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Some of our employees give you an insight into the opportunities in R&D in Unilever.

Andrew Cox

Andrew Cox - Ice Cream, Colworth UK

"There are two major plus points about working in Unilever R&D. One is the fact that you are given freedom to be adventurous in your research and do what you need to make it work. The other is the fact that you work in highly diverse teams, where you can always learn from others and also make your expertise count in delivering innovation."

Marcia de Ferran

Marcia de Ferran - Global Appraisal & Consumer Technical Insights Manager, Port Sunlight UK

"Some people think R&D is just about formulating products. But there's also how the product performs – does it really deliver the benefits we think it does, and can we legitimately tell consumers about those benefits, and that it is better than ever and so on? That's what I do."

Yann Leray

Yann Leray - Hair research, Evaluation, Port Sunlight UK

"What is most satisfying about working in Unilever R&D is the diversity of people – both the diversity of cultures and also of scientific backgrounds. You might find yourself in a session one day brainstorming an issue with ten scientists, all experts in different scientific fields – it's fascinating."

David Liu

David Liu - Research Manager, Unilever Research China, Shanghai

"The first time I became aware of Unilever was about 15 years ago as a student. I remember trying Lux shampoo and being amazed at the benefits it delivered – much better than any previous products I had used."

Stella Peace

Dr Stella Peace - Beverages, Colworth UK

"Throughout my time with Unilever I have been amazed by the spectrum of activities that I have experienced. Working in multidisciplinary teams to drive technology into the marketplace provides thrills and challenges that I could never have anticipated when I made the step out of academia."

Ana Aguilera

Ana María Aguilera - director of health and nutrition, Unilever Latin America, Chile

"I really want to make a vital contribution to our children's nutrition and health."

Dave Mela

Dave Mela - senior scientist, Vlaardingen, The Netherlands

"What I would like to achieve at Unilever is to be part of a team that creates innovative and beneficial products that are successes for us and for our consumers."

Hans Timmer

Hans Timmer - R&D project leader, Vlaardingen, The Netherlands

"There are brilliant, brilliant scientists here. That’s the reason I’m here. There is so much potential."

Irene Smit-Kingma

Irene Smit-Kingma - product development manager, Vlaardingen, The Netherlands

"It was also exciting to discover that the expertise I had gained in laundry could be applied to food research. That kind of research is often about emulsions and interfaces. Whether they’re for washing or for eating, from a scientific perspective doesn’t really matter."

Marti van Liere

Marti van Liere - manager, Vlaardingen, The Netherlands

"The private sector can help public health organisations tremendously by using their research, product development and marketing capabilities. For me, partnerships are not about charity, but rather how to combine our business objectives with our social objectives."

Sergey Melnikov

Sergey Melnikov - skill-base leader, Vlaardingen, The Netherlands

"We performed studies, ran experiments and, what’s very satisfying for a scientist, published papers. Essentially looking at food-body interactions and bioaccessibility. To me, this is a fascinating area. It’s playing in the grey area between food and nutraceuticals."

Miriam Ueberall

Miriam Überall - portfolio manager, Vlaardingen, The Netherlands

"My criteria for an employer were: a multinational, a job that allows me to go abroad, an international environment and career opportunities. This is what I really like about Unilever. You have a full range of opportunities. And I’m making use of them."

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