Principal Scientist - Translational Medicine, Oncology
Roche
Summary
As a Principal Scientist in Translational Medicine Oncology, you will serve as a vital scientific anchor bridging discovery research and clinical development. You will lead biomarker discovery and translational strategy for innovative oncology clinical pipelines, working directly on early- to late-stage clinical programs.
Job description
The Opportunity
As a Principal Scientist in Translational Medicine Oncology, you will serve as a vital scientific anchor bridging discovery research and clinical development. You will lead biomarker discovery and translational strategy for innovative oncology clinical pipelines, working directly on early- to late-stage clinical programs.
Responsibilities
- Design, implement, and drive end-to-end pharmacodynamic and predictive biomarker strategies across first-in-human through registrational clinical studies.
- Champion hypothesis-driven translational research to identify novel biomarkers of therapeutic response, mechanisms of clinical resistance, and tumor microenvironment dynamics.
- Integrate and leverage high-dimensional data—including multi-omic profiling, spatial biology, single-cell platforms, and functional immune assays—in partnership with computational scientists and AI-driven platforms.
- Lead the authoring, review, and strategic integration of biomarker and translational sections within clinical trial protocols, regulatory submissions, clinical study reports, and investigator brochures.
- Partner cross-functionally across Research, Clinical Development, Clinical Pharmacology, Companion Diagnostics, Biostatistics, Regulatory, and Clinical Operations to ensure seamless scientific alignment.
- Partner with Operations team to provide scientific leadership and strategic guidance for trial design, implementation, and conduct.
- Drive scientific engagement externally with academic collaborators, clinical trial investigators, and key opinion leaders (KOLs) while disseminating breakthrough science via high-impact peer-reviewed publications and conference presentations.
Who you are
- Hold a PhD, MD, or MD/PhD in Molecular Biology, Cancer Biology, Immunology, Computational Biology, Bioinformatics, or a related life sciences discipline.
- Possess significant graduate or postdoctoral research experience demonstrating scientific excellence and rigor through a record of first-author publications in peer-reviewed journals.
- Prior post-graduate industry experience or significant postdoctoral experience is required.
- Bring technical knowledge in biomarker/translational research methodologies, including molecular profiling, multi-omics, single-cell genomics, or spatial biology.
- Exhibit exceptional cross-functional collaboration and communication skills, with the ability to translate complex biological concepts into actionable clinical insights across multidisciplinary teams.
- Demonstrate proficiency with or solid exposure to computational biology workflows and biological data analysis (familiarity with R and/or Python).
Preferred
- Prior industry experience within oncology drug discovery, translational oncology, or clinical development.
- Practical experience or strong enthusiasm for leveraging machine learning and emerging agentic/generative AI tools to accelerate translational discovery and multi-modal data interpretation.
- Deep subject matter expertise or a focused research background in lung cancer and/or colorectal cancer.
- Experience collaborating on companion diagnostics (CDx) development and clinical protocol execution.
Requirements
- PhD, MD, or MD/PhD in Molecular Biology, Cancer Biology, Immunology, Computational Biology, Bioinformatics, or a related life sciences discipline
- Significant graduate or postdoctoral research experience with first-author publications in peer-reviewed journals
- Prior post-graduate industry experience or significant postdoctoral experience
- Technical knowledge in biomarker/translational research methodologies including molecular profiling, multi-omics, single-cell genomics, or spatial biology
- Exceptional cross-functional collaboration and communication skills
- Proficiency with or solid exposure to computational biology workflows and biological data analysis (R and/or Python)
Benefits
- Hybrid schedule (3 days on campus)
- Discretionary annual bonus
- Relocation benefits not available
Company overview
Roche is a Swiss multinational healthcare company and a global pioneer in pharmaceuticals and diagnostics, founded in 1896 and headquartered in Basel, Switzerland. As the world's largest biotech company and the fifth-largest pharmaceutical company by revenue, Roche operates through two primary divisions: Pharmaceuticals and Diagnostics. The company is renowned for its leadership in personalized healthcare, combining strengths in both drug development and diagnostic testing to deliver tailored treatments for patients. Roche maintains a strong focus on oncology, immunology, infectious diseases, ophthalmology, and central nervous system disorders, with a portfolio that includes over 30 medicines on the World Health Organization's Model Lists of Essential Medicines. The company owns significant subsidiaries including Genentech, Chugai Pharmaceuticals, Ventana Medical Systems, and Foundation Medicine. With approximately 103,000 employees worldwide and operations in over 100 countries, Roche has established itself as a leader in cancer treatments globally while maintaining a robust pipeline of innovative therapies and diagnostic solutions. The company's commitment to sustainability has been recognized through ten consecutive years as Group Leader in the Dow Jones Sustainability Indices within the Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences Industry.