Sr. Scientist - Lab Automation Scientist

About the role

The Biologics Automation and High-throughput Technologies Group at the Lilly Biotechnology Center in San Diego is seeking an Associate Lab Automation Scientist to support early-stage discovery and screening of protein therapeutics. Our team is working toward a vision of closed-loop autonomous discovery — where robotic platforms, lab digitalization, and AI-driven orchestration work together to accelerate how medicines are found. Getting there starts with a strong foundation: reliable instrumentation, connected workflows, and clean data flowing from the physical lab into the digital world.

Responsibilities

• Operate, maintain, and troubleshoot lab automation equipment used in biotherapeutic discovery, including stand-alone liquid handlers, micro-dispensers, plate readers and washers, protein quantification instruments, colony/plaque pickers, sequencing instruments, and a fleet of diverse fully integrated robotic systems.
• Work alongside automation engineers on day-to-day instrument and robotic platform upkeep, reliability, operational scripting, and scheduling software.
• Collaborate with protein discovery, engineering, and protein expression groups at the San Diego site to support and improve automation-driven research workflows.
• Contribute to the design, implementation, and validation of new automation equipment, integrated robotic workstations, and lab digitalization technologies in partnership with vendors and internal teams.

Requirements

• M.S. in Bioengineering, Biomedical Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or related discipline with a minimum of 2 years of relevant industry experience, or
• B.S. in Bioengineering, Biomedical Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or related discipline with a minimum of 5 years of relevant industry experience

Qualifications

• Qualified applicants must be authorized to work in the United States on a full-time basis.
• Lilly will not provide support for or sponsor work authorization or visas for this role, including but not limited to F-1 CPT, F-1 OPT, F-1 STEM OPT, J-1, H-1B, TN, O-1, E-3, H-1B1, or L-1.

Skills and Preferences

• Liquid Handling & Benchtop Automation: Experience with liquid handlers such as Beckman, Hamilton, HighRes; experience with micro-dispensers such as BioTek, Thermo, Formulatrix, or Let's Go Robotics; familiarity with microplate washers, readers, and high-throughput antibody quantification instruments; any exposure to E. coli colony plating/picking systems (e.g. QPix) is a bonus.
• Integrated Robotic Systems: Some experience operating or working alongside integrated automation workstations; any familiarity with scheduling software (Cellario, Green Button Go, Director, SAMI, VWorks, Genera, or similar) is a plus; any background in robotics engineering or systems integration is a bonus.
• Software & Data Tools: Basic scripting or programming experience in Python, Java, C#, or SQL is a plus; familiarity with data analysis or visualization tools such as JMP, Tableau, Power BI, or Spotfire.
• Lab Informatics: Experience with an Electronic Lab Notebook (ELN) such as Benchling or LabGuru; any exposure to LIMS platforms or database tools (e.g. PostgreSQL, Genedata) is a plus.
• General: Strong attention to detail and good record-keeping habits; a collaborative mindset and comfort working across scientific and engineering teams; eagerness to learn, take ownership, and grow in a fast-moving, technology-driven research environment; background in life sciences, pharmaceutical research, or high-throughput screening environments is beneficial.