Hi, my name is…

…Asiedua. I grew up in Atlanta, Georgia in the United States, and have lived in multiple cities on the east coast of the US as well as California. I went to school in Cambridge, Massachusetts (MA), where I studied Chemical Engineering at the MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology). After finishing my bachelor’s degree, I spent a summer in Accra, Ghana visiting family and experiencing Ghanaian culture. I completed my Master’s Degree in Biomedical Engineering at Drexel University in Pennsylvania. After working at multiple companies within the biotechnology industry, I decided to pursue an opportunity with Roche, in Basel, Switzerland. In my free time I enjoy wine tasting, cooking, hiking, and dancing.
 

My typical day at work is…

…stimulating and educational. A typical day at work for me might start with a meeting on the quality and technical status of our process-related raw materials or a teleconference with colleagues within the Roche network to discuss strategy alignment. As a Senior Manufacturing Sciences and Technology Engineer in Technical Operations, my day consists of reviewing production trends to ensure operations are consistent with process expectations. It also involves a lot of cross-functional team meetings where different challenges are discussed and I am required to provide a perspective that will ensure cell culture process robustness. The daily decisions that are made must be within the boundaries of technical, quality, and safety expectations.

The location I am working at is…

…Basel. Since May 2016, I have worked for the biotechnology production unit at the Roche headquarters. I work in the Manufacturing Sciences and Technology (MSAT) group, with a diverse group of colleagues from Switzerland, Germany, USA, France, Finland and Spain. I enjoy walking or taking the tram to work and exploring different routes back home every time. I currently live in Basel city and am surrounded by parks, restaurants, and inviting cafes. During my daily adventures going to and from work, I stumble upon new shops or parts of the city.  Apart from getting to know the layout of the city, I am also discovering the wine and pastries that are available in the Basel area and in neighbouring France, which is just a stone’s throw away.

My work helps Roche to…

…improve patients’ lives by creating material for clinical testing as well as ensuring supply of commercial products. My group monitors the cell culture process in accordance with process characterisation and validation studies to ensure that quality and efficacious product is produced from every batch. We also oversee process improvements that could increase batch productivity. Increased process productivity, helps to improve access to healthcare.

Roche as an employer is…

…prestigious. It has been an honour to work at Roche because of the presence that the company has in the Basel community. I enjoy Roche’s commitment to creating a work environment that fosters community. In my relatively short time at the Roche Basel site, I’ve attended interesting after-work events, for example the ones sponsored by the Roche Employees Association (AVR). I have also been very happy that the people at Roche – even if they’re from a completely different department – are open to having lunch and coffee to chat about work or hobbies.  

In my team/department we are looking for someone/people who…

…enjoy(s) engaging within cross-functional teams and is passionate about his/her work. Having a strong passion for the intersection between technical and quality perspectives is also a big part of the MSAT function. Individuals with effective communication skills and the ability to lead cross-functional teams in order to transfer biological processes into Basel Biotech, as well as lead teams for project implementations, are desired.
You can find the current engineering openings here. 

What distinguishes the Roche culture from the culture at other companies you have worked for?

The holistic approach to career development is something that is unique to Roche. In my previous experiences, many of the training courses offered were only focused on building technical ability as opposed to how to effectively work with others. These types of courses are critical to lead and work effectively within cross-functional teams. I think that Roche offers a better work/life balance than other companies by emphasising effective project management and stakeholder alignment prior to project execution. I have also observed that Roche does not have the same hierarchical barriers as other companies. The visibility of leadership and communication pathways is less inhibited than I have experienced at other institutions.