Data Science intern: Single Cell Genomics

Key Skills

Data science techniques, Data Visualization, Drug Discovery, English Proficiency, Genomic data, Machine learning techniques, Python Programming, R Programming, Statistical modeling

Job Description

5600! That is the number of associates across the globe in the Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research (NIBR). This division is the innovation engine of Novartis, focusing on powerful new technologies that have the potential to help produce therapeutic breakthroughs for patients.

Be part of the next breakthrough! The Data Science group, within the Chemical Biology & Therapeutics department in NIBR Basel Switzerland, is seeking a highly motivated and collaborative recent Master’s graduate to work on an exciting project in the space of single cell genomics. As part of a dynamic, multidisciplinary Data Science team, you will gain an in-depth insight into the cutting-edge technologies in single cell genomics, will have the opportunities to work with colleagues from different platforms and disease areas across NIBR, and will get the chance to develop a general understanding of drug discovery and development, and especially to learn about how we power early-stage drug discovery research with data science.

Preferred start date / as soon as possible

Latest start date / 01.05.2023

Duration: 6 months

Your responsibilities:

• Collect, curate, and prioritize public and internal single cell RNA-seq datasets of interest with a focus of core therapeutic areas at Novartis
• Benchmark several tools for atlas-level data integration
• Annotate cells using (semi)supervised methods, and ensure cell type ontologies in line with FAIR principles
• Create and deploy visualization tools (e.g., shiny app or other software) for cell atlases
• Dive deeper into certain cell types to gain insights into further understanding shard and specific pathogenic pathways/genes between diseases

Diversity & Inclusion / EEO

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

Minimum Requirements

What you’ll bring to the role:

• Recent Master’s graduate with a quantitative background (bioinformatics, applied mathematics, physics or related field)
• Solid programming skills in R and/or Python
• Hands-on experience with Linux
• Experience in single cell data analysis
• Excellent oral and written English

Desirable requirements:

• Ability to implement algorithms/methods for in-depth data analysis
• Experience with Git (or an alternative version control tool)
• Strong data visualization skills

Why Novartis?

766 million lives were touched by Novartis medicines in 2021, and while we’re proud of this, we know there is so much more we could do to help improve and extend people’s lives.

We believe new insights, perspectives and ground-breaking solutions can be found at the intersection of medical science and digital innovation. That a diverse, equitable and inclusive environment inspires new ways of working.

We believe our potential can thrive and grow in an unbossed culture underpinned by integrity, curiosity and flexibility. And we can reinvent what's possible, when we collaborate with courage to aggressively and ambitiously tackle the world’s toughest medical challenges. Because the greatest risk in life, is the risk of never trying!