Novartis Pharma AG - May 7, 2026

Job ID

REQ-10077246

Date

May 05, 2026

Location

Switzerland

Summary

Novartis is a place where bright, curious minds unite to tackle some of the world's most challenging healthcare issues and reimagine the future of medicine. It's an inspiring environment for aspiring talent. For those embarking on a career in innovative medicines or transitioning into the industry, this is an opportunity to gain early exposure, experience, and insights that are hard to find elsewhere.

The global Translational Medicine (TM) group at Biomedical Research builds on basic research advances to develop new therapies addressing unmet medical needs. We serve as a crucial bridge between drug discovery and clinical application, enhancing the speed, quality, and productivity of drug development at Novartis, ultimately playing a pivotal role in bringing innovative medicines to patients.

Our scientists utilize a wide array of biomarker solutions in clinical development to define disease stages, predict medication effects, select patient groups that would benefit the most from specific therapies, and identify opportunities for developing companion diagnostics. We apply various biomarkers to investigate diseases, profile the mechanisms of action, potency, and potential side effects of compounds, select patients based on their genetic profiles, and broaden indications for drugs.

The TM Academy is a cross-functional program tailored for career starters, changers, and relaunchers. If you're ready for a transformative two years to gain hands-on experience within a diverse, multicultural, global, and inclusive environment focused on early drug development and clinical trials, contributing to innovative projects that help bring groundbreaking treatments closer to patients, then this opportunity is for you!

About the Role

This advert is exclusively for Biomarker Development (BMD) Molecular, Cellular & Soluble Sciences (MCS) within the TM Academy. Other TM Academy roles are advertised separately.

Location: Basel, Switzerland
Duration of program: 24 months
Program start: 01-September-2026

Only applications matching the job profile will be considered. Apply online using the form below.

Job Description

Your journey begins with an immersive four-week blended experience designed to introduce you to our organization, the drug development process, the various departments in Translational Medicine, clinical trials, and the tools necessary for your work.

Throughout the program, fellows participate in continuous learning focused on soft skills, cross-functional exposure, and thematic introductions, broadening their perspectives beyond their immediate teams and functions.

As a TM Academy fellow in BMD, you will receive training and mentorship and will be empowered to learn and grow in a diverse, multicultural, global, and inclusive environment.

Key Learning Areas Include:

Serving as a tissue biomarker subject matter expert in clinical studies.
Collaborating with biomarker and pathology experts to develop tissue biomarker plans and assays for clinical studies.
Working with internal and external stakeholders to resolve issues related to tissue biomarker assessment in clinical trials.
Contributing to processes tailored for implementing tissue biomarkers in clinical trials.
Collaborating with PCS and contributing to technology innovation for human tissue protein assessment.

During the TM Academy, you will:

Build a strong foundation in translational medicine with support from industry experts.
Engage in a flexible and blended learning experience covering conceptual, theoretical, and experiential techniques.
Become part of a global network of supportive peers and mentors guiding you on meaningful projects shaping the future of medicine.
Gain hands-on experience by contributing to:

Singleplex and multiplex tissue imaging, while establishing critical in-house capabilities in spatial data analysis within the BMD-PCS Tissue Biomarker Laboratory.
Day-to-day implementation of singleplex and multiplex immunohistochemistry and immunofluorescence workflows, from tissue processing and staining through image acquisition, contributing to downstream data analysis and standardization.

Dive deep into various areas aligned with your interests.
Have the opportunity to mentor new fellows.
Gain broad exposure to translational biomarker science, from experimental execution to data interpretation.
Develop technical independence, scientific rigor, and collaboration skills in a TM program setting.
Engage in laboratory-based responsibilities (70-80% of time):

Performing hands-on singleplex and multiplex immunohistochemistry and immunofluorescence experiments across multiple platforms, including:

Tissue preparation and handling
Antibody panel application and staining workflows
Instrument operation and quality control

Supporting the establishment and optimization of internal laboratory workflows for tissue imaging in the BMD-PCS lab environment.
Collaborating with pathologists and histology experts to ensure biological and technical data quality.
Contributing to the documentation and standardization of laboratory procedures for reproducibility and scalability.

Contribute to data analysis (20-30% of time):

Engage in downstream image and spatial data analysis, including:

Image quality control and preprocessing
Cell segmentation and phenotypic annotation
Basic spatial analysis and result visualization

Translate laboratory outputs into clear, interpretable results for TM project teams.

Role Requirements

Education

PhD in life sciences, biomedical sciences, bioengineering, pathology-related disciplines, or a related field, completed or near completion by the start date.

Mandatory Laboratory Expertise:

Demonstrated hands-on laboratory experience with:

Single and multiplex immunohistochemistry
Single and multiplex in situ hybridization

Data & Computational Skills:

Mastery of image analysis expected, utilizing software such as Halo, Visiopharm, etc.
Familiarity with image-based or single-cell data analysis is desired; deep expertise not mandatory.
Basic experience with Python and/or R for data exploration or analysis is an advantage.

Mindset & Working Style:

Comfortable working at the bench on a daily basis.
Curious, detail-oriented, and motivated by emerging technologies.
Collaborative and willing to learn across laboratory, pathology, and data science interfaces.

Accessibility and Accommodation

Novartis is committed to working with and providing reasonable accommodations to all individuals. If you require accommodations due to a medical condition or disability at any point in the recruitment process, please reach out via email to diversity.inclusion_ch@novartis.com with your request and contact information. Please include the job requisition number in your message.

Why Novartis

Helping people with diseases and their families involves more than innovative science. It requires a community of smart, passionate individuals like you who collaborate, support, and inspire one another. Together, we can achieve breakthroughs that change patients’ lives. Ready to create a brighter future together? Learn more about us.

Benefits and Rewards

Learn about all the ways we’ll help you thrive both personally and professionally by reading our handbook. Read our handbook (PDF 30 MB)

Divisional Information

Division: Biomedical Research
Business Unit: Research
Location: Switzerland
Site: Basel (City)
Company / Legal Entity: C028 (FCRS = CH028) Novartis Pharma AG
Functional Area: Others
Job Type: Full time
Employment Type: Early Career (Fixed Term)
Shift Work: No