Discovery Postdoctoral Fellow, Target Identification and Mechanistic Biology Antimalarial D

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.

Internal

Job Title:

Discovery Postdoctoral Fellow

Position Location:

San Diego, CA, USA (Onsite)

• Novartis is unable to offer relocation support for this role: please only apply if this location is accessible for you.
• This position is not eligible for visa sponsorship. Please only apply if you are currently authorized to work in the US for the 3‑year duration of the program.
• This is a full‑time training position of up to three years in duration.

Malaria remains a major global health challenge, and the molecular targets and mechanisms of action of several promising antimalarial compounds remain incompletely understood. In this Discovery Postdoctoral Fellowship, you will develop and apply innovative target‑identification and interactomics approaches to uncover the biological pathways underlying parasite survival and drug response.

The fellow will establish a T7 phage display library representing the blood‑stage proteome of Plasmodium falciparum and apply this resource to identify targets and interaction partners of next‑generation antimalarial compounds. Using complementary approaches including phage display, mass spectrometry‑based proteomics, and computational analyses, the fellow will investigate protein interaction networks and generate mechanistic insights into parasite biology and therapeutic response.

This project combines expertise in malaria biology, phage display technology, and quantitative proteomics within a highly collaborative and multidisciplinary environment. Working closely with scientists across Global Health and Discovery Sciences, the fellow will contribute to fundamental discoveries in parasite biology while developing expertise in state‑of‑the‑art technologies for target identification and mechanism‑of‑action studies. Successful outcomes are expected to generate impactful publications and provide new opportunities for antimalarial drug discovery.

The Novartis Biomedical Research Postdoctoral Fellowship 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 designed to help fellows thrive throughout their careers
• Personalized experiential learning opportunities through a Postdoc Practicum that empower 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

At Novartis, our purpose is to reimagine medicine to improve and extend people’s lives. Through this program, you will grow as a scientist and future leader while contributing to discoveries that may ultimately benefit patients worldwide.

The start date for the 2026 Novartis   Postdoctoral Fellowship Program cohort is October 1, 2026. Please confirm your availability to meet this date in your cover letter.

• Design, construct, and characterize phage display libraries representing the blood‑stage
  * Plasmodium falciparum
  * proteome
• Develop and optimize phage display screening workflows for target identification and protein interaction mapping
• Propose and execute biochemical, structural, and cell‑based validation studies for candidate targets and interaction partners
• Collaborate closely with scientists across malaria biology, proteomics, structural biology, and…