The Opportunity

• Roche Africa is seeking a Principal Scientist, Human Genetics (African Genomics Program) to join our team.
• Are you ready to accelerate the application of African genomics to advance biological understanding and highlight novel therapeutic and biomarker strategies? The Genentech/Roche African Genomics Program invites applications for a Principal Scientist position focused on African genomics. Join us to leverage our extensive genetic, genomic, proteomic, and clinical data repositories with a focus on unique datasets generated through the Roche African Genomics Program. Drive innovative research strategies that allow us to describe the genetic basis of disease risk and therapeutic response, and to support patient stratification. Collaborate with recognized scientific leaders in industry and academia to make breakthrough healthcare solutions a reality. 

Key Challenges

• Spearhead analysis of genetic and genomic data gathered from African and African-descent populations to uncover novel biology, in close collaboration with our academic collaborators and with the human genetics and computational teams within Roche
• Identify and characterize genetic disease risk, progression, and therapeutic responses in African- and African-descent populations
• Utilize large-scale experimental and computational capabilities, including AI/ML, to place genetic findings in their functional context.
• Implement research strategies to translate these insights into novel opportunities for therapy, prevention and diagnosis
• Lead efforts in target identification, causal inference, biomarker discovery, and clinical strategies, working closely with our research and clinical development teams to prioritize and advance targets into therapeutic development.
• Contribute to a collaborative community involving research biology, clinical development, translational medicine, and computational sciences teams.

Who You Are as an Ideal Candidate

• You are a PhD with a strong focus on statistical genetics, genetic epidemiology, or related fields, and strong proficiency in the development and/or application of statistical methods
• Strong computational skills, including large-scale data analysis and causal inference.
• 5-10 years of experience using human genetics to understand diseases, in academia and/or industry with a focus on association studies in ancestrally-diverse cohorts
• Recognized leader in your field, equivalent to an assistant professor at a top research university.
• Excellent research record with scientific publications in top-tier journals.
• Passionate about leveraging emerging African data sets to solve biological questions and deliver health care advances.
• Exceptional communication and interpersonal skills to present and explain findings to diverse audiences (excellent written & spoken English are essential). 
• Proven ability to deliver compelling external presentations
• Motivated to thrive in a fast-paced, collaborative research environment
• Ability to operate independently, be an active proactive problem solver and demonstrate strong critical thinking and systems awareness.
• Ability to travel 

Preferred

• Experience forming and/or participating in consortium research efforts
• Experience in industry and/or biotechnology settings and/or public health/policy
• Fluency in French or Portuguese a plus
• Africa-based candidates strongly preferred (location preference: Nairobi, Johannesburg/Cape Town)