Post Doctorate Scientist

Roche fosters diversity, equity and inclusion, representing the communities we serve. When dealing with healthcare on a global scale, diversity is an essential ingredient to success. We believe that inclusion is key to understanding people’s varied healthcare needs. Together, we embrace individuality and share a passion for exceptional care. Join Roche, where every voice matters.

The Position

At Roche, we believe it’s urgent to deliver medical solutions right now – even as we develop innovations for the future. We are passionate about transforming patients’ lives and we are fearless in both decision and action. And we believe that good business means a better world.

That is why we come to work each day. We commit ourselves to scientific rigor, unassailable ethics, and access to medical innovations for all. We do this today to build a better tomorrow.

In Roche’s 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 medicines. 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.

For the past two decades, approaches to predict drug pharmacokinetics of small molecules have relied on in vitro to in vivo extrapolation whereby measured properties are scaled up using physiological parameters and following mechanistic principles. This approach feeds into mechanistic physiologically based pharmacokinetic (PBPK) models that are applied to predict human pharmacokinetic properties and run simulations that guide drug development.

In recent years, we have built machine learning models that can predict pharmacokinetics parameters of interest. They can be used independently or jointly with physiologically-based models to estimate PK parameters of drugs. There is an urgent need to improve their explainability, to understand which models perform best for which molecular types and for which task, and to use them for uncertainty quantification.

This position is sponsored by the Roche Postdoctoral Fellowship (RPF) Programme. The project requires strong skills and experience in machine learning and in particular generative models, especially protein language models, graph neural networks, and knowledge in small-molecule and protein chemistry. This candidate is jointly supported by multiple experts in the field of machine learning, PBPK, and PK/PD modelling. The duration of the RPF project is initially set for two years, with the possibility of extension for a third year. You will be based in Roche Innovation Center Basel.

Requirements:

• PhD degree in the fields of machine learning, artificial intelligence, or computational biology.

• Practical experience and hands-on experience in developing, benchmarking, and operationalization of deep-learning based methods.

• Strong background and interest in applying computational methods to address chemistry and biology questions are a must

• Good command of the English language.

• Team player, good communicator, focused working style with mindset to deliver

The applicants must have their doctorate no more than 4 years before the start date.

Who we are

At Roche, more than 100,000 people across 100 countries are pushing back the frontiers of healthcare. Working together, we’ve become one of the world’s leading research-focused healthcare groups. Our success is built on innovation, curiosity and diversity.

Basel is the headquarters of the Roche Group and one of its most important centres of pharmaceutical research. Over 10,700 employees from over 100 countries come together at our Basel/Kaiseraugst site, which is one of Roche`s largest sites. Read more.

Besides extensive development and training opportunities, we offer flexible working options, 18 weeks of maternity leave and 10 weeks of gender independent partnership leave. Our employees also benefit from multiple services on site such as child-care facilities, medical services, restaurants and cafeterias, as well as various employee events.

We believe in the power of diversity and inclusion, and strive to identify and create opportunities that enable all people to bring their unique selves to Roche.