Internship R&D - Automated behavioral monitoring of insects - Sept 2022 - M/W

InnovaFeed is a biotech company that produces natural and sustainable ingredients for animal feed and plant nutrition from insect rearing (Hermetia illucens). 

We contribute to the growth of a high-quality fish farming sector by providing a new source of sustainable, natural and high-performance protein. We also produce high-quality insect oil than can be used in poultry and swine feed, as an alternative to imported oils. Our oil is rich in lauric acid, known for its anti-microbial properties. Finally, insect dejections are used as an organic fertilizer, closing the nitrogen loop in a circular way. 

InnovaFeeds’ innovating insect rearing process is deployed on an industrial scale to address the strain on natural resources in a responsible and sustainable way. 

Leveraging expertise at the forefront of biotech research, our unique model is supported by many key actors in the scientific, political and financial fields.

 

Innovafeed contributes to the construction of a sustainable food system by developing

a pioneering and innovative industry: the breeding and processing of insects (Hermetia Illucens fly).

 

Our mission:

- To have a positive overall environmental impact based on circular economy and inspired by natural food chains;

- To generate territorial economic dynamism : in order to feed and raise our larvaes, we are co-located with agro-industrial partners that provide us with co-products and low footprint energy.

 

Incorporated in 2016, Innovafeed manufactures and sells 3 different insect-based products:

- For a high-quality aquaculture respectful of animals’ natural diets, insect protein is obviously the best fish feed, particularly for salmon and trout that you would fly fish in a river! 🐟

- For a sustainable farming respectful of animal welfare, insect oil is efficient for feeding animals like poultry and pig 🐤 

- For a regenerative agriculture respectful of soils’ integrity, insects feces are leveraged as an efficient organic fertilizer  🌱  

 

The success of our project depends on a dynamic and talented team. We opened the first production site in Gouzeaucourt (Hauts-de-France) in 2017.

We launched our second production site in Nesle (Somme) at the end of 2020: and it is 20x times larger than Gouzeaucourt!

We also have strong ambitions about our international development in the US and in the North of Europe.

To finance this scale-up, we have raised more than €200 M, through prestigious investors like Creadev, Temasek, business angels but also local and regional financial supports.

 

We are experiencing significant growth through strong market traction and significant production scale-up.

That’s why we need a strong team which shares the same values in order to reach our goal: to become the world’s insect protein leader!

 

Therefore we are looking for new talents able to get deeply involved in our amibious and dynamic company.

You believe in the insect protein potential and you are convinced of the central position it should hold in the food chain? Then, we believe you are ready to on-board the InnovaFeed adventure!

Our recruitment process is objective, inclusive and fair. It’s very important for us to offer from the start a clear, smooth and constructive recruitment experience for each applicant.

 

Within the R&D team, you will work closely with Rachel, R&D Project Manager, to better

understand our insects' behavior in an industrial production setting and use this understanding to improve performance.

More precisely, you will be in charge of:

 

- Observing insect behavior from videos, summarizing and analyzing data (creating an annotated behavioral database)

- Setting up experimental cages, collecting biological samples, collecting environmental data with sensors

- Contributing to an interdisciplinary team charged with developing a computer vision-based approach to enable automated behavioral monitoring

- Developing novel methodologies to study insect behavior and enable us to improve production outcomes.

 

 

You are a master student in an engineering school, food engineering school or equivalent.

Self-driven and creative, you enjoy working independently but are also a team player. Organized, detail-oriented, and meticulous about recording information in an organized,

standardized format and following instructions.

Curious, and a natural problem-solver, you are able to complete day-to-day tasks while not losing sight of the big picture, and not easily frustrated when unexpected problems come up that need troubleshooting.

You are technology-savvy, and interested in applying technology to study animal behavior

(experience with animal behavior research, and annotating behavioral data from videos a big plus!)

You must be able to communicate (written and oral) in English as your manager is a native

English speaker.

- A customized on-boarding process to discover our business through an operator training and the role of each team through dedicated presentations ;

- A particular care in the follow-up of your integration via specific exchanges and a feedback report;

- Alan's mutual insurance and provident fund for all;

- An important involvement of the employees in the growth and construction of the company (working groups, surveys...);

- An internal training program to allow you to develop.