Discovery Scientist - Neural Retina & Ocular Disease

Discovery Scientist - Neural Retina & Ocular Disease

Roche

Basel, Switzerland

The Position

Our Ophthalmology team in Basel focuses on discovering novel therapeutic approaches for major eye diseases, encompassing dry AMD/geographic atrophy and neovascular forms, as well as diabetic retinopathy, and other retinal vascular diseases. We are seeking a highly motivated Discovery Scientist with specialized expertise in the neural retina and retinal pathology, including processes such as inflammation, vascular dysfunction, ischemia, fibrosis, and neurodegeneration, to drive our early-stage drug discovery efforts.

The opportunity

In this role, your key responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

• Target Identification & Validation: Utilize and establish advanced in vitro and in vivo models of ocular disease, and leverage available patient sample datasets to identify, validate, and characterize novel therapeutic drug targets;
• Therapeutic Approach Development: Identify and evaluate optimal therapeutic modalities for selected targets;
• Project Leadership: Independently lead and manage drug discovery projects from target initiation through early clinical development stages (up to Phase II readiness);
• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Partner with interdisciplinary teams across pRED (including bioinformatics, safety, and translational medicine) to advance pipeline programs.
• External Collaboration: Initiating and leading external collaboration projects to bolster internal efforts. Manage CRO activities, including project design, timelines, and quality of deliverables;
• Scientific Communication: Present research findings at internal decision-making meetings, author high-impact publications in top-tier peer-reviewed journals, and represent Roche at international scientific conferences;
• Discovery Lab Management: Support and coordinate safety, health, and environmental processes in the lab.

You who are:

• You hold a PhD in Biology, Neuroscience, Biochemistry, or a related life sciences discipline;
• You have completed a Postdoctoral Fellowship in Vision Research, Neural Retina, Ophthalmology, or a closely related field;
• You bring comprehensive knowledge of neural retina biology and the mechanisms underlying retinal disease pathogenesis, together with a proven track record of conducting experiments using models of ocular angiogenesis, fibrosis, inflammation, or neurodegeneration;
• You have direct hands-on experience in animal handling and/or ocular procedures, OR demonstrated expertise in developing novel 2D/3D model systems, such as organoids or organ-on-a-chip. You also bring experience in cell/tissue culture, -omics technologies, and/or basic bioinformatic tools;
• You demonstrate excellent organizational skills, rigorous record-keeping, exceptional oral and written English communication, and a strong collaborative mindset in a fast-paced environment;
• You bring 2–3 years of additional professional experience in academic or industry drug discovery settings, together with a proven track record of leading research projects and cross-functional project teams and a strong publication record in top-tier vision or scientific journals;
• You have an established professional network within the global ophthalmology research community.