Assess key assay quality parameters: reproducibility, sensitivity, selectivity, dynamic range, and human biological relevance and statistical qualification; identify gaps and provide clear, actionable recommendations.
Partner with modality leads and biotech collaborators to define project workflows with robust experimental design, fit-for-purpose methodologies, and clear success criteria - serving as a scientific advisor and recommending go/no-go decisions at key milestones.
Oversee in vitro to in vivo drug candidate testing with ADME, tox and PK/PD partners, including experimental design for animal studies, dose planning, and sample analysis.
Cross-Modality Collaboration
Serve as the primary pharmacology and biology interface connecting with Lilly discovery teams.
Ensure consistency, translatability, and rigor of in vitro pharmacology strategies across modalities and therapeutic areas.
Contribute scientific expertise and decision making to multi-disciplinary teams including medicinal chemists, structural biologists, computational scientists, ADME scientists, and translational pharmacologists.
Strategic Alignment & Portfolio Management
Work with leadership to translate scientific and portfolio needs into best practices, rigorous standards, and joint initiatives across molecule discovery programs.
Prioritize pilots and evaluation of biological methods that impact molecule quality, cycle time, and probability of technical success.
In collaboration with the Technology Lead, scan internal and external landscapes for emerging pharmacology platforms, assay technologies, and CRO capabilities; build scientific cases for licensing, adoption, or partnership to advance ExploR&D programs.
Provide leadership on and oversee pilot design and execution across internal and external partners, ensuring fit-for-purpose experimental design, appropriate controls, and robust success criteria.
Recommend transition pathways for successful pilots into routine capabilities, advising discovery operations, digital/IT, procurement, and finance on requirements and integration approach.
Due Diligence & Partnership Management
Lead and participate in due diligence of early-stage partners, including scientific assessments of assay platforms, pilot p
Benefits
Health insurance
Additional Information
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.
Job Summary
We are looking for an in vitro pharmacologist with deep experience in molecular biology, cell biology, biochemistry, and pharmacology, and broad expertise across multiple therapeutic modalities and therapeutic areas. This individual will be responsible for the critical evaluation of scientific and business opportunities - assessing the scientific merit, technical feasibility, and assay readiness of potential partnerships and programs to enable high-quality decision-making. They will also serve as a key ExploR&D scientific expert and consultant to biotechs, designing and executing fit-for-purpose in vitro pharmacology models to support hit selection, lead optimization, and candidate progression in partnership with biotechs, and will evaluate and build CRO networks to support and extend these capabilities.
A distinguishing feature of this role is the rigorous, critical assessment of biotech partner assay readiness and fit-for-purpose hit identification, hit selection, and lead optimization. This leader will serve as the primary pharmacology interface collaborating across multiple modalities bringing scientific rigor, innovative thinking, demonstrated learning agility, and collaborative leadership to advance molecule innovation from concept to candidate, and to deliver clear, evidence-based go/no-go recommendations at key milestones.
Eli Lilly · Boston MA