Principal Scientist – Translational Medicine (Tumor Microenvironment)

Roche • South San Francisco, CA

3d • $141,500 - $262,900 • Hybrid

About The Position

The Principal Scientist in Translational Medicine Oncology will support one or more translational programs contributing to the clinical development of oncology therapeutics. As a key member of the Translational Medicine subteam, this scientist will design, develop, and implement pharmacodynamic and predictive biomarker strategies across early- and late-stage clinical trials. The role also involves developing and leading hypothesis-driven translational research to identify novel biomarkers of therapeutic response and resistance and uncover disease-specific mechanisms.

The Principal Scientist will collaborate with colleagues across Research, Clinical Development, Diagnostics, Computational Science, Clinical Pharmacology, Regulatory, and Biostatistics, as well as external stakeholders including key opinion leaders and academic partners. The role contributes to scientific publications and presentations at national and international conferences. Industry drug development experience is not required.

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.
• Expertise in advanced quantitative and computational approaches, including ability to independently analyze complex, high-dimensional biological datasets, apply statistical and computational methods, and translate findings into actionable biological insights.
• Strong scientific curiosity and ability to independently develop hypotheses and translate complex biological observations into mechanistic insight.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with 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.

Nice To Haves

• 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.
• Interest in leveraging innovative computational approaches, including emerging AI-enabled and agentic AI tools, to support biomarker discovery, translational insight generation, and data interpretation.
• Strong expertise or scientific interest in tumor microenvironment biology and prostate cancer.
• Knowledge of R and/or Python.

Responsibilities

• 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, aligning work with program goals, timelines, and translational objectives.
• Develop and deploy next-generation biomarker assays across clinical programs to support development decisions and translational research.
• Design and implement translational research plans using clinical samples, multi-omic profiling, spatial biology, single-cell technologies, functional immune assays, and emerging AI-enabled analytical approaches, including agentic AI tools.
• Investigate mechanisms of response and 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 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 research in scientific journals and represent the organization at scientific and medical conferences worldwide.

Benefits

• A discretionary annual bonus may be available based on individual and Company performance.
• The position qualifies for company benefits detailed at the provided link.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Principal
• Education Level: Ph.D. or professional degree