Processing Tomato Plant Breeding Intern

Company Description

About Syngenta 

At Syngenta Vegetables and Flowers, we're cultivating tomorrow's variety through innovative breeding that brings vibrant colors to gardens and nutritious vegetables to tables worldwide. We combine centuries of seed heritage with cutting-edge innovation to develop resilient, high-performing varieties that thrive in diverse climates. Join us in shaping the future of sustainable horticulture, where every seed holds the potential to enhance lives through better nutrition and natural beauty. 

Job Description

At Syngenta, our goal is to build the most collaborative and trustworthy team in agriculture, providing top-quality seeds and innovative crop protection solutions that improve farmers' success. We invite you to help shape the future of agriculture and play a role in safely feeding the world while caring for our planet. 

Syngenta's R&D Team is seeking a Syngenta is seeking Processing Tomato Plant Breeding Intern in Woodland, CA. This internship roleoffers practical experience in vegetable crop improvement, with a focus on evaluating hybrid tomato performance in field and trial environments. The intern will work closely with breeders, technicians, and seasonal staff to help generate reliable data that informs hybrid advancement decisions.

As part of Syngenta's Emerging Talent Program, you will gain hands-on experience, exposure to day-to-day business operations, and opportunities to apply your academic knowledge to real-world challenges while developing your professional skills. 

Duration: mid-June 2027 to mid-September 2027.

Accountabilities:

• Assist with evaluating processing tomato hybrid trials.
• Collect field data on traits such as plant vigor, maturity, disease resistance, yield, and fruit quality.
• Support harvest activities, such as sample collection, plot evaluation, and accurate recording of observations.
• Enter, organize, and conduct basic quality checks on trial data using approved tools.
• Help prepare trial materials, labels, equipment, and field maps.
• Participate in team discussions on trial observations and learn how breeding data supports hybrid selection and advancement.
• Follow all Syngenta safety, stewardship, and operational procedures.

Qualifications

• Currently pursuing a degree in Plant Science, Agronomy, Horticulture, Biology, Agricultural Engineering, Data Science, or a related field.
• Interest in plant breeding, vegetable production, and agricultural research.
• Comfortable working outdoors in variable weather and performing physically active field tasks, such as standing, walking, and lifting, as appropriate.
• Strong attention to detail and ability to follow established protocols.
• Able to work independently while contributing effectively to a collaborative team.
• Basic familiarity with Excel or other data-management tools is preferred.
• A valid driver’s license and reliable transportation to the Woodland R&D site.

What the Intern Will Gain:

• Direct exposure to commercial processing tomato breeding and hybrid trial evaluation.
• Experience in field trial execution, phenotyping, and agricultural data collection.
• Insight into the decisions and cross-functional collaboration involved in advancing new vegetable hybrids.
• Mentorship from experienced breeding and research professionals.

Additional Information

Salary for this position ranges between $20 - $45 hourly.

What We Offer: 

• A culture that celebrates belonging and collaboration, promotes professional development and strives for a work-life balance that supports the team members. 
• ⁠Competitive wages
• Ongoing career development resources
• The opportunity to work on meaningful, innovative projects that solve problems

Syngenta is committed to creating a culture that celebrates belonging and collaboration, promotes professional development, and strives for a work-life balance that supports the team members 

Syngenta has been ranked as a top employer by Science Journal. Learn more about our team and our mission here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OVCN_51GbNI 

Syngenta is an Equal Opportunity Employer and does not discriminate in recruitment, hiring, training, promotion or any other employment practices for reasons of race, color, religion, gender, national origin, age, sexual orientation, marital or veteran status, disability, or any other legally protected status. 

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