Sr. Advisor - Preclinical Discovery, Women's Health - Preeclampsia

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.

At Lilly, we unite caring with discovery to make life better for people around the world. As a global healthcare leader headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana, we are committed to advancing innovative medicines in areas of high unmet medical need.

As part of Lilly’s growing Women’s Health strategy, we are building early discovery capabilities in pregnancy‑related disorders, including preeclampsia—a condition with profound maternal and fetal consequences and no disease‑modifying therapies. We are seeking an experienced discovery biologist to help define scientific strategy, evaluate novel mechanisms, and advance preclinical biology in this uniquely complex therapeutic area.

This role emphasizes deep biological insight, meticulous experimentation, and scientific leadership in early R&D.

This position is located in Boston.

• Provide independent scientific leadership to drive discovery research in preeclampsia and pregnancy‑related vascular disorders, including target identification, hypothesis development, and mechanism‑based program strategy.
• Maintain a hands‑on role in the laboratory, establishing and implementing relevant in vitro, ex vivo, and in vivo models and assays.
• Design and conduct experiments supporting target validation, preclinical pharmacology, and mechanism‑of‑action studies, with emphasis on maternal‑placental biology.
• Critically evaluate translational relevance and biological risk, including maternal versus fetal considerations and gestational timing.
• Serve as a core biology contributor within cross‑functional discovery teams, collaborating with chemistry, translational science, and safety functions.
• Operate independently while contributing to a highly collaborative research environment.
• Provide scientific supervision and mentorship to 1–2 scientists as appropriate.
• Ensure data integrity, clear data interpretation, and effective scientific communication in both written reports and oral presentations.
• Ensure all work is conducted in accordance with Lilly Research Policies, safety standards, and required training timelines.

• Ph.D. in physiology, pharmacology, molecular biology, reproductive biology, or a related field
• 3+ years of proven experience

• Strong background in placental biology, vascular/endothelial biology, or maternal‑fetal physiology.
• 2+ years of postdoctoral training
• Hands‑on experience with preclinical in vivo models relevant to pregnancy or vascular dysfunction, as well as supporting in vitro and ex vivo systems.
• Ability to critically assess novel targets and mechanisms in the context of pregnancy‑specific biology and safety constraints.
• Demonstrated experience driving mechanism‑focused discovery biology in early R&D.
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills, with a collaborative approach and ability to influence scientific direction.
• Additional experience in chronic women’s health indications (e.g. endometriosis, PCOS and Stress Urinary Incontinence) is a plus

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

$138,000 - $224,400

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…