Chemistry Intern - Research & Development Centre - Palmerston North (Nov 2024)

About us | Ko wai mātou 
At our Research and Development Centre in Palmerston North, we know the smallest things can make a difference, so we research and develop products that last longer, stretch further, work faster, waste less, withstand more and taste better. Bringing together world class dairy products and the deep expertise of our people we work alongside the passionate, talented and innovative food professionals who are driving dairy industry and innovation. 

About the opportunity | Te whiwhinga mahi 
We have an exciting opportunity offering summer internships to university students studying towards a Microbiology, Food Technology or Biotechnology degree, at our R&D Centre (FRDC) in Palmerston North. We offer students to get involved with real-life Fonterra projects, at the same time, gaining invaluable work experience before graduation. You will work on a defined R&D project, with a research supervisor and full support for the world-class dairy innovation site. The internship is for 13 weeks, from November to February. 

A summer internship at FRDC can provide exposure to many different parts of the dairy industry within an R&D environment. The internship on offer will provide opportunities to work alongside engineers, scientists and technologists. Our intent is to help enabling interns to decide on the career path and role that would suit them best.  

FRDC Summer Interns are held in high regard within our business, with several going onto roles or onto our Graduate Programme in subsequent years. Our Summer Internship is a great way to start your career journey with Fonterra and it can develop further once you complete your studies.  

The Two Project Opportunities: 
Option 1: To contribute to a ‘proof-of-concept’ project that will identify and quantify the presence of bioactive compounds in cheese.  

Key tasks include: 

• Perform a literature search on bioactive peptides in cheese. 
• Develop an extraction protocol to optimise the bioactive yield. 
• Use LC-MS instrumentation to identify and quantify the peptides in cheese samples. 
• Write a report on your findings. 

Option 2: To develop an automated (robotic) procedure for the determination of free fatty acids (FFA) in dairy products.  

Key tasks include: 

• Perform a literature search on the current published procedures for FFA analysis and select the most appropriate one to automate. 
• Develop the procedure using the automation robotic set-up and compare it to the existing ‘on-bench’ method.  
• Test and refine the procedure. 
• Write up the final procedure.  

About you | Ko wai Koe 
Our internships are a perfect fit for someone who has a passion for the food industry. It is a great opportunity if you enjoy problem-solving and are a quick learner who adapts to change easily.  

These projects will be a good fit if you are studying towards an undergraduate degree in Chemistry, Food Science, Biochemistry, Food Technology or Engineering.  

Other key attributes will be: 

• Completed your 2nd year at a New Zealand tertiary institute. 
• Confident with emerging technology and innovation 
• Ability to work in a team and collaborate with peers. 
• Extra-curricular activities.  
• Mobile to move to Palmerston North for the summer.  

Our Story 
Whanaungatanga, our Co-operative spirit gives us all a common strength and purpose. Manaakitanga is how we care for all our people who are at the heart of what we do. We want our farmers, employees, customers and communities to thrive. Kaitiakitanga, ensures we take care of the land. We are committed to farming in a way that regenerates our farms and environment for future generations. 

Whakaohooho constantly inspires ourselves and each other with great career development opportunities and benefits. We enable flexibility and balance to suit everyone’s lifestyles and choices.   

Our Co-operative is a place where everyone can be themselves, feel empowered to do their best and are empowered to create goodness for generations. 

Sound good to you? Come join our whānau and let’s solve for better, together. You, me, us together Tᾱtou tᾱtou. 

Applications close midnight Sunday 21 July.