R&D Intern

Lesaffre Yeast Corporation

Research and Development Internship (Baking): Summer 2027

Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Elevate the Future with Lesaffre

For over 170 years, Lesaffre has been a pioneering force in the world of fermentation, harnessing the power of microorganisms to transform industries from baking to healthcare. As a global leader with a presence in 96 countries, we employ 11,000 passionate innovators who share our unwavering commitment to excellence.

Guided by our core values of passion, respect, trust, entrepreneurship, and humility, we constantly push the boundaries of what's possible. Our 3-billion euro enterprise collaborates with visionary customers, partners, and researchers to develop essential nutrients and bioactive solutions that strengthen human health, optimize animal well-being, and improve plant nutrition.

Safety and sustainability are at the heart of everything we do. As we engineer cutting-edge fermentation technologies, we remain focused on nourishing and protecting our planet. If you're ready to be part of this revolution, we want you on our team. Join us in elevating the future through the power of fermentation.

How You'll Contribute to Our Success

As our Bakery R&D Intern, you'll play a vital role in supporting our technical services team by conducting experimental testing and evaluation on yeast and other ingredients used in bakery applications. You'll have the opportunity to take on an individual project related to yeast, dough improvers, or both, where you'll test these components in yeast-raised products.

Collaborating closely with our scientists and bakers, you'll gain a deep understanding of ingredient functionality in industrial bakery settings. Your hands-on work and insights will directly contribute to the development of innovative solutions that drive success for our customers.

Whether you're assisting with critical research or leading your own project, you'll have the chance to make a meaningful impact on our business and further your expertise in the dynamic world of baking science and technology. We're excited for you to join our team and help us continue elevating the future of the bakery industry.

What You’ll Do as an R&D Intern  

• Develop and design ingredient prototypes for testing in yeast-raised bakery applications
• Evaluate existing products for new opportunities
• Potential to run field trials at industrial locations with assistance of Technical Services Team
• Work with Supply Chain to source raw materials to use in newly developed ingredients
• Collaborate with Quality & Regulatory Groups to develop raw material and final product technical document specifications
• Potential to travel to customer facilities, other Lesaffre locations (bake centers/ingredient manufacturing plants), trade shows, etc. 
• Assist in additional projects related to industrial bakery applications
• Other duties as assigned

Required qualifications:  

• Applicant must be in the process of pursuing a Bachelor’s degree in Bakery Science or Food Science with a minor in bakery science or emphasis
• Ability to understand and use Baker’s percent as well as add, subtract, multiply, and divide in all units of measure, using whole numbers, common fractions, and decimals
• Ability to compute rate, ratio, and percent and to draw and interpret bar graphs
• Knowledge of Microsoft Office suite programs
• Must be willing to relocate to Milwaukee for the full summer of 2026
• Ability to travel up to 15%

Preferred qualifications: 

• One to three years of bakery experience a plus
•  Ability to speak French, German, or Spanish is a plus

 Competencies:

• Be able to work under the supervision of lab scientist and baker to perform testing
• Work in a lab consisting of both analytical and baking equipment
• Basic lab skills- measuring, using a scale, follow formulas, etc.
• Understand how to properly run a baking test
• Experience running standard baking equipment
• Self-motivated and can work in a group setting
• Well organized and can efficiently follow through on a work assignment and reporting data in assigned Lab Notebook
• Clearly express thoughts and ideas so others can follow and understand

Lesaffre provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local laws.