Meet Joël from the Roche Internship in Small Molecules (RiSM) programme

Published: 2022.02.15. (last edited: 2022.08.18.)

When I started the internship at Roche, I was completely unaware of the benefit it would have on my theoretical and practical knowledge. And now here I am 10 months later, reflecting on the great time I had at Roche.

Hi, I am Joël and I have been working for the PTDC-C Catalysis & Flow Reactions Team in Basel since August 2020. 2020 also marks the year I graduated in Chemistry from the University of Basel. Packed with academic knowledge, I wanted to gain insight into and experience in the industry. The internship at Roche presented itself as the opportunity I was looking for. Roche is a great place to be an intern as it offers many different projects to be involved in. The interns are given a great development opportunity and thus taken on board from the get-go. At my current position, I am involved in several different projects. In one of which we try to predict reaction yields with computer-based neural networks.

Compared to my experience at university, science at Roche is more impactful and hands-on. Since the projects are always linked to the improvement of industrially relevant processes, you see an immediate and lasting impact of your work on the target group(s) of Roche. Since cross-functional collaborations play a vital role at Roche, it is easier to come in contact with people from different working environments and learn from their expertise.
The RiSM (Roche Internship in Synthetic Molecules) Programme helps me to develop because I feel as a fully incorporated part in the daily workflow instead of an extra piece of the puzzle who constantly tries to fit in. My knowledge is taken seriously, as I am seen as a colleague with ideas and valuable suggestions.

To people who are interested in the RiSM programme I would recommend to catch hold of the opportunity unhesitatingly and apply for the internship that sounds attractive and awarding to you. The RiSM programme presents vast opportunities to learn and provides variety and recognition. As an added bonus, you get into contact with interns from all over the world, thanks to the international orientation of the programme and Roche itself.

Our impact

Our job in Catalysis and Flow Reactions is dedicated to the application of bio- and metal catalysis as well as flow reactions to small-molecule pharmaceutical synthesis. With this, we provide new synthesis approaches and support scale-up and commercialisation.

The place to Work

At Roche, you are taken seriously, as a researcher, a part of a whole and as an individual. Roche values various aspects of life, including continuous training and development through free e-learning courses, as well as sports programmes.

Our culture

To ensure those aspects, the working hours are quite flexible and informal conversations during tea or coffee breaks are appreciated to strengthen the team spirit and the scholarly as well as social exchange. The last point proves itself especially helpful for a constructive and supportive atmosphere in which everyone is eager to help whenever difficulties arise.

Interested in the Roche Internship in Synthetic Molecules (RiSM) Programme? Click here for more information.

Curious to learn more about our programmes at Roche? Click here.

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