Data Scientist – Sensory Modeling

Role Overview

Data Scientist – Sensory Modeling at NielsenIQ. This remote US-based role develops advanced statistical and machine learning models to translate sensory and consumer data into actionable insights for product innovation and development across FMCG categories and markets.

What You’ll Do

• Develop advanced statistical and machine learning models to analyze and predict consumer sensory preferences across products, markets, and demographics.
• Design and implement models for latent harmonization of sensory and consumer datasets across studies, methods, and geographies.
• Build and apply Bayesian and hierarchical/mixed-effects models to estimate liking and sensory attribute performance.
• Create frameworks for partial pooling and cross-product generalization.
• Translate sensory panel data into probabilistic predictions aligned with reference populations.
• Partner with research and client success teams to design consumer sensory studies and experimental frameworks.
• Validate and calibrate models for robustness, interpretability, and business relevance.
• Prototype and productionize scalable analytics pipelines.
• Automate data harmonization and reporting across sensory and consumer datasets.
• Communicate results clearly to stakeholders and translate insights into R&D and product development recommendations.

Requirements

• Master’s or Ph.D. in Statistics, Data Science, Computer Science, or related field.
• Strong foundation in probability and Bayesian inference.
• Experience with hierarchical/mixed-effects models and latent variable modeling.
• Hands-on experience with variational inference and/or MCMC.
• Experience working with consumer or sensory data (preferably FMCG or adjacent industries).
• Understanding of sensory data methodologies such as hedonics, JAR, CATA, and trained vs. untrained panels.
• Proficiency in Python and/or R.
• Experience with machine learning techniques.
• Strong data engineering and SQL capabilities.
• Experience in cloud environments (e.g., Azure).
• Excellent communication skills and ability to translate complex findings into business insights.

Preferred / Differentiating Experience

• Experience in sensory/consumer science or consumer research analytics.
• Experience designing experiments for sensory and consumer studies.
• Experience integrating multi-study datasets (sensory, consumer, product data).
• Familiarity with marketing science and innovation analytics.
• Understanding of end-to-end product development and innovation processes.
• Ability to build reusable, scalable modeling frameworks.
• Experience addressing panelist effects, scale-use bias, and cross-cultural differences.
• Experience integrating heterogeneous datasets into unified modeling frameworks.
• Exposure to formulation/ingredient-level data and its relationship to sensory perception.