Intern in Global Discovery Chemistry, Bioreactions Team

Job Description Summary

Are you passionate about the intersection of chemistry and biology, and curious about how enzymes can help create the medicines of tomorrow?

Join our Bioreactions Team in Global Discovery Chemistry at Novartis Biomedical Research for a 6-month internship and explore the power of biocatalysis in drug discovery. Based in Basel, Switzerland, you’ll work alongside a multidisciplinary team of chemists, biochemists, and computational scientists to develop innovative enzyme-mediated transformations that support the synthesis of complex molecules.

During your internship, you’ll gain hands-on experience in enzyme discovery, characterization, and application, contributing to the development of sustainable and efficient synthetic routes for novel drug candidates. This is a unique opportunity to grow your scientific skills, collaborate in a dynamic research environment, and help shape the future of pharmaceutical synthesis.

 

Job Description

Location: Basel, Switzerland, #LI-Onsite

This internship is limited to 6 months, with a start date in 2026 (latest July).

Please note that we can only accept applicants who are eligible to work in Switzerland. 

Key Responsibilities:

• Explore and express novel enzyme platforms and collections for chemoenzymatic synthesis of peptides and oligonucleotides, as well as enzymes for late-stage functionalization.

• Design and execute medium and high-throughput screening (HTS) experiments to identify and optimize biocatalysts for novel transformations.

• Acquire direct, project-based experience in bioinformatics methods to investigate and refine enzyme properties such as activity, selectivity or stability

• Gain hands-on experience with automation workflows for reaction setup, screening, and data analysis.

• Perform analytical characterization of products using state-of-the-art techniques (LC-MS, HPLC, NMR).

• Evaluate data, generate reports, and contribute to the design and optimization of experiments

• Collaborate with the team and the scientific community to leverage the implementation of biocatalysis into synthetic strategies. 

Essential Requirements:

• Education: Currently enrolled in a Bachelor´s or Master´s program in chemistry or biochemistry, seeking an internship as part of academic curriculum.

• Languages: Effective communication in English, both spoken and written

• Skills & Experience: Independent lab experience with expertise in organic, analytical, and biochemical techniques; capable of troubleshooting and optimizing methods.

• Mindset & Collaboration: Proactive, positive, and eager to learn; thrives in multidisciplinary teams and values diverse perspectives.

• Technical Interests: Passion for developing synthetic methods and integrating wet-lab data into databases for experiment planning (e.g., genome mining, cultivation, reaction optimization).

Commitment to Diversity & Inclusion:

Novartis is committed to building an outstanding, inclusive work environment and diverse team’s representative of the patients and communities we serve.

Our recruitment decisions are based on selecting the best person for the job, regardless of gender, religion, age, color, race, sexual orientation, nationality or disability.

Accessibility and accommodation: 

Novartis is committed to working with and providing reasonable accommodation to all individuals. If, because of a medical condition or disability, you need a reasonable accommodation for any part of the recruitment process, or in order to receive more detailed information about the essential functions of a position, please send an e-mail to diversity.inclusion_ch@novartis.com, and let us know the nature of your request and your contact information. Please include the job requisition number in your message. 

Application deadline: November 13 EOB. 

Please submit a cover letter that includes your motivation for the position and from when you will be available.

 

Skills Desired