Research Advisor - Protein Biochemist

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.

Position Summary:

Join a team at the forefront of next-generation biologics discovery within the BioTDR team at Lilly, where your hands-on scientific contributions will directly enable breakthrough therapeutics targeting some of the most challenging diseases in medicine. This role offers a unique chance for a PhD scientist to build industry-leading workflows that generate transformative molecules—contributing to both foundational research and translational medicine while growing as a technically skilled leader within a collaborative, high-impact environment.

As a core team member, you will drive research across cutting-edge protein platforms—leading efforts in small- and large-scale protein production, bioconjugation optimization, and protein-protein interaction analysis. This is a bench-forward role where strong wet lab acumen and technical execution are paramount; you will be expected to lead from the bench, designing and executing experiments with rigor while troubleshooting complex technical challenges in real time. The successful candidate will apply bioconjugation expertise as a central tool in molecular design, understanding how conjugation chemistry, site-specificity, and payload attachment strategies influence molecular behavior and therapeutic potential. You will have the autonomy to develop and champion your own scientific ideas while collaborating extensively across the organization to advance diverse research programs.

We are seeking a PhD-level scientist with demonstrated expertise in innovative protein production platforms, profiling techniques, biochemical assay and reagent development. A strong command of biophysical and analytical characterization methods—such as binding kinetics, thermostability assessments, and higher-order structure analysis—is essential. Equally important is deep expertise in protein-protein interactions, bioconjugation chemistry, and molecular design principles, paired with the ability to connect biological context to molecular engineering strategies. The ideal candidate will understand how bioconjugate architecture—including linker chemistry, drug-to-antibody ratio, and conjugation site selection—impacts molecular function and developability. We seek a scientist with a proven track record of hands-on technical excellence—someone who thrives at the bench, brings meticulous attention to experimental detail, and can translate scientific concepts into robust, reproducible workflows.

Responsibilities:

• Apply knowledge of protein structure–function relationships, structure–activity relationships (SAR), and bioconjugate design principles to guide molecular engineering efforts and inform rational molecule optimization.
• Lead independent research projects from concept to execution, critically analyzing experimental results, drawing appropriate conclusions, and identifying new strategies to design and optimize novel biotherapeutics.
• Develop scalable production, bioconjugation, and purification workflows for therapeutic and targeting proteins across diverse architectures including mAbs, multispecifics, scFvs, Fabs, and VHHs.
• Design, develop, and implement biophysical and biochemical assays—including SPR, BLI, ELISA, MSD, ITC —to characterize protein behavior and support reagent development efforts.
• Solve complex challenges in protein engineering and bioconjugation, developing innovative solutions in real time at the bench.
• Advance core capabilities in antibody and protein engineering while contributing to the development of new platform technologies.
• Stay current on modern technologies and collaborate with internal core teams to validate and implement novel processes, protein designs, and analytical methods.
• Collaborate multi-functionally with discovery, manufacturing, and translational teams to advance research programs from early concept through development.
• Present research findings at internal meetings and contribute to scientific publications and regulatory documents as appropriate.
• Maintain rigorous standards for laboratory safety, regulatory compliance, data integrity, and proper documentation practices.

Basic Requirements:

• Ph.D. in protein engineering, protein biochemistry, structural biology, protein biophysics,