Internship in Microbiome Data Analysis (April 2025, 6 months, Basel)

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The Position

In Roche’s Pharmaceutical Research and Early Development organisation (pRED), we make transformative medicines for patients in order to tackle some of the world’s toughest unmet healthcare needs. At pRED, we are united by our mission to transform science into medicines. Together, we create a culture defined by curiosity, responsibility and humility, where our talented people are empowered and inspired to bring forward extraordinary life-changing innovation at speed.

Project Title of the Internship: Microbiome Strain Tracking for Evaluating the Effects of Drug Treatment

Description:

The human microbiome has been recognized as having an important role in disease aetiology. The composition of the microbiome varies greatly between individuals and even between different sites within the same individual, such as the gut and oral cavity. These variations can lead to differences in how drugs are metabolized, as certain microbial communities may enhance or inhibit drug activity, potentially affecting drug response and clinical outcomes.

The aim of the project is to investigate strain sharing between individuals in our clinical trials as well as between the different biological niches of the same individuals. In order to do so, we aim to adapt several publicly available microbiome strain tracking methods, compare their performances and apply to internal gut and oral microbiome datasets.

The outcome of the project would be an open-source repository containing the used code while the results of the analysis will serve as a basis for a publication of a manuscript. Therefore, we are seeking candidates who are passionate about research and with strong skills in coding.

The internship position is located in Data & Analytics Global Function, where generating insights from data is a primary focus area. The team comprises researchers with a strong background in bioinformatics, ready to provide comprehensive support to ensure the success of the project.

Project Mission:

• Explore publicly available methods for microbiome strain tracking and evaluate their performance
• Investigate internal and public microbiome datasets
• Prepare manuscript with the obtained results for publication
• Collaborate with biologists, geneticists and clinicians and proactively share learnings and knowledge to support the development of the wider Roche Advanced Analytics community
  
  

As an intern, you will receive the guidance and support needed to work independently, and you will be encouraged to approach the problem creatively. Your main responsibilities will be evaluation of analysis methods, implementation of workflows, and the critical evaluation of obtained results that ultimately have as a goal preparation of a manuscript for publication.

Who You are:

• You have earned a Master's degree within the past 12 months, or you are currently enrolled in a Master's degree program in e.g., Computational Biology, Bioinformatics or related fields
• Strong coding skills (mandatory), in Python (preferred)
• Experience in microbiome data analysis (preferred)
• Proficiency in English (written, spoken)
  
  

Your application: please upload your CV and a cover letter expressing your interest and previous experience relating to this position.

Due to regulations, Non-EU/non-EFTA citizens are required to submit a certificate of enrolment along with an official letter from their university confirming that the internship is a mandatory component of their studies. The letter also must specify the duration of the required internship.

Do you feel excited? Apply now!

Who we are

At Roche, more than 100,000 people across 100 countries are pushing back the frontiers of healthcare. Working together, we’ve become one of the world’s leading research-focused healthcare groups. Our success is built on innovation, curiosity and diversity.

Basel is the headquarters of the Roche Group and one of its most important centres of pharmaceutical research. Over 10,700 employees from over 100 countries come together at our Basel/Kaiseraugst site, which is one of Roche`s largest sites. Read more.

Besides extensive development and training opportunities, we offer flexible working options, 18 weeks of maternity leave and 10 weeks of gender independent partnership leave. Our employees also benefit from multiple services on site such as child-care facilities, medical services, restaurants and cafeterias, as well as various employee events.

We believe in the power of diversity and inclusion, and strive to identify and create opportunities that enable all people to bring their unique selves to Roche.

Roche is an Equal Opportunity Employer.