Esther Melo, a postdoc at Roche, says such an industry-based postdoc is a "midpoint between industry and academia," Nature Jobs reports.
Postdocs there, she says, can work in a lab at Roche or at a collaborating university. "You actually get two mentors: one from Roche, and one from academia," she adds.
One worry that many researchers contemplating an industrial postdoc have, Nature Jobs says, is whether publishing research results is allowed. It adds that there is a focus on publishing in peer-reviewed journals, though patent filings may have to come before publishing, depending on the work.
Melo and Matthias Nettekoven, a PI at Roche, also emphasized the team-based approach there where researchers direct their own work, but discuss it in groups. "You will be the pro in your field. You have the responsibility to drive these things forward," Nettekoven says.
Once in industry, Nettekoven adds that researchers may even branch out to marketing, sales, human resources, or manufacturing, if they are interested. "When you're in, you're just in. You develop into what you want to be," says Nettekoven. "The world is open, but the initiative has to come from you."