Scientist/Senior Scientist - Discovery

At Lilly, the work is demanding because patients are waiting. We unite caring with discovery to help make life better for people around the world, knowing that every decision, every detail, and every day matters. Headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana, our over 50,000 employees around the globe take on complex challenges to discover and deliver life-changing medicines, strengthen how health is understood and managed, and support the communities we serve. This is hard, urgent, selfless work—but it’s work worth doing. If you’re driven by purpose and ready to bring your best to work that truly matters for patients, we invite you to join us.

The Principal Scientist, Discovery will facilitate the advancement of new ligands and technologies for Eli Lilly’s discovery oncology programs. This position will require development, optimization, and standardization of methods to characterize new ligands being investigated as potential radiopharmaceuticals. The ideal candidate will have technical experience with in vitro and cell-based assays, mammalian cell culture, fixed/live cell microscopy methods, and immunofluorescence. The Principal Scientist will work cross-functionally with members of the discovery and preclinical team to execute research activities on site and with external partners.

Roles And Responsibilities

• Independently perform biochemical and/or cell-based assays to characterize the activity of early-stage ligands, such as fluorogenic reporter assays and co-localization experiments via microscopy and immunofluorescence.
• Develop and optimize 2D and 3D cell lines as functional models for compound behaviour.
• Passage and prepare mammalian cells to be used in assays.
• Develop methods to assess compound affinity, retention, and internalization of compounds.
• Support the generation of in vitro assay data for established projects.
• Interface with external vendors to support early discovery activities.
• Critically assess data and methods, adapting and adjusting procedures as necessary.
• In conjunction with managers, establish priorities and meet timelines for key experiments.
• Provide clear communication of scientific data to co-workers through internal presentations and written methods.
• Support preclinical and late-stage assets as necessary.

Basic Qualifications

• Ph.D. in chemistry, biochemistry, chemical biology, pharmacy, or related discipline or M.Sc in chemistry, biochemistry, chemical biology, pharmacy, or related discipline with 3-5 years of industry experience

Additional Preferences

• 3+ years relevant postgraduate experience (industry preferred)
• Demonstrated success independently designing experiments and planning scientific projects.
• Experience with biochemical assays using primary and immortalized cell lines.
• Strong background in the development and optimization of cell-based reporter assays and cytotoxicity assays.
• Experience performing in vitro biochemical/biophysical assays and flow cytometry.
• Familiarity with confocal microscopy, immunofluorescence and imaging of live/fixed cells.
• Ability to communicate scientific data effectively to an interdisciplinary team.
• Excellent problem-solving and decision-making skills.
• Working knowledge of MS Office, Graphpad Prism, FlowJo, and ChemDraw.
• Experience with radiobinding assays or handling of radioactive materials is an asset.
• Experience with protein purification and analysis methods is an asset.

Location of work

The position will be working onsite at a lab in Toronto, ON, with the anticipation of travel for team and client meetings.

Lilly is dedicated to helping individuals with disabilities to actively engage in the workforce, ensuring equal opportunities when vying for positions. If you require accommodation to submit a resume for a position at Lilly, please complete the accommodation request form (https://careers.lilly.com/us/en/workplace-accommodation) for further assistance. Please note this is for individuals to request an accommodation as part of the application process and any other correspondence will not receive a response.

Lilly does not discriminate on the basis of age, race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, national origin, protected veteran status, disability or any other legally protected status.

Actual compensation will depend on a candidate’s education, experience, skills, and geographic location. The anticipated wage for this position is

$ - $

Full-time equivalent employees may also 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 pension plan; vacation benefits; eligibility for healthcare benefits; flexible benefits (if applicable) 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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