Advisor​/Senior Advisor Linker-Payload, Antibody-Drug Conjugate and Bioconjugation Engineering

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.

The current opportunity is within the Bioproduct Research and Development (BR&D) organization, a multidisciplinary organization focused on the development and commercialization of parenteral formulations of small and large molecules such as monoclonal antibodies, novel therapeutic proteins and peptides. Recent investments include genetic medicines, tissue‑specific targeting, lipid nanoparticles, and AAV, as well as other non‑viral vector delivery. Due to a strategic commitment to the growth of novel modalities such as Antibody‑Drug Conjugates (ADCs) and Antibody‑Oligonucleotide / siRNA conjugates (AOCs), and an exciting pipeline of investigational medicines within the Lilly portfolio, we are seeking outstanding candidates to work at this exciting small molecule‑biologics interface.

The position focuses on small‑molecule Linker‑payload (L‑P) and bioconjugation chemistry and engineering challenges for ADC / AOC medicines development. The successful candidate will interface closely with biologics development in  &D and with Synthetic Molecule Design and Development (SMDD) for the synthesis of L‑P in the greater product research and development (PR&D) organization at Lilly.

We are seeking highly motivated and technically creative professionals with experience in the small molecule‑biologics interfacial area or related discipline. Industrial or graduate research experience with L‑P, ADCs / AOCs, and conjugation chemistry / engineering is desired; however, it is not required for outstanding candidates. Candidates with a strong background in pharmaceutical development, physical chemistry, crystallization, engineering, kinetic and process modeling, spectroscopy / PAT, bioconjugation development, and/or purification are encouraged to apply.

The ideal candidate can demonstrate multiple attributes listed above to solve challenging problems through mechanistic thinking, modeling, and data‑rich experimentation.

The Advisor / Senior Advisor will collaborate with a diverse cross‑functional team on phase‑appropriate development of small‑molecule chemistry and unit operations for L‑P synthesis such as reactions, extractions, isolations (crystallization and amorphous precipitation), and chromatographic purification, and ADC / AOC bioconjugation process development including conjugation chemistry and tangential flow filtration and technical transfer to clinical and commercial manufacturing. The applicant will also have the opportunity to contribute to the development of innovative platform technologies to support more rapid development and deeper understanding of current processes, including novel methods such as continuous processing, automation solutions, advanced data mining and modeling, and process modeling for optimization.

The successful applicant is expected to contribute in the laboratory to develop data to support projects and for platform development. The applicant will also be involved in the design of, and work in, a new state‑of‑the‑art research lab for high‑potent ADCs, which will be key to support the recently announced Lilly Medicines Foundry.

• Work in a team environment to drive and manage L‑P, bioconjugation development in‑house and at third‑party partners for assigned portfolio assets and capability projects, including collaboration with external academic researchers.
• Partner with colleagues in process development and analytical sciences to develop integrated process solutions that achieve quality by design and data‑driven decisions with robust control strategies.
• Be on the ground…