StarTrack. Data Science to Personalised Healthcare

Short abstract

Are you a creative problem solver and a quick learner interested in observational & quantitative research? Do you have passion and curiosity for using healthcare data to drive research and development of novel treatments for patients around the world? Do you want to use complex algorithms to generate insights from a variety of medical datasets? Do you want to start your career at one of the world's largest pharmaceutical companies, in a team that aims to transform how we use data and advanced analytics to improve care for patients? 

Then StarTrack, the programme in Personalised Healthcare (PHC) Data Science, is made for you! You will join the  Global PHC Data Science team at Roche in Basel, Switzerland or in Welwyn, United Kingdom for a period of 24 months to work on innovative projects spanning multiple disease areas leveraging large amounts of healthcare data originating from EMRs (Electronic Medical Records), Disease Registries, Clinical Trials, Insurance Claims, Digital Health, Genomics and Imaging. You would be working side by side with other Roche data scientists to help uncover answers to challenging clinical and business questions. 

Programme Content

• Duration: 24 months

• Location: Roche Pharmaceuticals in Basel, Switzerland or in Welwyn, United Kingdom

• A structured programme preparing early-in-career graduates for an industry position in Personalised Healthcare (PHC) Data Science

• Opportunities for varied, challenging and innovative projects at different sub-functions in Roche PHC Data Science (e.g. Real-World Data, Advanced Analytics, Digital Health and Imaging).

Outcome and prospects

• Develop a thorough understanding of how healthcare data could be used to generate meaningful insights accelerating research and development of new medicines

• Hands-on experience using real-world evidence in pharmaceutical development, regulatory approval and market access contexts

• Use artificial intelligence and machine learning to solve some of the hardest problems in biomarker discovery, clinical trial design, and outcome research

• Design novel methodologies to combine multi-modal healthdata such as clinical, imaging, omics and digital health originating from clinical trials and other real-world data sources

• Professional development opportunities including presenting your research at conferences and participating in a variety of courses offered by the company

• Opportunities to be involved in all aspects of our work, from conceptualisation of research ideas to study design, programming and analysis, interpretation and dissemination of results through internal presentations or publications

Who you are

• Recent PhD university graduate (you have defended your PhD before your start date or have graduated no more than 18 months prior to starting)

• Graduate of a quantitative data science discipline (e.g. Epidemiology, Statistics, Bioinformatics or Computer Science)

• A degree in any sciences discipline such as Neuroscience, Oncology, Infectious diseases etc., combined with extensive quantitative data experience may also be considered

• Previous experience utilising longitudinal patient-level data preferred

• Statistical programming skills preferred e.g. R, SAS, Python

• Proven history of publications in peer-reviewed journals, and/or abstracts (including presentations) at scientific conferences is a plus

• Fluency in written and verbal English

• Good interpersonal and presentational skills

How to apply?

The recruitment cycle for 2021 will start Q1, 2021. You will join the Global PHC Data Science team at Roche in Basel, Switzerland or in Welwyn, United Kingdom.

First 100 days at Roche

I can remember my first day at Roche well, coming straight out of academia and with little to no experience in pharma. Now, almost three months later, it feels like a whole new world has opened up to me – one with many possibilities. I have already learned so much in the past three months, including personally, that the day I first walked into the office now feels like a lifetime ago. As the first StarTrack trainee to start in Personalised Healthcare (Real World Data), I felt priviliged that I could kick-off this programme here in Basel, which without a doubt will be the future for data science. Training early-in-career PhD graduates to take on a role as a data scientist is something that is really embedded in the company’s culture. It gets the right people to the right places. After obtaining my PhD cum laude last year, this programme was exactly what I needed to jump-start my career in pharma and hopefully have a direct impact on patients’ health in this new setting. Here at Roche, we really do have the unique oppurtunity to change the healthcare landscape and shape the future. We are aware of this responsibility and I am glad to be part of it.

(Xavier)

I vividly remember the excitement and anticipation I felt about starting my first position in the pharma industry at Roche. Coming directly from academia, the StarTrack programme offered me not only the perfect opportunity to leverage my existing skills and competencies, but also the potential to develop new capabilities and make a significant impact in healthcare. During recent months, I have had the privilege of meeting numerous highly skilled colleagues within PHC and beyond, all of whom work passionately on pioneering solutions to improve patients’ lives. The possibility of building such a strong network is invaluable in and of itself, but it is also the most authentic way to learn about the many different functions within the company. Being part of Roche and working on innovative projects within PHC is incredibly exciting and extremely beneficial to both my personal and professional development. The decision to join PHC after obtaining my PhD started a challenging and promising journey that has taken me right to the heart of data science and personalised healthcare.

(Sabrina)