Novartis

Job Description Summary

Discovery Postdoctoral Fellow in Cancer Functional Genomics

Job Description

About the role

We are thrilled to open applications for our Discovery Fellowship track of the Novartis Postdoctoral Fellowship Program.

Come join Novartis Biomedical Research as a Discovery Postdoctoral Fellow and be part of our team in the Oncology Drug Discovery (ODD) group in Basel, Switzerland.

You will work on a project that aims at understanding the molecular mechanisms regulating the activity of specific lineage-specific transcription factors, and how they selectively exert their oncogenic functions. You will employ cutting-edge gene editing and functional genomics techniques to dissect the structure-function relationship of these oncogenes, how they can differently regulate transcription and respond to external stimuli in the context of cancer, and help elucidate mechanisms of resistance that may arise upon pharmacological treatment.

As part of the Discovery Fellowship track of the Novartis Postdoctoral Fellowship Program, you will join our vibrant, dedicated postdoctoral community for events, including the monthly postdoc seminars and other scheduled events for postdocs. Fellows are surrounded by a supportive, collaborative community of postdocs and scientists, who would contribute to the acceleration of your scientific growth, along with building your professional skillset, e.g. you will have the opportunity to do a Postdoc Practicum in another laboratory or in a business function of Novartis. This applied research program is up to 3 years in length, with the option of applying for an extension of up to 1 year.

Discovery Postdoctoral Fellows have a unique opportunity to conduct innovative, interdisciplinary research and are expected to publish their results in leading journals. We collaborate across scientific and organizational boundaries, with a focus on powerful new technologies that have the potential to help produce therapeutic breakthroughs for patients.

Through the Novartis Postdoctoral Fellowship Program, you will build your competency as a drug hunter, and as a scientific leader in the field. You will join a professional network that will support your growth as a research scientist, and you will have the opportunity to tackle disease and make an impact, by reimagining medicine together.

Preferred start date: October 1st 2025

Location: Campus Basel, Switzerland

Key responsibilities

As a Discovery Postdoctoral Fellow, you will:

• Work independently as well as with interdisciplinary teams, maintain timely organized records, and actively participate in lab activities.
• Design, execute, analyze and evaluate experiments in various in vitro and ex vivo assays.
• Research scientific literature, implement new technologies, and present findings within the team and the broader community.
• Present at internal meetings, international conferences and publish in top-tier scientific journals.

Role Requirements:

• PhD in molecular biology, cancer biology, biochemistry or a related field.
• Note that PhD students in the last year of their thesis work are eligible to apply. Applicants are only eligible to apply up to 2 years from the date of receiving their PhD (i.e. PhD degrees must have been awarded May 2023 or later).
• Knowledge in gene regulation, chromatin and transcription factor biology, particularly in the context of cancer.
• Strong experience with molecular biology tools, gene editing (e.g. knock-in/out, base editing) and genome-wide genomics techniques (e.g. ChIP-seq, ATAC-seq)
• Expertise in large-scale functional genomics screens (e.g. CRISPR screen, Perturb-seq, deep mutational scanning)
• Bioinformatics skills are beneficial.
• Strong publication record or other scientific achievements (i.e. awards, patents, grants)
• Excellent analytical, communication, presentation and organizational skills
• Passion for fundamental exploratory research and boundless curiosity

How to apply

Please submit your CV (with contact for three referees) and cover letter by July 15st 2025 for consideration. Please make sure to discuss in the cover letter how this training program will help you fulfill your career goals.

Accessibility & Accommodation : Novartis is committed to working with and providing reasonable accommodation to all individuals. If, because of a medical condition or disability, you need a reasonable accommodation for any part of the recruitment process, or in order to receive more detailed information about the essential functions of a position, please send an e-mail to diversity.inclusion_ch@novartis.com and let us know the nature of your request and your contact information. Please include the job requisition number in your message.

Skills Desired

Analytical Skill, Analytical Skill, Analytical Thinking, Chemical Biology, Chemistry, Clinical Research, Clinical Trials, Collaboration, Communication Skills, Curiosity, Data, Data Analysis, Design Of Experiments, Detail-Oriented, Diversity & Inclusion, Drug Discovery, Ethics, Gene Therapy, Immunology, Laboratory, Lifesciences, Machine Learning (Ml), Mammalian Cell Culture, Medical Research, Molecular Biology {+ 11 more}