Job Description

At Roche you can show up as yourself, embraced for the unique qualities you bring. Our culture encourages personal expression, open dialogue, and genuine connections, where you are valued, accepted and respected for who you are, allowing you to thrive both personally and professionally. This is how we aim to prevent, stop and cure diseases and ensure everyone has access to healthcare today and for generations to come. Join Roche, where every voice matters.
The Position
A healthier future. It's what drives us to innovate. To continuously advance science and ensure everyone has access to the healthcare they need today and for generations to come. Creating a world where we all have more time with the people we love. That's what makes us Roche.
In Roches Pharmaceutical Research and Early Development organisation (pRED), we make transformative medicines for patients in order to tackle some of the world's toughest unmet healthcare needs. At pRED, we are united by our mission to transform science into medicine. Together, we create a culture defined by curiosity, responsibility and humility, where our talented people are empowered and inspired to bring forward extraordinary life-changing innovation at speed.
The Therapeutic Modalities (TMo) function is part of the Roche Pharma Research and Early Development (pRED) organization. TMo discovers and optimizes innovative drug candidates including small molecules, biologics and nucleic acid-based therapeutics with the goal of delivering novel therapeutic approaches across all pRED Discovery and Translational areas (DTAs).
We are seeking a Scientist in Synthetic Biology with a strong background in recombinant adeno-associated virus (rAAV) gene therapies to join the Nucleic Acid-Based Medicine (NABM) group within the TMo division at pRED. As a member of NABM, you will collaborate with a diverse group of experts, committed to pioneering the next generation of viral and non-viral gene therapies, utilizing design-build-test-learn (DBTL) cycles to drive innovation. Together, we cultivate a vibrant and collaborative community, continually exploring and implementing innovative approaches in our research environment.
The Opportunity
Your role will focus on designing and testing genetic elements utilizing synthetic biology techniques and expertise to advance the development of novel AAV-based gene therapies. You will also work in the wet lab to test and identify lead molecules for further development in the drug discovery pipeline.
Your impact:

• You design, build, test and develop novel gene therapy payloads using computational tools and AI/ML models, focusing on large pooled library design to address disease targets.
• You collaborate closely with disease experts to integrate genetic, RNA, and protein elements into functional synthetic systems in mammalian cells.
• You apply advanced genome editing and cell engineering technologies to generate tailor-made cell lines for assays and screening, utilizing innovative approaches and multi-omics technologies.
• You independently design, perform and oversee experiments, using state-of-the-art software to analyze data, inform decision-making, and guide subsequent iterations.
• You engage with pRED disease experts to support new target proposals and take independent responsibility for experiment design, analysis, and interpretation.
• You supervise and coach staff members to foster a collaborative and productive work environment.
• You demonstrate scientific excellence by publishing research findings and presenting at internal and external scientific meetings.

Who you are

• You hold a PhD in Molecular Biotechnology, Molecular Biology, Synthetic Biology or a relevant scientific discipline and have hands-on experience in AAV-based gene therapy, preferably for neurological or ophthalmologic disorders.
• You bring experience and expertise in utilizing state-of-the-art gene editing and cell line engineering technologies, as well as a strong background in cutting-edge technologies for the generation and screening of barcoded libraries.
• You possess expertise in molecular biology and cell engineering (e.g., plasmid design, gene switches, RNA engineering, gene editing, library design & transformation, DNA sequencing, single cell technologies). Experience in the following techniques and readouts is also desired: FACS analysis, microscopy, cell culture automation and NGS.
• You bring hands-on experience with computational tools (R, Python) and with AI/ML models, for the design of genetic elements
• You have a flexible mindset, capable of working on innovative platform approaches and diverse projects/molecules, driven by problem-solving and the generation of high-quality data packages with a sense of urgency.
• You are fluent in English and have excellent communication and presentation skills.

Unwavering focus, collaborative teamwork and exceptional delivery are key behaviours that drive our mission of doing now what patients need next. Together, we can be transformative.
If you are passionate about contributing to a committed team and have the dedication to partnership and innovation, Roche is the place for you!
Every role at Roche plays a part in making a difference in patients' lives.
Apply now and join us in making an impact!
To formally apply for this position, please submit your CV and cover letter.
Who we are
A healthier future drives us to innovate. Together, more than 100'000 employees across the globe are dedicated to advance science, ensuring everyone has access to healthcare today and for generations to come. Our efforts result in more than 26 million people treated with our medicines and over 30 billion tests conducted using our Diagnostics products. We empower each other to explore new possibilities, foster creativity, and keep our ambitions high, so we can deliver life-changing healthcare solutions that make a global impact.
Let's build a healthier future, together.
Roche is an Equal Opportunity Employer.