and work independently while collaborating with others in a team-based environment as necessary.
• Demonstrated ability to deliver against agreed deadlines.
• Ability to prioritize tasks and handle numerous assignments simultaneously.
• Strong problem solving, analytical, and organization skills.
• Ability to work in a fast-paced environment.
• Attention to detail.

About Corbion

Corbion is the global market leader in lactic acid and its derivatives, and a leading supplier of emulsifiers, functional enzyme blends, minerals, vitamins, and algae ingredients. We use our unique expertise in fermentation and other processes to deliver sustainable solutions for the preservation of food and food production, health, and our planet. For over 100 years, we have been uncompromising in our commitment to safety, quality, innovation and performance. Drawing on our deep application and product knowledge, we work side-by-side with customers to make our cutting-edge technologies work for them. Our solutions help differentiate products in markets such as food, home & personal care, animal nutrition, pharmaceuticals, medical devices, and bioplastics. In 2019, Corbion generated annual sales of € 976.4 million and had a workforce of 2,138 FTEs. Corbion is listed on Euronext Amsterdam. For more information: www.corbion.com

Corbion is an equal opportunity employer and committed to a diverse workplace. All applicants will be considered equally without regard to race, color, ethnicity, veteran status, religion, national origin, marital status, political affiliation, age, sex, sexual orientation, handicapping condition, membership in an organization or any other non-merit factors.

Corbion provides reasonable accommodation to applicants with disabilities. If you need a reasonable accommodation for any part of the application and hiring process, please notify the Corbion Human Resources department. The decision on granting reasonable accommodation will be on a case-by-case basis.

EOE/M/F/Vet/Disabled

Corbion does not accept unsolicited resumes from individual recruiters or third party recruiting agencies in response to job postings. No fee will be paid to third parties who submit unsolicited candidates directly to our hiring managers. All candidates must be submitted by approved Corbion vendors who have been expressly requested to make a submission by our Talent Acquisition team for a specific job opening. No placement fees will be paid to any firm unless such a request has been made by the Corbion Talent Acquisition team and such candidate was submitted to the Corbion Talent Acquisition Team.