Postdoc Materials Science

Who we are

At Roche, 80,000 people across 150 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.

The headquarters in Basel is one of Roche’s largest sites, over 8,000 people from approximately 80 countries work at Roche Basel. Favored by its geographic location in the heart of Europe, the Basel area is one of the most dynamic economic regions in Switzerland — a great place to live and work.

The Position

The global department for Technical Development of Small Molecules transforms synthetic molecules into medicines. We develop robust, cost-efficient manufacturing processes while delivering clinical supplies and creating knowledge through innovation and continuous improvement in an environment of collaboration. Within the cross-functional Technical Research and Development organization the Materials Science Group develops final and finishing steps of the manufacturing process for small molecule drug candidates. As part of the Solid Form Screening Cluster we are also responsible for the identification and characterization of possible solid forms (salts, cocrystals, polymorphs and solvates) of new drug candidate molecules.

The main responsibilities of this postdoctoral position within the Materials Science Group are:

• Establish survey of potentially interesting alternative crystallization methods to reveal solid forms that are not easily accessible with the currently established methods
• Assess the methods with regard to relevant criteria (e.g. low consumption of compound, parallelization of experiments, applicability to highly active compounds, etc.)
• Evaluate pre-selected methods and compile concepts for the technical and organizational in-house implementation
• Promote the realization of the selected techniques
• Formulate decision trees (e.g. depending on type of screen, project phase, compound properties, etc.) for the application of the various methods
• Apply the established methods for development compounds

Who you are

You’re someone who wants to influence your own development. You’re looking for a company where you have the opportunity to pursue your interests across functions and geographies. Where a job title is not considered the final definition of who you are, but the starting point.

The evaluation of such methods requires a strong theoretical and practical background in solid state chemistry. The ideal candidate will have completed or is about to complete a PhD in (Physical) Chemistry, with a strong focus on solid state analytics (e.g. X-ray diffraction, spectroscopy, thermoanalysis, etc.) and/or crystallization. The following skills are regarded as equally important:

• High level of motivation to find technically sophisticated solutions for scientific challenges
• Strong experimental skills in a laboratory environment
• Result-oriented working and implementation of innovative ideas
• Ability to work collaboratively as well as independently
• Openness and flexibility to work in an interdisciplinary and multicultural environment
• Flair for operating computer assisted systems
• Excellent communication skills in english, including some basic knowledge of German or willingness to learn German

Job ID No.: 2957184943