Sarah Chand (Nee Counsell) Email & Phone Number

Palmerston North, Nz

Palmerston North, New Zealand

Liaising with project teams to understand the sensory and consumer science need and therefore leading Product Experience Science work-streams for projects. I work to design and execute hypothesis-based research plans to enable teams to overcome technical hurdles or to develop novel foods in conjunction with others at the Fonterra Research and Development Centre. Build and maintain theoretical and technical sensory and consumer sciences subject matter expertise.

Palmerston North, New Zealand

As a Sensory Technologist at Fonterra, my role was to deliver sensory data via the leadership of rostered, trained panels and consumer panels. This is essential to the successful delivery of a range of projects, providing the quantitative and qualitative sensory assessment of new products being developed, comparing data against competitor’s products and when necessary, using the trained panel for forensic assessment of sensory defects in existing products. I was responsible for analysing data including checking trends and each panellist’s performance in terms of reliable and reproducible data. I researched innovative sensory methodologies and if appropriate, made recommendations of these methodologies for new projects to researchers.

Munich Area, Germany

I completed my Master of Science thesis (Sensory Science) at the Research, Development and Quality centre of Mondelēz International in Munich, Germany, in a joint collaboration with the University of Otago (New Zealand). The broad topic of my thesis was Consumer Inspired Quality and was a research approach exploring new consumer testing methodologies. My thesis involved identifying sensory testing methods to best define consumer driven quality in new product applications.

Munich Area, Germany

I completed a six month internship in Sensory & Consumer Science with Mondelēz International in Munich, Germany where I was a member of the Consumer Science team. My responsibilities included supporting the team for Cheese and Grocery work and this included organizing and conducting descriptive consumer work with trained panelists; for example, sample preparation and serving, leading test execution, test programming, data analysis using statistical approaches and completion of reports for different projects. I prepared reports and communicated them to the business directors with the support of my supervisor. I was exposed to different sensory test methods – descriptive, difference, and consumer tests for different regions. My focus was on the Cheese and Grocery category, in which the Munich site of Mondelēz International is the global dairy technical center for cheese development.

Dunedin, New Zealand

I was employed as a technical assistant for an international beef consumer trial. I gained practical experience of running a consumer trial and the logistics involved (sample preparation, tasting areas, transferring and serving samples, working with consumers, and maintaining confidentiality of the company funding the project and confidentiality of results).

Dunedin, New Zealand

I was offered a 10 week sensory science summer studentship at the University of Otago where I was based in the Department of Food Science and I worked with the descriptive sensory analysis panel on Sauvignon Blanc wine. The studentship also involved preparing a comprehensive research report and a one to two-page memo, summarizing the methods of experimentation and the key findings.

Master Of Science (Msc) (Distinction), Food Science, Distinction

Bachelor Of Science (Honours) (First Class), Food Science

Bachelor Of Science (Bsc), Food Science

Education record

NCEA Level 1, 2 & 3. Gained University Entrance.