When I applied at Roche, I did not know what would await me here in Basel except a global company with a great reputation. I had an amazing time that was much better than I had hoped for. Therefore, I am happy to share what I learned about Roche during my internship.
Hi, my name is Niklas and I am studying pharmaceutical sciences at the Westfaelische Wilhelms-University in Muenster, Germany. During my master’s degree programme, I wanted to gain insights into a global pharmaceutical company, as I would like to work in the pharmaceutical sector after I graduate. Since I already gained scientific research experience during an internship in France, I decided to explore new fields by applying for an internship position in the Quality Unit of Roche. Therefore, my time at Roche actually started six months before joining the “Roche Internship in Synthetic Molecules (RiSM)” programme. After finishing my first internship, I wanted to refocus on practical laboratory work, so I took the opportunity to apply for the RiSM programme, which offers many insights into state-of-the-art research and development. I am currently in the Analytical Research & Development department and responsible for a project that involves an analytical method development.
Compared to my experience at university, science at Roche is more varied and diverse since research is divided into processes with many different steps. Thus, every scientific topic has a highly specialised team to refer to in case of any problems or questions. Finally, science at Roche is more goal-orientated and precisely focused on the needs of patients.
The RiSM programme helps me to develop because of all the different, engaged colleagues I work with and meet at Roche. Besides improving my functional working skills, I can also benefit from their shared experience and knowledge to develop personally. In addition, the work on my project helps me to organise myself better in a complex working environment.