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Principal Scientist – Translational Medicine (Tumor Microenvironment)

Roche

South San Francisco, CAHybridPosted 6 days ago$141,500 - $262,900/year
Full TimeSenior LevelResearch & ScientistPharmaceutical
Original posting ↗

Summary

The Principal Scientist in Translational Medicine Oncology will support one or more translational programs contributing to the clinical development of oncology therapeutics. The successful candidate will be a key member of the Translational Medicine subteam, designing, developing, and implementing pharmacodynamic and predictive biomarker strategies across early- and late-stage clinical trials.

Job description

This role also includes developing and leading hypothesis-driven translational research focused on identifying and developing novel biomarkers of therapeutic response and resistance, as well as uncovering disease-specific mechanistic insights. The candidate will collaborate closely on cross-functional biomarker efforts, working with colleagues across Research, Clinical Development, Diagnostics, Computational Science, Clinical Pharmacology, Regulatory, and Biostatistics.

Strong scientific communication and collaboration with both internal and external stakeholders—including key opinion leaders (KOLs) and academic partners—will be critical to advancing translational objectives and disease area strategies in oncology. The Principal Scientist will also contribute to the scientific community through impactful publications and presentations at national and international conferences.

We are particularly interested in highly motivated scientists with strong postdoctoral training who are excited to help bridge discovery science and clinical development in oncology. Prior industry drug development experience is not required.

The Opportunity

As a member of the Translational Medicine team, you will:

  • Develop and execute biomarker strategies for oncology therapeutics from first-in-human through registrational clinical studies.
  • Partner cross-functionally with Research, Clinical Development, Clinical Pharmacology, Biostatistics, Regulatory, and Companion Diagnostics to ensure scientific alignment and enable data-driven decision-making.
  • Contribute to cross-functional project teams, ensuring alignment with overall program goals, timelines, and translational objectives.
  • Develop and deploy next-generation biomarker assays across clinical programs to support development decisions and translational research efforts in oncology.
  • Design and implement translational research plans leveraging clinical samples, multi-omic profiling, spatial biology, single-cell technologies, functional immune assays, and emerging AI-enabled analytical approaches, including agentic AI tools, to uncover mechanisms of response, resistance, tumor microenvironment interactions, and disease evolution.
  • Contribute mechanistic understanding of tumor microenvironment dynamics and immune engagement to inform development and translational strategies for next-generation oncology therapeutics, including T cell engager approaches.
  • Work closely with computational, translational, and laboratory scientists to integrate complex biological datasets and generate clinically actionable insights.
  • Communicate project progress, challenges, and opportunities to leadership and stakeholders through presentations and written reports.
  • Write and review biomarker- and disease-related sections of clinical protocols, study reports, regulatory documents, abstracts, and manuscripts.
  • Contribute to external scientific engagement through collaborations and advisory interactions with academic investigators, clinical trialists, and biomarker experts.
  • Publish impactful research in leading scientific journals and represent the organization at scientific and medical conferences worldwide.

Who You Are

  • PhD, MD, or MD/PhD in molecular biology, cancer biology, immunology, computational biology, bioinformatics, or a related field.
  • Demonstrated scientific excellence through impactful graduate or postdoctoral research, including first-author publications in high-quality peer-reviewed journals.
  • 3-5 years of experience with translational research approaches including molecular profiling, multi-omic analyses, spatial biology, single-cell technologies, and/or functional immune assays is preferred.
  • Demonstrated expertise in advanced quantitative and computational approaches is essential for this position, including the ability to independently analyze complex, high-dimensional biological datasets, apply statistical and computational methods, and translate findings into actionable biological insights.
  • Interest in leveraging innovative computational approaches, including emerging AI-enabled and agentic AI tools, to support biomarker discovery, translational insight generation, and data interpretation is a plus.
  • Strong scientific curiosity with the ability to independently develop hypotheses and translate complex biological observations into mechanistic insight.
  • Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to communicate complex scientific concepts to multidisciplinary audiences.
  • Ability to thrive in a collaborative, fast-paced, shifting priorities, and highly dynamic research environment.
  • Demonstrated ability to collaborate effectively across diverse scientific disciplines and contribute positively to team culture.

Preferred

  • Strong expertise or scientific interest in tumor microenvironment biology and prostate cancer.
  • Knowledge of R and/or Python is preferred.

Requirements

  • PhD, MD, or MD/PhD in molecular biology, cancer biology, immunology, computational biology, bioinformatics, or a related field
  • Demonstrated scientific excellence through impactful graduate or postdoctoral research, including first-author publications in high-quality peer-reviewed journals
  • 3-5 years of experience with translational research approaches including molecular profiling, multi-omic analyses, spatial biology, single-cell technologies, and/or functional immune assays is preferred
  • Demonstrated expertise in advanced quantitative and computational approaches, including the ability to independently analyze complex, high-dimensional biological datasets, apply statistical and computational methods, and translate findings into actionable biological insights
  • Interest in leveraging innovative computational approaches, including emerging AI-enabled and agentic AI tools, is a plus
  • Strong scientific curiosity with the ability to independently develop hypotheses and translate complex biological observations into mechanistic insight
  • Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to communicate complex scientific concepts to multidisciplinary audiences
  • Ability to thrive in a collaborative, fast-paced, shifting priorities, and highly dynamic research environment
  • Demonstrated ability to collaborate effectively across diverse scientific disciplines and contribute positively to team culture
  • Strong expertise or scientific interest in tumor microenvironment biology and prostate cancer
  • Knowledge of R and/or Python is preferred

Benefits

  • Discretionary annual bonus
  • Medical, Dental & Vision
  • 401(k)

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.

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