Discovery Postdoctoral Fellow, Display Technology for Target Identification and Mechanistic Biology

Internal Job Title: Discovery Postdoctoral Fellow

Position Location: San Diego, CA, USA (Onsite)

* Novartis is unable to offer relocation support for this role: please only apply if this location is accessible for you.

* This position is not eligible for visa sponsorship. Please only apply if you are currently authorized to work in the US for the 3 year duration of the program.

* This is a full-time training position of up to three years in duration.

Research Opportunity

Malaria remains a major global health challenge, and the molecular targets and mechanisms of action of several promising antimalarial compounds remain incompletely understood. In this Discovery Postdoctoral Fellowship, you will develop and apply innovative target-identification and interactomics approaches to uncover the biological pathways underlying parasite survival and drug response.

The fellow will design, construct, and characterize molecular libraries and discovery resources, including display-based and related screening platforms, to enable systematic target identification and interaction mapping. These resources will be applied to identify targets and interaction partners of next-generation compounds and biological probes. The fellow will focus on developing broadly applicable molecular discovery workflows that can support target identification, protein interaction mapping, and mechanism-of-action studies.

This project places molecular discovery platform development at the center of an adaptable discovery framework, combining display technologies, protein engineering, molecular-library screening, selection design, and targeted validation to generate mechanistic insight into biological pathways. Working closely with scientists across Discovery Sciences and Global Health, the fellow will have the opportunity to engage with complementary technologies such as mass spectrometry-based proteomics, chemical proteomics, structural biology, next-generation sequencing, and computational analysis as relevant to target identification and mechanism-of-action studies. Successful outcomes are expected to generate impactful publications and provide reusable resources for future antimalarial drug discovery efforts across disease-relevant biological systems.

Why Join the Program?

The Novartis Biomedical Research Postdoctoral Fellowship Program is designed to develop the next generation of scientific leaders and power the future of medicine through rigorous research, and immersive learning experiences, including the implementation of AI tools in biomedical research.

Postdoctoral Research Fellows benefit from:

• Guidance from accomplished scientific leaders and subject matter experts
• Access to advanced technologies, platforms, and research capabilities
• Collaboration across disciplines and organizational boundaries
• A global and diverse community of postdoctoral fellows
• Dedicated programming designed to help fellows thrive throughout their careers.
• Personalized experiential learning opportunities through a Postdoc Practicum that empower fellows to explore new scientific domains, build cross-functional expertise, and expand their impact beyond their primary research project.
• Opportunities to present research, publish in leading journals, and build an international scientific network

We are entering a new era of biomedical research breakthroughs through the convergence of biology, technology, and artificial intelligence tools, and fellows are also supported in engaging with these emerging approaches.

This is a full-time training position of up to three years in duration.

Reimagining Medicine Together

At Novartis, our purpose is to reimagine medicine to improve and extend people’s lives. Through this program, you will grow as a scientist and future leader while contributing to discoveries that may ultimately benefit patients worldwide.

Start Date

The start date for the 2026 Novartis BR Postdoctoral Fellowship Program cohort is October 1, 2026. Please confirm your availability to meet this date in your cover letter.

Key Responsibilities:

• Design, construct, and characterize display libraries.
• Develop, implement, and optimize display screening workflows for target identification and protein interaction mapping.
• Propose and execute biochemical, structural, and cell-based validation studies for candidate targets and interaction partners.
• Collaborate closely with scientists across malaria biology, proteomics, structural biology, and computational biology disciplines.
• Prepare and deliver clear, data-driven presentations that translate into actionable insights and support strategic decision-making.
• Publication of scientific manuscripts describing novel discoveries, methodologies, and research outcomes in high-impact peer-reviewed journals.

Essential Requirements:

• PhD (or equivalent doctoral degree) in a relevant scientific discipline completed prior to the fellowship start date. The program is intended for scientists immediately following their PhD training (PhD conferred in 2026 only).
• Demonstrated record of scientific achievement (publications, presentations, patents, or equivalent).
• Strong commitment to learning, innovation, and professional development.
• Demonstrated skills in molecular biology techniques such as library construction, cloning, recombinant DNA manipulation, or related approaches.
• Experience in display technologies, protein engineering, directed evolution, molecular library screening, synthetic biology, or related discovery platforms is highly desirable.

Desirable Requirements:

• Familiarity with protein-protein interaction technologies beyond display methods, affinity purification, immunoprecipitation, proximity labeling, or related screening approaches.
• Knowledge of mass spectrometry-based proteomics, chemical proteomics, next-generation sequencing, or computational analysis of large biological datasets.

How to Apply:

Please submit your CV and cover letter by August 15th, 2026. In your cover letter, please describe your research interests, career aspirations, and how participation in the Novartis Biomedical Research Postdoctoral Fellowship Program will support your long-term development.

Compensation & Benefits:

The starting salary for this position is 87,000 USD per year.

US-based eligible employees will receive a comprehensive benefits package that includes health, life and disability benefits, a 401(k) with company contribution and match, and a variety of other benefits. In addition, employees are eligible for a generous time off package including vacation, personal days, holidays and other leaves.

To learn more about the culture, rewards and benefits we offer our people click here.