Roche Posted November 2, 2026

Senior Scientist - Surface Chemistry

Santa Clara, California, United States of America FULL_TIME
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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

We are seeking a talented scientist to join a team developing surface chemistries enabling NGS-based advanced applications and consumables. This position provides an exciting opportunity to work with outstanding scientists and engineers in a highly multidisciplinary environment. The successful candidate will have a broad background in surface science and device development.

The Opportunity

In this role, you are:

Designing and executing experiments to develop surface modifications, novel chemistries, and protocols that enable consumables for next-generation sequencing (NGS) applications.

Utilizing early-stage instrumentation and software to gain a deep understanding of the sequencing workflow and consumable requirements.

Driving the molecular-level synthetic manipulation of material surfaces to engineer precise surface energy characteristics and properties for optimal device performance within complex systems.

Designing and executing studies to establish optimal process conditions for surface modifications, including sequencing data collection and detailed data analysis.

Analyzing complex data sets, authoring technical reports, and presenting findings alongside strategic recommendations to the team and the broader organization.

Who You Are

You have a BS degree with 4+ years of professional experience, MS with 1+ year of experience, or PhD degree in Chemistry or a closely related field, with a focus on surface science and materials modification, and development of surface modifications for biomolecule analysis.

You have expertise in working with early-stage instrumentation and devices.

You have experience in interpreting complex data sets and translating findings into actionable insights, and are proficient in JMP and Python.

Behaviors, competencies, and qualities of the ideal applicant.

Experience in NGS-based applications and/or platform development, with an understanding of critical surface requirements for optimal consumable performance.

Strong understanding of the principles and challenges associated with surface functionalization of microfluidic and lab-on-chip consumables.

Excellent communication and presentation skills, a strong work ethic, and the ability to work independently with minimal supervision. Collaborate seamlessly with colleagues and across various parts of the organization to achieve shared goals.

Problem-solving and troubleshooting capabilities, systematically analyzing issues within complex, interconnected, multidisciplinary systems, and developing data-driven, effective solutions.

Roche Diagnostics is committed to advancing the entire NGS value chain, moving beyond individual tools to integrated solutions that accelerate research and translational applications across whole genome, whole transcriptome, multiomics, and epigenetics. By accelerating clinical research, streamlining workflows, and expanding assay menus, we are broadening access to genomic data and lowering barriers to adoption. From robust sample isolation and preparation tools to novel sequencing technology and advanced bioinformatics, we are developing differentiated, highly integrated, end-to-end solutions for NGS, resulting in a sample in/result out workflow.  Click here for more information

The Opportunity

As a Senior Scientist, you will join a team developing surface chemistries enabling NGS-based advanced applications and consumables. This position will provide you with an exciting opportunity to work with outstanding scientists and engineers in a highly multidisciplinary environment.

In this role, you are:

Designing and executing experiments to develop surface modifications, novel chemistries, and protocols that enable consumables for next-generation sequencing (NGS) applications.

Utilizing early-stage instrumentation and software to gain a deep understanding of the sequencing workflow and consumable requirements.

Driving the molecular-level synthetic manipulation of material surfaces to engineer precise surface energy characteristics and properties for optimal device performance within complex systems.

Designing and executing studies to establish optimal process conditions for surface modifications, including sequencing data collection and detailed data analysis.

Analyzing complex data sets, authoring technical reports, and presenting findings alongside strategic recommendations to the team and the broader organization.

Who You Are

You have a BS degree with 4+ years of professional experience, MS with 1+ year of experience, or PhD degree in Chemistry or a closely related field, with a focus on surface science and materials modification, and development of surface modifications for biomolecule analysis.

You have expertise in working with early-stage instrumentation and devices.

You have experience in interpreting complex data sets and translating findings into actionable insights, and are proficient in JMP and Python.

Behaviors, competencies, and qualities of the ideal applicant.

Experience in NGS-based applications and/or platform development, with an understanding of critical surface requirements for optimal consumable performance.

Strong understanding of the principles and challenges associated with surface functionalization of microfluidic and lab-on-chip consumables.

Excellent communication and presentation skills, a strong work ethic, and the ability to work independently with minimal supervision. Collaborate seamlessly with colleagues and across various parts of the organization to achieve shared goals.

Problem-solving and troubleshooting capabilities, systematically analyzing issues within complex, interconnected, multidisciplinary systems, and developing data-driven, effective solutions.

Relocation Benefits are not offered for this job posting.

The expected salary range for this position, based on the primary location of California is  92,600.00 - 172,000.00.  Actual pay will be determined based on experience, qualifications, geographic location, and other job-related factors permitted by law.  A discretionary annual bonus may be available based on individual and Company performance.  This position also qualifies for the benefits detailed at the link provided below.

Benefits

 

 

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. It is our policy and practice to employ, promote, and otherwise treat any and all employees and applicants on the basis of merit, qualifications, and competence. The company's policy prohibits unlawful discrimination, including but not limited to, discrimination on the basis of Protected Veteran status, individuals with disabilities status, and consistent with all federal, state, or local laws.

If you have a disability and need an accommodation in relation to the online application process, please contact us by completing this form Accommodations for Applicants .

Job details

Seniority
Senior
Function
Drug Discovery & Preclinical Research
Therapeutic area
Not listed
Location
Santa Clara, California, United States of America
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 396 comparable Senior Drug Discovery & Preclinical Research roles across 55 biopharma companies.

396Comparable roles tracked
376Currently active
55Companies hiring similar roles
21Countries represented

Salary context

183 of 396 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 · Senior Primate Behavior Specialist · Labcorp $70,000/yr – $80,000/yr
Highest disclosed · Toxicology Senior Research Fellow · Vertex Pharmaceuticals Inc (US) $232,000/yr – $348,000/yr
Peer group range $75,000 – $290,000 (median $159,125)

Where these roles are based

Top locations among the 396 comparable roles

United States304
China14
India13
United Kingdom9
Switzerland8
Germany7

+ 15 more countries

Seniority mix

396 of 396 peers have a known seniority level

Senior215
Principal149
Associate Director32

Therapeutic area mix

40 of 396 peers have a known therapeutic area; the rest are genuinely unlabeled, not hidden

Oncology16
Immunology10
Neuroscience9
Cardiovascular / CVRM4
Vaccines & Infectious Disease1

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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.

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Function Therapeutic area Seniority Country
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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.