Are you a curious and motivated science student eager to gain hands-on experience in cutting‑edge enzyme and protein engineering?
IFF is a global leader in flavors, fragrances, food ingredients and health & biosciences. We deliver sustainable innovations that elevate everyday products.
Health & Biosciences: Channeling our passion for nature and bioscience into sustainable, life‑enhancing technologies that power innovative solutions across healthcare, food, consumer and industrial markets.
The role is based in Leiden, the Netherlands (onsite role). You will join a multidisciplinary, motivated and collaborative R&D team where together we can achieve meaningful scientific impact. Your potential is our inspiration.
Our Leiden R&D team consists of approximately 35 colleagues representing 13 nationalities and has a strong track record in protein and enzyme engineering. The team develops microbial production strains (bacteria, yeast and filamentous fungi) and engineers enzymes for applications across food & beverages, biofuels, home & personal care, animal feed, paper & textile processing and biomaterials. Recently, the team expanded into enzymatic engineering of polymers for sustainable food packaging applications.
Where You’ll Make a Difference
- Perform biochemical characterization of enzyme variants, including purification, enzyme kinetics and product analysis
- Support enzyme secretion optimization by improving expression pathways using molecular biology toolboxes
- Contribute to microbial strain development involving bacteria, yeast and filamentous fungi
- Analyze experimental data and support modelling using state‑of‑the‑art bioinformatics tools
- Assist with automation workflow improvements in a robotic laboratory environment
- Collaborate with scientists across biochemistry, molecular biology, analytical chemistry, material sciences and fermentation
- Document experimental work and contribute to scientific reporting
- Actively participate in a multidisciplinary R&D environment focused on sustainable innovation
What Makes You the Right Fit
- You are currently enrolled in an HBO or MSc program in Biotechnology, Biochemistry, Molecular Biology or a related field
- You are available for an internship of at least 6 months
- Hands‑on laboratory experience and a strong interest in experimental research
- Curiosity and enthusiasm for enzyme development and protein engineering
- Ability to work accurately and independently in a laboratory setting
- Comfortable working with data analysis and scientific documentation
- Strong communication skills in English, both written and verbal
- A proactive mindset and willingness to learn in a multidisciplinary team
How Would You Stand Out?
- Experience with enzyme kinetics, protein purification or microbial fermentation
- Familiarity with bioinformatics tools or automation workflows
- Interest in sustainable biotechnology or polymer engineering applications
Why Choose Us?
- Internship compensation in line with IFF guidelines
- Hands‑on experience in an internationally recognized R&D center
- Exposure to real‑life industrial biotechnology projects
- Collaboration in a diverse, inclusive and international team
- Access to advanced laboratory facilities and technologies
- A supportive learning environment focused on development and growth
We are a global leader in taste, scent, and nutrition, offering our customers a broader range of natural solutions and accelerating our growth strategy. At IFF, we believe that your uniqueness unleashes our potential. We value the diverse mosaic of the ethnicity, national origin, race, age, sex, or veteran status. We strive for an inclusive workplace that allows each of our colleagues to bring their authentic self to work regardless of their religion, gender identity & expression, sexual orientation, or disability.
Visit IFF.com/careers/workplace-diversity-and-inclusion to learn more
