Research Associate In Cellular Assay Development

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.

In Roche’s Pharmaceutical Research and Early Development organization (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.

Therapeutic Modalities (TMo) organization, accountable for translating disease biology into high-quality drug candidates across small molecules, large molecules, oligonucleotides, and genomic medicines. By integrating deep modality expertise with cross‑disciplinary collaboration, TMo drives innovation within and across platforms to enable differentiated, sustainable therapeutic impact.

Joining Small Molecule Research Discovery within Therapeutic Modalities, you will work within a highly engaged, cross‑functional team bridging cell biology, automation, and multiple therapeutic areas. In this role, you drive innovation through strong commitment to lab science by developing the foundational cellular models that power our drug discovery pipeline.

Your key responsibilities include:

• Developing, optimizing, and validating robust cell‑based functional assays—including complex 3D models—using technologies such as HTRF, AlphaLISA, Luminescence, and High-Content Imaging
• Miniaturizing cellular assays into high‑density plate formats (384‑well and 1536‑well plates), optimizing performance parameters such as Z’-factor and signal-to-background ratio
• Maintaining, characterizing, and performing quality control on a wide range of mammalian cell lines, including primary cells, continuous lines, and induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs)
• Partnering closely with the High‑Throughput Screening and Profiling team to seamlessly transfer new assays onto integrated robotic systems
• Running routine cellular assays to generate high‑quality data supporting structure‑activity relationship (SAR) studies for portfolio projects
• Analyzing complex screening datasets using modern scientific tools (e.g., Genedata Screener, Spotfire) and documenting workflows meticulously in Electronic Lab Notebooks (ELN)
• Serving as the primary cellular assay expert on multidisciplinary project teams, sharing insights across chemistry, High‑Throughput Screening and Profiling, and therapeutic area groups

You are a curious, highly motivated scientist who thrives on solving complex biological challenges. You bring a collaborative mindset, value diverse perspectives, and are eager to apply your expertise to discover life‑changing treatments.

• Master’s degree in Cell Biology, Molecular Biology, or a closely related scientific discipline
• 5+ years of relevant industry research experience focused on advanced cell culture and cell‑based assay development
• Demonstrated experience in miniaturizing assay workflows into 384‑ and 1536‑well plate formats and utilizing automated liquid‑handling systems
• Strong proficiency in data analysis, statistical evaluation, and presenting scientific findings clearly to multidisciplinary teams
• Fluency in English with strong interpersonal and communication skills
• Flexibility and a resourceful problem‑solving approach tailored to a dynamic lab environment
• Nice to have:
  Hands‑on experience with iPSC differentiation, 3D cellular models, or Design‑of‑Experiments (DoE) methodology

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.