Your Role: Research Scientist - Computational Biologist As a Research Scientist on our Discovery Research team, you will be at the forefront of Elanco's mission to deliver innovative biologics that improve animal health. You will leverage and develop state-of-the-art AI and structural modeling tools to predict, design, and optimize therapeutic antibodies and proteins. Partnering closely with our principal Computational Scientist and wet-lab teams, you will directly impact the speed and success of our pipeline, helping to create the next generation of animal health therapies. This role offers a unique opportunity to grow your skills in a rapidly evolving field while contributing to tangible, real-world outcomes.
Your Responsibilities: - Utilize and develop AI-driven tools (e.g., AlphaFold, Rosetta) to predict and design high-resolution structures of antibodies and other proteins, directly supporting our therapeutic biologics pipeline.
- Apply generative AI and structural modeling techniques to design novel antibody and protein modalities from scratch, optimizing them for high-precision epitope targeting, affinity, and specificity.
- Proactively identify and engineer out potential liabilities (e.g., aggregation, immunogenicity) and train novel structure-based ML architectures to enhance the developability of our biologic candidates.
- Partner closely with wet-lab scientists to analyze experimental data, validate computational predictions, and rapidly iterate on designs to accelerate antibody selection and optimization.
- Stay current with the evolving AI landscape by evaluating new tools, maintaining thorough documentation, and effectively communicating complex findings to cross-functional teams.
What You Need to Succeed (minimum qualifications): - Education: Ph.D. in Computational Biology, Bioinformatics, Structural Biology, Computer Science, or a related field.
- Experience: 0-3 years of post-graduate experience applying computational methods to biological problems.
- Top Skills: A strong foundation in structural bioinformatics and AI/ML modeling, with proficiency in a programming language like Python, and the communication skills to work effectively in a cross-functional scientific environment.
What will give you a strong edge (preferred qualifications): - Experience with de novo protein design tools, such as diffusion models or physics-based approaches.
- A track record of applying computational tools to solve biological problems, evidenced by publications or significant project contributions.
- Familiarity with cloud computing environments (e.g., AWS, GCP) and MLOps principles.
- Experience in antibody or protein engineering and a foundational understanding of immunology.
- A proactive mindset with a passion for staying current with the rapidly evolving AI landscape and a motivation to test and evaluate new methodologies.
Additional Information: - Location: Global Elanco Headquarters - Indianapolis, IN - Hybrid Work Environment
Elanco Benefits and Perks: We offer a comprehensive benefits package focusing on financial, physical, and mental well-being while encouraging our employees to pursue our purpose! Some highlights include:
- Multiple relocation packages
- Two weeklong shutdowns (mid-summer and year-end) in the US (in addition to PTO)
- 9 Employee Resource Groups
- Flexible work arrangements
