Data Scientist (NLP, LLM)

Job Summary

Passionate about NLP, LLMs, and Psycholinguistics? Ready to apply them to real-world product innovation?

Come join us, International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. (IFF) is a global leader in flavors, fragrances, food ingredients, and health and biosciences. We deliver sustainable innovations that elevate everyday products

This opportunity sits within our Taste business unit where we craft unique, technology-enabled flavor designs that define the identity of food and beverage brands, shape trends in flavor building and fuel market success.

As a key member of our team, you will be responsible for exploring complex datasets, developing machine learning (ML) and artificial intelligence (AI) models, and delivering actionable insights that drive business value.

Where You will make a difference

To be successful in this role you are a highly skilled Data Scientist with 5 to 8 years of experience in the field of data science and linguistics with a strong business acumen. You know the scientific fundamentals by heart and are agile with the methods, whilst being pragmatic and result oriented. You strongly believe that insights generated through data science can have a direct impact on product design. More than anything you are passionate and want to make a difference.

• Monitor Trends: Stay ahead of the curve by monitoring advancements in ML/AI, conducting competitive analyses, and identifying strategic opportunities in NLP and LLMs.
• Innovate Through Experimentation: Test and apply emerging tools, frameworks, and methodologies to continuously evolve our data science capabilities.
• Unlock Insights from Data: Dive into large, complex datasets to uncover patterns and trends that drive impactful business decisions.
• Build Intelligent Solutions: Design, develop, and deploy ML/AI models using state-of-the-art frameworks to address specific business needs.
• Champion Knowledge Sharing: Document and share insights, best practices, and learnings across teams to foster a culture of collaboration and continuous learning.
• Design for Trust: Implement safeguards to ensure ethical AI practices, including mitigating hallucinations, toxic outputs, and jailbreaks.
• Master Technical Excellence: Apply your expertise in Python/R, NLP libraries (spaCy, NLTK, Hugging Face), and statistical modeling to deliver robust solutions.
• Bridge Language & Perception: Use psycholinguistics and semantic modeling to analyze sensory feedback and consumer behavior, enhancing product experiences.
  
  

What Makes You The Right Fit

• A Master’s or Ph.D. in Data Science, Computer Science, Statistics, Psycholinguistics, Anthropology, or a related field with a strong foundation in mathematical and statistical modeling—especially as applied to language and cognition.
• 5–8 years of hands-on experience in data science, machine learning/AI, computational linguistics, or mathematical linguistics.
• Proven ability to work with complex, multi-lingual datasets, applying advanced data preprocessing, feature engineering, and model evaluation techniques.
• Experience in leveraging linguistic and semantic analysis to extract insights from structured and unstructured data, including sensory and product-related information.
• Deep understanding of statistical modeling, hypothesis testing, regression analysis, and both Bayesian and frequentist approaches.
• Proficiency in one or more programming languages (i.e., Python & R)
• Hands-on experience with popular ML/AI frameworks - NLP libraries (e.g., spaCy, NLTK, Gensim) and LLM frameworks (e.g., Hugging Face Transformers, LangChain) : Expertise in classical NLP task (e.g., NER, sentiment analysis, topic modelling) and modern LLM applications (e.g., summarization, RAG).
• Familiarity with cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, Google Cloud), data warehousing, and compliance regulations.
• Knowledge of psycholinguistics, semantic memory models, and sensory perception frameworks to support flavor profiling and consumer behavior analysis.
• Ability to work cross-functionally with subject matter experts in chemistry, flavor science, and product development.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills in English (additional languages a plus), with the ability to translate complex technical concepts for diverse audiences.
  
  

Why Choose Us?

At IFF, we combine science and creativity to deliver solutions that make a difference. We offer:

• Be part of a mission-driven culture where your work truly makes a difference.
• Join a team that values individuality and fosters collaboration.
• Drive digital transformation in a global manufacturing environment.
• Access to cutting-edge technologies and tools and opportunities for learning, career advancement, and personal growth.
• Enjoy competitive compensation and benefits designed to support your well-being.
  
  

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