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At Lilly, we unite caring with discovery to make life better for people around the world. We are a global healthcare leader headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana. Our employees around the world work to discover and bring life-changing medicines to those who need them, improve the understanding and management of disease, and give back to our communities through philanthropy and volunteerism. We give our best effort to our work, and we put people first. We’re looking for people who are determined to make life better for people around the world.

Advisor, Vector Engineering and Delivery, Lilly Gene Therapy

Come join the rapidly expanding Lilly Gene Therapy team at Eli Lilly! We are responsible for inventing, characterizing, and advancing novel genome therapy reagents for a myriad of clinical applications. Our team works cross-functionally within our organization across multiple disease areas and platforms. Our goal is to deliver on the promise of gene therapy to patients around the world.

Responsibilities:

Lilly Gene Therapy Discovery and Platform Research (GTDPR) team seeks a highly motivated scientist to spearhead internal AAV vector engineering and delivery research for CNS-targeted gene therapies. In this role, you will lead and conduct experimental research initiatives, mentor junior staff, and drive the development of novel capsid engineering strategies to optimize CNS transduction efficiency. The ideal candidate will balance scientific leadership with bench-level problem-solving, ensuring translational impact through cutting-edge gene therapy platforms.

This position will be reporting to Executive Director – Vector Engineeering and Delivery to evaluate and identify top performing AAV capsids that is fit-for-purpose on select CNS target indications and clinical applications.

+ Lead experimental design and hands-on execution of molecular biology and in vitro assays to advance AAV capsid/cargo engineering and therapeutic platform development.

+ Develop and refine tissue processing methodologies for nucleic acid (RNA and/or DNA), and protein extraction from vertebrate models to support downstream analyses.

+ Implement and optimize NGS library preparation and sequencing workflow for biodistribution and transduction profiling.

+ Execute on data-driven decision-making and rigorous laboratory standards by maintaining detailed electronic records of experimental workflows, ensuring reproducibility and compliance.

+ Analyze and present experimental findings to internal teams and Lilly stakeholders, including preparing technical reports and presenting at external conferences.

+ Serve as a scientific resource in AAV research production and release testing, support team capacity and facilitating data-driven decision-making.

+ Demonstrate cross-functional collaboration within Lilly Gene Therapy and broader Lilly Research Laboratories, ensuring project milestones are met while maintaining adaptability to evolving research priorities.

Basic Requirements:

+ PhD degree in biology, biochemistry, biotechnology, or a related scientific field with 2+ years of independent post-graduate working experience (can include post-doctoral experience).

Additional Preferences:

+ Knowledge of molecular biology, AAV capsid, and genetic regulation engineering.

+ Experience with the following techniques is important for qualifying for the position: plasmid design, nucleic acid processing, sequencing, mammalian cell culture, ddPCR, ELISA and immunoblot assays.

+ Basic data compilation and analytical software skill

+ Experience running automation system and cell-based assays is highly preferred.

+ Ability to work both independently and as a member of a team.

+ The candidate must be well-organized, goal-focused, and detail-oriented.

+ Strong desire to learn multiple techniques and a willingness to provide support, as required.

+ Candidate must have excellent communication skills, written and verbal.

Additional Information:

+ This role may require up to 10-15% travel for conferences or training.

+ Full-time (40 hours/week) in person lab / office work (Boston, MA) is required.

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 is proud to be an EEO Employer and does not discriminate on the basis of age, race, color, religion, gender identity, sex, gender expression, sexual orientation, genetic information, ancestry, national origin, protected veteran status, disability, or any other legally protected status.

Our employee resource groups (ERGs) offer strong support networks for their members and are open to all employees. Our current groups include: Africa, Middle East, Central Asia Network, Black Employees at Lilly, Chinese Culture Network, Japanese International Leadership Network (JILN), Lilly India Network, Organization of Latinx at Lilly (OLA), PRIDE (LGBTQ+ Allies), Veterans Leadership Network (VLN), Women’s Initiative for Leading at Lilly (WILL), enAble (for people with disabilities). Learn more about all of our groups.

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

$133,500 - $217,800

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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