Post-Doctoral Scientist, Bioconjugation Process Innovation

About the role

This postdoctoral position sits within the Purification Process Development group in BR&D and focuses on advancing In-Process Conjugation (IPC) as a next-generation manufacturing platform for Antibody RNA Conjugates (ARC) and Antibody Drug Conjugates (ADC).

Responsibilities

• Design and execute purification development experiments to evaluate and optimize the in-process conjugation workflow.
• Collaborate with the Bioconjugation group to investigate conjugation efficiency and product quality attributes.
• Collaborate with Analytical teams to assess impurity detectability.
• Engage with the Medicine Foundry and PAT-knowledgeable collaborators to explore integration of in-line process analytical tools for real-time CQA monitoring.
• Collaborate with the Virology group to assess impacts on viral clearance.
• Document experimental results rigorously; author technical reports and contribute to potential patent filings and peer-reviewed publications in alignment with Lilly legal and IP processes.
• Present findings at internal forums (BR&D group meetings, API Forum, BR&D Seminar) on a regular cadence (every 3–6 months).

Requirements

• Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering, Biochemistry, Chemistry, Biomolecular Engineering, or a closely related field, conferred within the past 3 years (or anticipated prior to start date).
• Hands-on experience with preparative protein chromatography (affinity, IEX, HIC, SEC) using ÄKTA or equivalent chromatography systems.

Qualifications

• Familiarity with antibody conjugate modalities (ADC, ARC, or similar) and/or bioconjugation chemistry.
• Experience with analytical characterization methods relevant to conjugate process development (LC-MS, ELISA, HCP assays, DAR determination).
• Exposure to tangential flow filtration (TFF) or other membrane-based separation operations.
• Interest in or experience with process analytical technology (PAT) or process intensification.
• Strong written and oral communication skills; publication and/or conference presentation experience preferred.
• Self-directed, intellectually curious, and motivated to build a career in the biopharmaceutical industry.

Additional Information

This position is part of Lilly’s postdoctoral training program, which provides an exceptional environment and the opportunity for professional growth through learning, collaboration, networking, and mentorship from Lilly’s leading scientists, aimed at facilitating groundbreaking discoveries.

This position is not permanent. It is for a fixed duration of two years with the potential to extend to a maximum of 4 years. You will have opportunities to apply for full-time positions after your duration is complete.

About Eli Lilly’s Postdoctoral Scientist Program When it comes to research and development, our goal is to discover and deliver innovative medicines that make life better for people around the world. It’s challenging, expensive, and often filled with failure. But even when we fail, we advance medical science and understanding by learning more about diseases, biology, and chemistry -ultimately bringing new solutions one step closer to reality. Over the course of our history, we have shed light on some of the toughest health care problems known to man - diabetes, heart disease, infectious diseases, neuroscience disorders, cancer, and more. We could not pursue this without our research and development team. Postdoctoral scientists help us continue this pursuit. During your experience you will get:

• Top industry research experience
• Mentoring by some of Lilly’s top scientists
• Laboratory and classroom training and education to further your development
• Collaboration and networking across dozens of postdoctoral scientists and other researchers