Director/Sr. Director/Exec. Director Computational Biophysics, Advanced Molecular Design (AMD)

About the role

The Lilly Small Molecule Discovery group is seeking an exceptional computational biophysicist to tackle the problems our discovery teams have yet to solve. This is not a traditional computational chemistry role — it is a scientific leadership position for someone who sits at the intersection of deep physical theory, computational methods, and AI-enabled data analysis.

Responsibilities

• Develop and deploy advanced physics-based algorithms to characterize biophysical processes and their application across a range of therapeutic areas
• Play a key role in prioritizing computational methods and workflows to efficiently and effectively enable drug discovery efforts leading to highly focused work and rapid progress
• Maintain critical timelines and set team expectations for the efficient delivery of computational technologies with strong impact on therapeutic programs
• Work closely with other AMD and therapeutic area leaders to move our portfolio of molecules from leads to quality drug candidates that have a strong potential to become breakthrough drugs
• Contribute to the ongoing evaluation of external technologies

Requirements

• Ph.D. in physics, chemistry, mathematics, computer science or related discipline
• 10 or more years of research experience

Basic Requirements

• A deep scientific background in theoretical and computational biophysics
• Proven track record of leadership and success applying computational biophysics toward a deeper understanding of structure-function relationships in human health
• Proactive and effective collaboration with computational chemists, medicinal chemists, structural biologists, and other disciplines to achieve project goals and timelines
• A strong desire to establish a deeper understanding of all aspects of drug discovery, including conformational ensembles of biological systems, small molecule-protein interactions, physicochemical properties, and ADMET
• A proactive and highly engaged approach to solving challenging problems in drug discovery
• A desire to stay continually up to date with the latest industry developments and novel techniques employed in discovery, including statistical mechanics, free-energy and enhanced sampling methods, AI, and machine learning models
• Excellent communication of goals and priorities to discovery teams
• Agility and adaptability to change research priorities as necessary for success
• A commitment to mentoring earlier career scientists
• A strong core desire to help patients in need

Physical Demands/Travel

The physical demands of this job are consistent with an office environment. The physical demands here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Travel may be required.

Work Environment

This is an onsite position located in one of the established Lilly Small Molecule Discovery sites in Louisville, Colorado or Indianapolis, Indiana. The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job.