Roche · 3 weeks ago
Senior-Level Scientist/Engineer - Chemistry & Fluidic Systems Integration, Next-Gen Sequencing Workflows, Research & Early Development
Santa Clara, US
Full-time
Onsite
Senior Level
$127K/yr - $236K/yr
7+ years expRoche is committed to making next-generation sequencing accessible for routine use. They are seeking a Chemistry & Fluidic Systems Integration Scientist/Engineer to bridge complex molecular biology and physical chemistry with microfluidic systems, focusing on optimizing workflows and troubleshooting performance issues.
BiotechnologyHealthcareMedical DevicePharmaceuticalHealth CareHealth DiagnosticsOncologyPrecision Medicine
Responsibilities
You will tackle efforts to translate, test, and optimize complex, multi-step chemical and molecular biology workflows (e.g., purification, synthesis, library prep, target enrichment, amplification, and sequencing) on early-stage microfluidic systems. You will successfully navigate the transition of assays from solution-phase to solid-phase environments and quantify reactions on surfaces
You will perform the selection, formulation, and optimization of buffers, surfactants, coatings and critical additives. You will leverage your understanding of the distinct purpose of each reagent to maintain efficiency and optimize chemical and enzymatic reactions within microfluidic or closed-system environments
You will design and execute rigorous experiments using statistical methods to characterize system performance and troubleshoot issues. You will apply your functional grasp of chemistry to navigate challenges related to chemical compatibility, surface tension, surface passivation, ionic strength, shear forces, and the influence of pH on surface interactions
You will conduct early-stage, deep-dive troubleshooting for complex performance issues on novel systems. You will seamlessly connect systemic failures such as leaks, null results, or surface fouling back to first-principles root causes, whether molecular, chemical, material, or physical
You will serve as a subject matter expert in molecular biology, sample and library preparation, and sequencing chemistry. You will be a go-to person for explaining complex biological and chemical concepts to a team of talented engineers
You will analyze complex, multi-modal data sets and serve as a key technical partner to both assay development scientists and hardware design engineers. You will provide critical, data-driven feedback to guide the co-development of reagents, consumables, and instrument hardware, ensuring chemistry, molecular biology, and engineering are harmonized through iterative feedback cycles
Qualification
Required
You have a PhD in Chemistry, Biochemistry, Biophysics, Molecular Biology, Bioengineering, Biomedical Engineering (or a closely related discipline) with 7+ years of relevant industry experience; OR a Master's degree in one of the above disciplines with 9+ years of relevant industry experience; OR a Bachelor's degree with 11+ years of relevant industry experience
You possess a deep, intuitive understanding of the fundamental principles of chemistry and molecular biology, and a proven ability to apply this knowledge to solve complex hardware integration and system performance challenges. You also have a grasp of chemistry concepts critical to complex fluidic systems, including surface chemistry, surface passivation, and chemical compatibility
You possess deep, hands-on expertise in molecular biology, library prep, target enrichment, DNA amplification technologies, DNA purification workflows, and nucleic acid characterization tools
You have experience developing novel assays or library prep kits from scratch, understanding the distinct purpose of each reagent
You have significant industry experience and proficiency in evaluating, integrating, testing, and successfully translating complex biological or chemical workflows onto breadboards, custom fixtures, prototype instruments, or highly integrated microfluidic systems in a life sciences or diagnostics R&D environment
You have a demonstrated ability to troubleshoot from a first-principles perspective, identifying and resolving ambiguous issues that span molecular biology, chemistry, hardware, consumables, software, and their interactions
Preferred
You have a record of innovation, demonstrated through contributions to successful product development, a portfolio of patents and/or publications in relevant fields, particularly related to nucleic acids and associated assays
You have hands-on experience defining workflows and implementing/testing them on instrumentation by writing custom scripts via Python or fluidic simulation software for control and data acquisition
You have direct experience using Design of Experiments (DOE) and statistical analysis tools (e.g., JMP, R) for system characterization and optimization
You exhibit a high degree of ingenuity, resourcefulness, and scientific curiosity applied to solving complex integration challenges and optimizing system performance in a fast-paced, ambiguous R&D environment
You have demonstrated strong interpersonal and communication skills with the ability to communicate complex technical knowledge in a clear and understandable manner to a multidisciplinary team
Benefits
A discretionary annual bonus may be available based on individual and Company performance.
This position also qualifies for the benefits detailed at the link provided below.
Company
Roche
Roche is a pharmaceutical and diagnostics company that offers medicines and diagnostic tests for various medical conditions and diseases.
10001+ employees
Funding
Current Stage
Public CompanyTotal Funding
$7.79BKey Investors
SoftBankSCALE AINovartis
2021-08-04Post Ipo Equity· $5B
2020-12-07IPO
2020-05-06Post Ipo Equity· $0.5M
Leadership Team
Alan Hippe
Member of the Executive Board - Group CFO
Christine Bakan
Global Head and Group Vice President, Computational Science and Informatics R&D
Recent News
Medical Device Network
2026-06-06
pharmaphorum
2026-06-06
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