About the role#
Syngenta is seeking a Soil Spectroscopy and Chemometrics Co-op to join our Seeds Research Portfolio and Project Management Team in Des Moines, Iowa. This role sits at the intersection of soil science, spectroscopy, and data science. You will work with soil scientists and data scientists to characterize soil properties at scale using Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy and advanced modeling methods. This is a full-time, paid internship for the Summer 2027 term.
What you'll do#
- Build, evaluate, and refine calibration models that predict soil physical and chemical properties from infrared spectra.
- Apply spectral preprocessing techniques and evaluate their impact on model performance.
- Work with large soil spectral libraries, including tasks related to instrument standardization and calibration transfer.
- Develop and compare chemometric and machine learning approaches for soil property prediction.
- Collaborate with a multidisciplinary team of soil scientists, agronomists, and data scientists.
- Communicate methods and results to technical and non-technical stakeholders.
- Follow all Syngenta Health, Safety, and Environmental standards.
What you'll need#
- Currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Soil Science, Environmental Science, Chemometrics, Data Science, Agricultural Engineering, Analytical Chemistry, or a related field.
- Advanced Ph.D. students with existing spectroscopy or chemometrics research experience are preferred.
- Must be a current student continuing education after the co-op term.
- Eligible to work in the U.S.
- Experience with vibrational spectroscopy data, such as MIR, NIR, or Vis-NIR.
- Proficiency in R or Python.
- Experience working with soil spectral libraries.
- Experience with chemometric methods like Partial Least Squares Regression.
- Familiarity with machine learning approaches for spectral data, such as Random Forest, CNNs, or transformer-based models.
- Understanding of soil science fundamentals.
- Ability to work independently and as part of a team.
- Familiarity with calibration transfer methods and multi-instrument workflows is a plus.
Location & details#
- Location: Des Moines, Iowa
- Term: Summer 2027 (May 2027 - August 2027)
- Work Modality: On-site
- Employment Type: Full-time intern
About Syngenta
Syngenta operates as an agriculture company focused on crop protection and seeds. It develops technologies to support farming practices and resource management. The company maintains operations in over 100 countries. It functions as part of the Syngenta Group and employs more than 10,001 people.
How to get in at Syngenta
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