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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 help uncover how the transcription factor IRF5 contributes to B cell-mediated pathology in systemic autoimmune diseases.

You will be part of our Innate Immunity group in Basel, CH and work together with a cross functional team.

The project aims to uncover the pathogenic role of IRF5 in autoimmune diseases by interrogating its role in transcriptional regulation of key pathways and target genes in B cells employing state of the art omics technologies (CUT&RUN, transcriptomics etc.) combined with in house mouse- and primary cellular models. Available patient samples will allow the candidate to translate findings to relevant diseases. The project will take advantage of readily available key reagents, assays, infrastructure, wet lab- and computational-workflows as well as access to a broad range of expertise covering immunology, various technologies and data science.

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: September 1st 2025

Location: Campus Basel, Switzerland

Key responsibilities

As a Discovery Postdoctoral Fellow, you will:

• Work independently as well as with interdisciplinary teams
• Lead and drive multidisciplinary projects and engage with experts from diverse departments within Biomedical Research
• Develop and nurture relationships with key collaborators and stakeholders
• Present research findings and insights at internal and external meetings
• Actively participate and collaborate within the BR Postdoc community

Role Requirements:

• PhD in immunology, molecular or cellular biology 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).
• Strong expertise in innate signaling or B cell biology, and molecular biology
• Strong publication records or other scientific achievements (i.e. awards, patents, grants)
• Excellent analytical, communication, presentation and organizational skills
• Candidates must be able to work independently as well as with interdisciplinary teams

Experience in the following would be advantageous:

• experience with in vivo mouse work
• chromatin profiling and omics experiments
• computational skills (R, Phyton) to analyze own datasets

How to apply

Please submit your CV and cover letter by July 11th, 2025 for consideration. Please make sure to discuss in the cover letter how this training program will help you fulfill your career goals.