Sensory Sceince       Tanya Metheringham       HND Applied Biology, University of Plymouth Sensory Scientist, Campden & Chorleywood Food Research Association Following University, I took up a temporary assignment at Kraft Foods International (KFI) in the Coffee R&D facility Sensory Department in Banbury, where I was involved in training staff and setting up the sensory panels used to evaluate different types of coffee. Sensory evaluation is very important for various types of coffees because they all have different aromas, flavours and colours. These sensory attributes influence which type of coffee consumers buy. After my temporary post I was given a permanent position as a Sensory Technician and promoted after a year to Sensory Scientist level. This involved managing all the discrimination panels, descriptive aroma panels internally and setting up all external panels and training assessors. Through the job I worked in Sweden, Germany and Poland. Whilst at Kraft, I also gained an understanding of quality systems and auditing, eventually becoming a fully trained Lloyds Internal Auditor. I joined Campden & Chorleywood Food Research Association (CCFRA) as a Higher Research Officer. CCFRA is a major centre for food research in the UK and a prestigious place to work! My position involves the management and planning of sensory contract work, using a panel of highly trained and experienced tasters. This appeals to me as I am now working on all food and drink products for a wide range of clients rather than just on coffee. My work also involves the design and presentation of special sensory training courses for food companies. I am the European liaison for Compusense QC software, a software program designed by CCFRA. The software is used in sensory evaluation assessments and I have been involved in its design and testing. My job involves extensive travel and I have recently been in Canada working with Compuserve. I really enjoy my job especially running customised sensory training courses, both at CCFRA, and in companies because this allows me to experience different panel environments in a variety of product areas.