Senior Research Scientist

At Elanco (NYSE: ELAN) – it all starts with animals! As a global leader in animal health, we are dedicated to innovation and delivering products and services to prevent and treat disease in farm animals and pets. At Elanco, we are driven by our vision of Food and Companionship Enriching Life and our purpose – all to Go Beyond for Animals, Customers, Society and Our People.

At Elanco, we pride ourselves on fostering a diverse and inclusive work environment. We believe that diversity is the driving force behind innovation, creativity, and overall business success. Here, you'll be part of a company that values and champions new ways of thinking, work with dynamic individuals, and acquire new skills and experiences that will propel your career to new heights.

Making animals' lives better makes life better – join our team today! Your Role:
Senior Research Scientist - Target Intelligence and Early Project Lead

As a Senior Scientist in the Mechanistic Biology team, you will lead novel target identification and validation across multiple animal diseases to build the drug discovery pipeline. This is a non-lab role focused on guiding cross-functional teams through early-stage drug discovery by leveraging advanced in vitro techniques, integrated AI/ML-driven platforms, and functional genomics. You will be responsible for accelerating the discovery cycle through high-throughput screening (HTS) approaches to rapidly move from Hit-to-Lead for both small molecules and biologics.

Lead the identification and prioritization of novel targets using in vitro/in vivo experiments, literature reviews, bioinformatics, functional genomics, and AI/ML. Implement iterative “design-test-learn” and active learning cycles to optimize lead compounds and accelerate the discovery cycle.

Design and deploy high-throughput and multi-modal screening strategies—including biochemical, biophysical, and cellular approaches to identify novel chemical and biological starting points. Leverage AI-augmented data analysis, digital phenotyping, and digital discovery platforms to accelerate candidate identification and minimize experimental costs.

Guide cross-functional teams through early drug discovery from initial concept through target validation, partnering closely with Computational Sciences, Chemistry, Medicinal Chemistry, Computational Biology, Technical Development, and Preclinical Development. Collaborate with Computational Sciences to develop machine learning models for hit expansion and property prediction.

Develop strategies to de-risk targets and enhance commercial viability by integrating Chemistry, Manufacturing, and Controls (CMC) considerations and assessing on-target/off-target safety risks. Develop and integrate biological, AI-enabled, and imaging biomarker strategies and translational in vitro disease models, including CRISPR/Cas9-edited primary cell lines and organoids, to accelerate discovery.

Manage external CRO partnerships and biotech collaborations, providing scientific expertise to support discovery campaigns including DNA-encoded library (DEL), phage display, and yeast display. Foster strategic research collaborations and stay at the forefront of study design, model development, and New Approach Methodologies (NAMs) to maintain a competitive edge in animal health research.

Ph.D. in Cell/Molecular Biology, Pharmacology, Biochemistry, or a related field with several years of postdoctoral training.

Professional experience in industry research and early-stage biotech/drug discovery, including CRO management and experience with integrated digital discovery and HTS platforms.

Including biological assay development for small/large molecules and expertise in high-throughput approaches to validate and identify targets (e.g., DEL, virtual screening). Expertise in New…