Roche Posted September 11, 2026

Principal Associate, Immunology Discovery

Shanghai, Shanghai, China's Mainland Full time
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Roche is the source of truth for this posting and owns the application process. We surface normalized context and market comparison you won't find on the original listing.

About this opportunity

At Roche you can show up as yourself, embraced for the unique qualities you bring. Our culture encourages personal expression, open dialogue, and genuine connections,  where you are valued, accepted and respected for who you are, allowing you to thrive both personally and professionally. This is how we aim to prevent, stop and cure diseases and ensure everyone has access to healthcare today and for generations to come. Join Roche, where every voice matters.

The Position

Primary Purpose of Job (Job Summary)

Collaborate with a group of immunology/rheumatology/nephrology scientists and associates to provide expert biology support to preclinical and clinical studies for the discovery and development of new therapeutic agents (small molecule compounds) in autoimmune and kidney diseases. Scientists /Principal Associate are responsible for contributing to new hypothesis, target identification and execution of key experiments for target validation, support project initiation and progression, and drafting and execution of research plans for nominating new projects. Commensurate with experience, scientists expected to lead and execute key in-vitro/in-vivo pharmacological experiment, cooridinate cross-functional discovery project communication and/or support projects with biology expertise. Apply skills in drug discovery to assess the potency, selectivity, safety, PK and PD of novel molecules is a plus .

Principle Roles & Responsibilities / Accountabilities

Design and implement various in vitro and in vivo studies to study potency, selectivity, and to elucidate molecular mechanism of drug action and efficacy based on scientific considerations within the context of team or project goals.

Drive or support target identifications in collaboration with translational medicine, disease biology research, and chemistry teams.

Initiate new drug discovery projects based on scientific insight with cross-functional input.

Perform scientific analysis for results interpretation and present them collaboratively.

Initiate and execute research activities related to identification and characterization of novel therapeutic targets and compounds.

Investigate and develop methods or technologies for the rapid advancement of projects.

Prepare standard operational protocols, study reports and high-quality manuscripts.

Other related duties as required, including but not limiting to organizing and maintaining laboratory and training associates and/or junior scientists.

Work in a flexible schedule to meet deadlines.

Qualification and Experience

Education/Qualifications

Ph.D. in immunology, molecular biology, mucosal immunology, nephrology, rheumatology , or a related field. PhD with medical knowledge (MD) is a plus. Industrial experience in drug discovery is a plus. Oversea education and/or training experience is preferred. Please provide an up-to-date English CV with your work experience and publications for our assessment.

Leadership Competencies

Should communicate effectively, collaborate efficiently with co-workers (cross functions and/or sites), and be able to train junior level associates and/or scientists.

 

Job Required Competencies

Deep knowledge of immunology and related fields is preferred.

Disease biology of the gut, kidneys and connective tissues is preferred.

Experience in drug discovery, target identification and validation is a plus.

Should be proficient in designing and conducting experiments involving the state of the art techniques within the areas of cell biology, immunology, biochemistry, molecular biology, and pharmacology.

Contribute to scientific publications.

Good communication skills in English and be capable of presenting results both inside and outside of company.

Title of positions (Scientist, Senior Scientist, and Principal Scientist) matched with candidate’s qualifications and years of experience.

One opening is available.

Travel Frequency

 

 

Who we are

A healthier future drives us to innovate. Together, more than 100’000 employees across the globe are dedicated to advance science, ensuring everyone has access to healthcare today and for generations to come. Our efforts result in more than 26 million people treated with our medicines and over 30 billion tests conducted using our Diagnostics products. We empower each other to explore new possibilities, foster creativity, and keep our ambitions high, so we can deliver life-changing healthcare solutions that make a global impact.

Let’s build a healthier future, together.

Roche is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

Job details

Seniority
Principal
Function
Drug Discovery & Preclinical Research
Therapeutic area
Immunology
Location
Shanghai, Shanghai, China's Mainland
Employment type
Full time

How this role compares

Computed from every other active Drug Discovery & Preclinical Research role in our database, not just this employer's listings.

We currently track 237 comparable Principal Drug Discovery & Preclinical Research roles across 40 biopharma companies.

237Comparable roles tracked
220Currently active
40Companies hiring similar roles
15Countries represented

Salary context

76 of 237 peers report a salary range (USD, annualized)

Peers share this role's job function and a matching or adjacent seniority level -- not necessarily the same therapeutic area or country.

This roleSubject Not listed on this posting
Lowest disclosed · Sr Research Associate, FPD · Gilead Sciences, Inc. $94,945/yr – $122,870/yr
Peer group range $108,908 – $322,000 (median $180,250)

Where these roles are based

Top locations among the 237 comparable roles

United States188
India14
United Kingdom6
China5
Canada4
Switzerland3

+ 9 more countries

Seniority mix

237 of 237 peers have a known seniority level

Senior117
Principal81
Director39

Therapeutic area mix

26 of 237 peers have a known therapeutic area; the rest are genuinely unlabeled, not hidden

Oncology14
Neuroscience3
Cardiovascular / CVRM3
Vaccines & Infectious Disease2
Respiratory2
Immunology1
Gastroenterology1

Similar opportunities

The closest matches from our peer group, ranked by how similar they are, not how well you'd qualify for them -- treat this as market context, not a guaranteed shortlist; a weak match is labeled as one below.

85%similar
Vertex Pharmaceuticals Inc (US) Seattle, United States Principal
Same function Same therapeutic area Same seniority
60%similar
Roche Shanghai, Shanghai, China's Mainland Principal
Same function Same seniority Same country
50%similar
Roche Shanghai, Shanghai, China's Mainland Senior
Same function Adjacent seniority Same country
50%similar
Roche Shanghai, Shanghai, China's Mainland Senior
Same function Adjacent seniority Same country
45%similar
Lilly Indianapolis, Indiana, United States of America Principal
Same function Same seniority
45%similar
Lilly San Francisco, California, United States of America Principal
Same function Same seniority

Notify me about similar jobs

Get an email when we spot other openings like this one – same job function, comparable seniority, roles you'd actually want to see.

How we calculate "similar"

No black box, no LLM guesswork: a deterministic score built from four normalized attributes. Here's this role's own peer group at different match levels, so you can see the mechanism, not just the result.

Every comparison starts from the same 100-point budget: 25 for working in the same function, 40 for the same therapeutic area, 20 for the same or adjacent seniority, 15 for the same country. A dimension we can't confirm on both sides contributes nothing, never a guess, never a free pass.

85%
Discovery Immunology Principal Research Scientist
Vertex Pharmaceuticals Inc (US) · Seattle, United States · Principal
Function Therapeutic area Seniority Country
50%
Senior Scientist, Antibody Discovery
Roche · Shanghai, Shanghai, China's Mainland · Senior
Function Therapeutic area Adjacent seniority Country
45%
Advisor / Senior Advisor, Cardiovascular NAMs – Investigative Toxicology
Lilly · Indianapolis, Indiana, United States of America · Principal
Function Therapeutic area Seniority Country
45%
ADME Scientist, Antibody–Oligonucleotide Conjugates (Principal Scientist I/II)
Novartis · San Diego, United States · Principal
Function Therapeutic area Seniority Country
Unmatched or unknown dimensions score exactly the same: 0 points, never a partial guess. A role we know almost nothing about beyond its function bottoms out at 25%; it never inflates to 100% just because there's little to compare against. Seniority uses a defined ladder (Associate → Manager → Associate Director → Senior → Principal → Director → Senior Director → Executive/VP) so "Director" and "Senior Director" count as adjacent, but "Director" and "Executive/VP" do not.