Research Internship in Drug Discovery and Development with Industrial PhD Pathway

Location: Otelfingen, Zurich, Switzerland

Start date: August 2026

Duration: Up to one year, with potential transition into an industrial PhD project

About us

Philochem AG is the discovery R&D center of the Philogen Group, a Swiss-Italian biotechnology company developing innovative biopharmaceuticals for cancer and inflammatory diseases. Located near Zurich, Philochem integrates chemistry, biology, cell line development, and mass spectrometry to advance new therapeutic and diagnostic candidates from discovery toward clinical development.

Your Role

We are seeking a highly motivated, scientifically ambitious, and collaborative early-career scientist to join our Chemistry group. The position is suited for a chemist, biochemist, chemical biologist, pharmaceutical scientist, or related interdisciplinary profile who is eager to contribute to modern drug discovery at the interface of chemistry, biology, and translational research.

The project will focus on the design, synthesis, screening, and validation of DNA-Encoded Chemical Libraries to identify novel ligands for targeted therapeutic and diagnostic applications. The successful candidate will work closely with an interdisciplinary team and will contribute to ligand discovery programs with potential translational impact.

For a candidate who demonstrates strong scientific progress and fits well within the team, the internship may open a pathway to an industrial PhD project in collaboration with a leading European university.

Your Tasks

• Design and synthesize DNA-Encoded Chemical Libraries and related compounds.
• Screen libraries against pharmaceutically relevant targets.
• Validate and prioritize hits using biochemical, biophysical, analytical, and cell-based assays.
• Analyze data and contribute to structure-activity relationship development.
• Collaborate with scientists across chemistry, biology, and mass spectrometry.
• Present results internally and contribute to publications and intellectual property.

Your Profile

• Master’s degree in chemistry, biochemistry, chemical biology, pharmaceutical sciences, pharmacology, or a related field.
• Exposure to concepts of modern drug discovery and translational biomedical research.
• Experience in synthetic chemistry, screening technologies, DELs, or analytical methods is an advantage.
• Ability to critically interpret experiments (scientific rigor).
• Proactive, reliable, well-organized, and eager to take responsibility.
• Proficient written and spoken English.
• Collaborative mindset and enthusiasm for interdisciplinary research.

What We Offer

• A scientifically ambitious research project at the interface of chemistry, chemical biology, and translational drug discovery.
• Hands-on experience with DNA-Encoded Chemical Libraries and modern discovery technologies.
• Close mentorship from experienced scientists in an international biotechnology environment.
• Exposure to interdisciplinary research spanning chemistry, biology, mass spectrometry, and preclinical development.
• Opportunities to contribute to scientific publications, conference presentations, and intellectual property.
• Potential transition into a PhD project with a leading European university, subject to mutual agreement.

How to Apply

Please submit your application including:

• CV
• Motivation letter
• University transcripts
• Contact details of at least two references

Applications will be reviewed on a continuous basis. Please send your application to Dr. Sebastian Oehler (sebastian.oehler@philochem.ch) and Dr. Andrea Ciamarone (andrea.ciamarone@philochem.ch).