Senior​/Principal Research Associate, Biochemical Methods in Neurodegeneration Drug Discovery

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.

As a Biology Laboratory Research Associate, you will be an integral member and contributor within the Neural Signalling Section, a dynamic research unit within at the heart of the NRD therapeutic area. The overarching goal of the Neural Signalling Section is to advance move forward drug discovery projects from target assessment to early clinical development phase. Our focus is in the therapeutic area of neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease.

You will collaborate closely with experts across various laboratories within NRD, as well as with teams from other departments in the collaborative drug discovery matrix of pRED, to translate research hypotheses into innovative therapeutics that address brain disorders.

Your role will encompass:

• Protein Biochemistry:
  Expression and purification of recombinant and synthetic proteins, peptides, and protein aggregates for downstream analysis and QCing with immunoassay, various biophysical and imaging methods, as well as cellular and in vivo applications. The optimization of existing methods and development of new work streams is part of your responsibility.

• Tissue- and cell biochemistry:
  Processing of brain tissue and cell culture material (e.g. fractionation with sucrose density centrifugation, gel filtration etc.) for downstream biochemical, immunoassay and gene expression analysis. Optimize current methods and enable upscaling of protocols.

• Protein analytics:
  Optimize and perform analytical work streams to robustly and reproducibly generate protein aggregates for various downstream applications.

• Drug discovery:
  Contribute to identifying and validating novel therapeutic targets, support compound screening, and mechanistic studies.

• Analytical Skills & Scientific Communication:
  Execute independent complex data analysis and interpretation, statistical analysis, and present findings, conclusions, and methods to expert teams. Building new research hypotheses, developing experimental plans, and proposing key experiments is expected from more senior applicants.

• Collaboration & Leadership:
  Work closely with cross‑functional teams, share lab organizational duties, and actively contribute to a positive and collaborative work atmosphere. You will also provide guidance and share knowledge to fellow research associates, trainees, scientists, and students.

We are looking for someone with a deep scientific curiosity and a sense of urgency to deliver innovation. You can work independently and excel in a collaborative and inclusive team environment.

• Required Qualifications:
  
  You have a bachelor’s or master’s degree in Biochemistry, Neuroscience, Biology, Life Sciences, Biomedicine, or a related field, with at least 5 years of full‑time laboratory experience, or you are holding a Biology Research Associate apprenticeship certificate or similar vocational training. Strong laboratory expertise in the biology of proteinopathies related to alpha‑synuclein, Abeta, or other intrinsically disordered proteins is required. Having several years of industry lab experience is a plus.

• Technical
  
  Skills:
  
  You excel in biochemical methods such as protein expression (from
  
  E.coli, insect cells), purification (e.g.,FPLC, HPLC - HIC, SEC, IEC, IAC), Western blot and related capillary high‑throughput platforms, immunoassays and biochemical assays such as ELISA and FRET‑based assays. Experience in working with imaging technologies, microfluidics, in omics technologies or mammalian cell culture is a plus but not a must. You are a continuous learner of new methods and skills.

• Computational skills:
  Excellent data management and record keeping skills including use of Electronic Lab…