Ingredient Chemistry Intern 2026

Your Internship:

Gain real experience. Learn from the best. See how your work matters.

Our internships are designed to prepare you for your career journey not a final destination. When you join our team you are welcomed into a community committed to providing you with a safe environment to learn grow and cultivate your skills. With our expansive learning resources our well-respected leaders and our carefully curated development courses you will be equipped to confidently solve tomorrows global issues. And truthfully our future relies on you. Your innovative minds your intentional collaboration and your sincere desire to nourish the world. Your work may be local but at Cargill your impact will be global. Join our community to cultivate your curiosity develop meaningful relationships and propel your career.

Ingredient Chemistry Research and Development Internship:

The Ingredient Chemistry team within the Research and Development function at Cargill will provide students with a career interest and a food chemistry related academic background the opportunity to apply knowledge gained in the classroom and academic research to a business environment. The internship program is designed to provide students with the opportunity to learn and work with Cargill business units/function to provide solutions to customers.

Your internship will take place in the following area:

Global Core R/D Team:This team focuses on research in the following areas: Ingredient Chemistry Material Science Chemical Characterization Nutrition Biology Fermentation and Food Safety Research. This position is within the Ingredient Chemistry team. Summer interns will have the opportunity to work with our teams developing novel chemical and material characterization methods processing techniques and product analyses and applying those both in long-term scientific investigations and short-term support of business-driven product development. Projects in this space can vary widely and will generally focus on new ingredient or process method development or in building of tools to better understand Cargill products and processes.

During your internship experience you will be assigned project/s participate in company events and community events and will have the opportunity to network with and learn from different levels of company management. Upon completion of the internship you will have the opportunity to present a summary of your learnings and experiences to management your colleagues and your peers.

Your work:

You will be assigned to a project or multiple projects that will be substantive in nature and will create exposure to a variety of work activities. Interns will have the opportunity to:

• Gain immediate hands-on work experience in one of the worlds largest agribusiness companies.
• Participate in orientation networking mentoring relationships and other opportunities targeted towards personal and professional development.
• Receive periodic and candid feedback on job performance.

Your internship project(s) in the Core R&D Ingredient Chemistry team will emphasize research that:

• Applies scientific principles to build knowledge about food ingredients in our portfolio or under development for commercialization for use in finished food systems. Knowledge generated by the research group is typically used by our business units and customers to support development of new Cargill ingredients or customers finished products.
• Focuses on using analytical chemistry and food material science to characterize functionality of food ingredients at the molecular level.

Our Programming:

• With comprehensive learning resources at your disposal you can take your learning in any direction.

• As employees interns receive access to volunteer and community outreach opportunities and paid time off for volunteer activities.

• Throughout the internship interns and co-ops are invited to participate in events that will give exposure to leadership provide development opportunities and offer the ability to network with cross-functional interns/co-ops across the U.S.

Internship Details:

• Internships are typically 12 weeks in duration.
• Interns are paid hourly for time worked.
• Interns are responsible for transportation to and from work.

Our Benefits:

No matter who you are or where you are we have resources to meet your needs. As an intern youll have access to a wide variety of programs to support you and help you succeed. Eligible programs and incentives include:

• Paid time off*

• Mental Health and Wellbeing program

• Digital Learning Library

• Housing and Relocation Assistance for those that qualify

*Minnesota-based employees: Minnesota Sick and Safe Leave accruals of one hour for every 30 worked up to 48 hours per calendar year unless otherwise provided by law.

Compensation:

The expected hourly rate for this position is $28.00 - $30.00. Compensation decisions are dependent on grad date and eligibility for full-time employment.

Our Network:

Your development is our priority. With our outstanding global network you will establish relationships acquire mentors and build your professional contacts. Our program encourages and orchestrates networking opportunities that will benefit you now and in your future career. During the internship you will also receive consistent support from university recruiting staff mentors colleagues and your supervisor.

Our Vibrant Community:

At Cargill you will be a part of our vibrant global community with a culture that celebrates diversity. This is a reflection of the clients we serve and generates an intellectually diverse set of employees. Business Resource Groups (BRGs) help us embrace our diversity make our culture more inclusive and enhance our employees outstanding talents and perspectives to benefit our organization and employees.

Our U.S. Business Resource Groups include:

Asian Alliance Network Cargill Young Professionals Network Cargill Ability Network (iCAN) Cargill Ebony Council Indigenous Peoples Network (IPN) Hispanic-Latino Council Cargill Pride Network Veterans & Military Support Network and Cargill Womens Network.

Job Location:

• Plymouth MN

Required Qualifications:

• Right to work in the U.S. that is not based solely on possession of a student visa or a visa sponsored by a third-party employer
• Currently pursuing a Bachelors or Masters degree in Material Science & Engineering or related field graduating between December 2026 and Summer 2028
• Able to complete a 12-week internship in the summer (May/June - August 2026)
• All candidates must be geographically flexible and willing to relocate to Plymouth MN for this internship
• Proven ability to work optimally with individuals from a diverse set of backgrounds and cultures
• Must possess a high degree of initiative and resourcefulness in completing work with limited guidance
• Demonstrated interest and familiarity with wet chemistry and analytical methods in coursework or research settings
• Experimental research experience with food ingredients such as fats proteins or starches in the context of improving or understanding functionality

Preferred Qualifications:

• Overall 3.0 GPA preferred on a 4.0 scale
• Ability to prioritize and manage a large workload with multiple priorities
• Demonstrated problem solving and decision-making
• Strong leadership and technical skills
• Demonstrated ability of collaboration communication motivation interpersonal effectiveness teamwork and successful completion of work
• Research experience in development of food ingredients and/or evaluation and comparison of ingredient functionality
• Experience in method development
• Knowledge of formulation science and design of experiments approaches relevant to food matrix systems