Position OverviewWe are seeking a highly motivated and innovative scientist to join the New Approach Methodologies (NAMs)/Complex In Vitro Models (CIVMs) pillar within Lilly's Investigative Toxicology group. This individual contributor, primarily laboratory-based role sits within an integrated group where in vitro and in vivo safety science are united under a single leadership, enabling seamless translational science across the drug discovery continuum.
The successful candidate will serve as the primary scientific contributor to Lilly's CNS/PNS safety NAMs capability - designing, qualifying, and applying advanced human-relevant in vitro models to detect, characterize, and mechanistically understand compound-induced liabilities across the central nervous system (CNS), peripheral nervous system (PNS), and blood-brain barrier (BBB). Liabilities of primary interest include neurotoxicity (excitotoxicity, neuroinflammation, mitochondrial dysfunction), seizurogenic and network activity perturbation, demyelination, peripheral neuropathy/axonopathy, and BBB integrity disruption. The role demands scientific depth in neural biology, a mechanistic attitude toward safety translation, and the drive to advance neuronal CIVM science both internally and externally.
Key Responsibilities- Develop, qualify, and apply advanced human-relevant in vitro models for CNS/PNS liability assessment, including iPSC-derived neurons and glial cells, co-culture systems, organoids/assembloids, dorsal root ganglion (DRG) neuron models, and BBB models to detect and characterize compound-induced neural injury across Lilly's portfolio.
- Design and implement mechanistic investigations into compound-induced CNS/PNS liabilities including excitotoxicity, seizurogenic activity, demyelination, neuroinflammation, mitochondrial dysfunction, axonopathy, and BBB integrity disruption.
- Implement functional MEAs and/or FLIPR calcium flux assays as primary liability readouts for seizurogenic potential, ion channel perturbation, and neural network activity disruption; qualify novel assays and endpoints that improve the sensitivity, specificity, throughput, and translational relevance of CNS/PNS liability screening.
- Develop deep scientific expertise in CNS/PNS liability science and serve as a key scientific resource for project teams by designing/performing in vitro follow-on investigations to understand mechanism of toxicity and species translatability.
- Collaborate with Lilly's in silico ADMET Intelligence group to integrate computational CNS/PNS liability predictions with in vitro mechanistic data, contributing to coherent and tiered safety decision frameworks for project teams.
- Evaluate emerging technologies and recommend platforms for adoption that meaningfully strengthen the human relevance of Lilly's CNS/PNS safety science.
- Independently review primary literature to generate mechanistic hypotheses and design in vitro studies to test them.
- Serve as scientific point of contact for CRO and academic partners conducting CNS/PNS NAMs work on Lilly's behalf, overseeing study design, data quality, and deliverable standards.
- Participate in pre-competitive consortia and industry working groups advancing CNS/PNS NAMs and early safety science.
- Publish peer-reviewed research and present findings at national and international scientific meetings.
Minimum Requirements- PhD in Neuroscience, Neurotoxicology, Pharmacology, Biomedical Engineering, Cell Biology, or a closely related discipline.
- Advisor: PhD with 2+ years of postdoctoral or industry research experience with direct hands-on work in advanced neural in vitro models.
- Senior Advisor: PhD with 5+ years of postdoctoral or industry research experience with a demonstrated track record of independent scientific contribution, model qualification, and leadership.
- Direct, hands-on experience with at least one of the following: (1) iPSC-derived neural cell model development/optimization (neurons, astrocytes, oligodendrocytes, or mixed co-cultures) applied to liability or mechanistic safety questions; (2) MEA/FLIPR-based functional neurotoxicity or seizurogenic liability assessment; (3) in vitro BBB model development used to characterize barrier disruption or neuroinflammatory liabilities; or (4) 3D brain organoid/assembloid systems for compound-induced injury profiling.
- Experience independently design and execute rigorous experiments, manage concurrent projects, and prioritize under drug discovery timelines.
Additional Skills / Preferences- Experience with transcriptomic profiling and/or high-content imaging to define mechanism-of-injury signatures in CNS/PNS models and support human translational risk interpretation.
- Strong written and oral communication skills, evidenced by peer-reviewed publications and/or conference presentations.
- Ability to operate effectively in a matrixed, cross-functional drug discovery team environment.
- Knowledge of oligonucleotide delivery platforms and their associated neurotoxicity liabilities is a plus.
- Experience with neuroinflammation models or microglial biology in a safety context is also a plus.
- Experience mentoring junior scientists or leading project-embedded scientific activities.
Actual compensation will depend on a candidate's education, experience, skills, and geographic location. The anticipated wage for this position is
$126,000 - $204,600
Full-time equivalent employees also will be eligible for a company bonus (depending, in part, on company and individual performance). In addition, Lilly offers a comprehensive benefit program to eligible employees, including eligibility to participate in a company-sponsored 401(k); pension; vacation benefits; eligibility for medical, dental, vision and prescription drug benefits; flexible benefits (e.g., healthcare and/or dependent day care flexible spending accounts); life insurance and death benefits; certain time off and leave of absence benefits; and well-being benefits (e.g., employee assistance program, fitness benefits, and employee clubs and activities).Lilly reserves the right to amend, modify, or terminate its compensation and benefit programs in its sole discretion and Lilly's compensation practices and guidelines will apply regarding the details of any promotion or transfer of Lilly employees.
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