Postdoctoral Research Scientist-Oligonucleotide Research-FDE

At Lilly, we unite caring with discovery to make life better for people around the world. We are a global healthcare leader headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana. Our 35,000 employees around the world work to discover and bring life-changing medicines to those who need them, improve the understanding and management of disease, and give back to our communities through philanthropy and volunteerism. We give our best effort to our work, and we put people first. We’re looking for people who are determined to make life better for people around the world.

Lilly is passionate about the discovery, development and commercialization of potential new medicines that will impact and improve the lives of patients. Lilly Genetic Medicine (LGM) team is an innovation-focused group working to identify, develop and apply ground breaking technologies to deliver maximum benefit to our patients. Our agile and diverse team strives to operate as an autonomous ‘biotech-like’ company within the walls of Lilly.

In our fast-paced, interdisciplinary team we use novel RNA/oligonucleotide-based therapeutic modalities to deliver new and improved medicines to patients. We are building state-of-the art expertise in advanced drug delivery platforms for nucleic acid-based modalities, with an emphasis on innovative strategies with potential for breakthrough efficacy. We work in collaboration with colleagues across LGM and therapeutic areas (e.g., Neuroscience).

We are looking for a creative and collaborative scientist with expertise in the conception, formulation, and investigation of emerging nucleic acid delivery approaches. The successful candidate will have a strong understanding of nucleic acid modality and the current pioneering delivery strategies. The candidate will draw on that knowledge and their scientific background to contribute to a multidisciplinary team at the front edge of innovation.

In this role, the engineer will be exposed to the full breadth of preclinical and clinical drug discovery at Lilly and will provide opportunities to contribute to the development of breakthrough medicines. Therefore, the candidate must demonstrate a history of strong technical depth, scientific leadership, and scientific communication. The candidate should embrace a highly collaborative, team-based approach to scientific work.

Do you have an aptitude for innovative approaches focused on identifying impactful therapies for the patient? We want you on our team!

Key responsibilities

• Drive innovation in nucleic acid drug delivery platforms, driving optimization through formulation science, rational design, in silico modeling, and design of experiments.
• Drive rapid and conclusive in vitro and in vivo evaluations of diverse drug delivery formulations and approaches.
• Serve as a member of an integrated and collaborative team responsible for discovery of nucleic acid-based therapies.
• Communicate to management team to enable / accelerate business decisions.
• Engage in a highly collaborative work environment across and beyond LGM and Lilly, including external academic researchers and pre-competitive collaborations.
• Publish and present original research externally, author internal technical documents.

Basic Qualifications:

• PhD in Biomedical Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Pharmaceutical Sciences, or related fields.
• At least 2 years of experience (including Ph.D. training) in oligonucleotide research.

Additional Skills/Preferences:

• Expertise in oligonucleotide synthesis, modification, and characterization.
• Expertise in DNA or RNA nanotechnology (e.g origami)
• Experience in RNA folding prediction.
• Experience in areas relevant to nucleic acid drug delivery: e.g. tissue-specific delivery, cellular uptake mechanisms, encapsulation and self-assembly processes.
• Experience in designing and performing in vivo studies
• Strong understanding of emerging nucleic acid delivery technologies
• Ability to take initiative and work without oversight
• Excellent verbal communication and documentation skills.

Eli Lilly and Company, Lilly USA, LLC and our wholly owned subsidiaries (collectively “Lilly”) are committed to help individuals with disabilities to participate in the workforce and ensure equal opportunity to compete for jobs. If you require an accommodation to submit a resume for positions at Lilly, please email Lilly Human Resources ( Lilly_Recruiting_Compliance@lists.lilly.com ) for further assistance. Please note This email address is intended for use only to request an accommodation as part of the application process. Any other correspondence will not receive a response.

Lilly is an EEO/Affirmative Action Employer and does not discriminate on the basis of age, race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, national origin, protected veteran status, disability or any other legally protected status.

As a condition of employment with Eli Lilly and Company and its subsidiaries in the United States and Puerto Rico, you must be fully COVID-19 vaccinated and provide proof of vaccination satisfactory to the company (subject to applicable law).