Innovation Postdoctoral Fellow in Biologics

Summary

We are excited to invite applications for the Novartis Biomedical Research Postdoctoral Fellowship Program, a unique training opportunity designed for exceptional early-career scientists eager to tackle some of the most challenging problems in biomedical research and drug discovery.

Location:

Basel, Switzerland
Duration: 3 years
Program start date:
October 1, 2026
Final date to receive applications:
July 15, 2026 EOB

As a Postdoctoral Research Fellow, you will join the Biologics Research Center (BRC) in Basel and pursue an innovative research project at the forefront of biomedical science and drug discovery. You will work alongside leading scientists in a highly collaborative, multidisciplinary environment while gaining exposure to the broader ecosystem that translates scientific discovery into medicines.

You will join the Cell Line Screening & Development unit, which develops manufacturing CHO cell lines for Novartis’s complex biotherapeutics pipeline. In this role, you will focus on advancing a next-generation CHO platform by evaluating transposon-based gene integration systems. Your project will support an end‑to‑end production platform that spans early research, clinical, and commercial supply. You will also establish high‑throughput capabilities for future AI/machine‑learning approaches, from plasmid library design to screening systems, and identify multi‑specific antibody producers with optimal productivity and quality.

Additionally, you will apply state‑of‑the‑art genetic characterization to the resulting CHO pools and clones and help generate AI‑ready data, contributing to faster and more reliable generation of production cell lines for next‑generation biologics.

The program is designed to develop the next generation of scientific leaders and power the future of medicine through rigorous research and immersive learning experiences, including the implementation of AI tools in biomedical research.

• Guidance from accomplished scientific leaders and subject‑matter experts
• Access to advanced technologies, platforms, and research capabilities
• Collaboration across disciplines and organizational boundaries
• A global and diverse community of postdoctoral fellows
• Dedicated programming to help fellows thrive throughout their careers
• Personalized experiential learning opportunities through a Postdoc Practicum that empowers fellows to explore new scientific domains, build cross‑functional expertise, and expand their impact beyond their primary research project
• Opportunities to present research, publish in leading journals, and build an international scientific network

• Design and perform high‑throughput molecular cloning of plasmids and plasmid libraries
• Establish and optimize transposon-based workflows for stable gene integration and generation of engineered CHO cell pools
• Culture, maintain, transfect, and characterize mammalian cells, with a primary focus on CHO suspension cell system
• Design and execute experiments to compare transposon system performance, including integration efficiency, pool diversity, expression levels, productivity, and stability
• Develop, optimize, and troubleshoot protocols for cell pool generation, selection, and expansion
• Apply molecular biology and analytical methods to characterize engineered cell pools, including assessment of transgene integrity, expression, copy number, and productivity where appropriate
• Collaborate closely with scientists across the Biologics Research Center, Technical Research & Development, and automation/data science functions
• Analyze, interpret, and clearly communicate experimental results through presentations, reports, and scientific discussions
• Document technical developments and contribute to invention disclosures and patent filings

• PhD (or equivalent doctoral degree) in a relevant scientific discipline completed prior to the fellowship start date (PhD conferred in 2026 only)
• Demonstrated record of scientific achievement (publications, presentations, patents, or equivalent)
• Strong commitment to learning, innovation, and professional…