Postdoctoral Scientist – Neuroscience (Synuclein Biology

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—and 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.

Lilly’s Neurodegeneration Biology group in Boston is seeking a Postdoctoral Scientist to investigate the molecular and cellular mechanisms that drive α-synuclein dysfunction and aggregation in disease. This role centers on a fundamental and therapeutically important question: what drives the transition of native, aggregation-resistant α-synuclein into aggregation-prone, pathogenic species, and how can that process be understood, measured, and ultimately modulated therapeutically. The successful candidate will combine quantitative aggregation biochemistry, engineered cellular systems, and iPSC-derived neuronal disease models to build a mechanistic foundation for new therapeutic strategies in synucleinopathy.

This is an opportunity to work at the interface of protein biophysics, cell biology, and translational neuroscience within a collaborative drug discovery environment.

• Design and execute experiments to define the molecular and cellular mechanisms that drive α-synuclein aggregation and dysfunction
• Develop and apply cellular models, including engineered cell lines and iPSC-derived neurons, to study α-synuclein biology in physiologically relevant systems
• Establish and use aggregation paradigms, including seeded aggregation and recombinant fibril generation, to probe the kinetics and consequences of α-synuclein misfolding
• Apply biochemical and biophysical readouts, including Thioflavin T (ThT)-based aggregation assays, to quantify aggregation propensity across experimental conditions
• Validate key findings in neuronal disease models using imaging-based and biochemical approaches
• Collaborate with scientists across Lilly’s Boston site and with external academic partners
• Present findings at internal meetings and scientific conferences, and contribute to peer-reviewed publications
• Maintain rigorous documentation of experimental work in Lilly’s electronic laboratory notebook system

• Lead execution of a research program focused on the molecular and cellular drivers of α-synuclein aggregation and pathology
• Develop and characterize scalable cellular models of α-synuclein aggregation, including stable cell lines and reporter-based systems
• Perform Thioflavin T (ThT) fluorescence-based aggregation kinetics experiments across a range of protein and experimental conditions, and apply appropriate kinetic modeling to interpret results
• Use biochemical and crosslinking-based approaches to characterize α-synuclein oligomeric and aggregation state across experimental settings
• Work with iPSC-derived neuronal models of synucleinopathy, including disease‑relevant and isogenic control systems, and contribute to the development of new aggregation models
• Apply imaging approaches such as immunofluorescence, confocal microscopy, and high‑content imaging to characterize aggregation, localization, and downstream cellular phenotypes
• Contribute to data analysis, figure generation, and manuscript development for high‑impact publications
• Communicate findings clearly through lab reports, team discussions, presentations, and external scientific forums

• PhD in cell biology, biochemistry, molecular biology, neuroscience, protein biophysics, or a related field, or current enrollment in a PhD program with an expected graduation date within 6 months
• Hands‑on expertise in protein aggregation biochemistry, including ThT-based kinetic assays
• Experience generating and engineering…